The Journey to Naming Resilience RX

Without a doubt, naming something is one of the hardest things to do. The goal is to find a name that fully embodies what it is representing without saying anything you don’t want it to. Figuring out what to call Resilience RX was one of the more difficult decisions in starting the business. In order to name our business, we had to figure out what our mission was, who we wanted to serve, how we wanted to serve our community, and what our values were.

Our mission is to empower athletes, to help CrossFitters become bulletproof, and to give runners the tools they need so they get their final push. We understand the power of physical activity to influence mental health. We address sleep, stress, and social factors in our plans of care. But what word includes all that?

Strength. Nope, too common.

Persistence. Vetoed. Sounds too much like nagging.

Tenacity. Sure, but it doesn’t make a good name.

Steadfast. Sorta, but just doesn’t feel right.

After consulting the internet multiple times and debating the nuances of words more than we should have, we settled on Resilience. Yes, it’s hard to spell. And, no one can seem to remember how many “i”s it has or where they go. Despite this, it covers what we are about. But, what are we about?

Resilience RX

That’s a good question. We view each individual as a whole. Everyone has a different capacity; for this discussion, let’s pretend each person starts as an empty glass. The stressors of life – social pressures, job friction, lack of sleep, relationship difficulties, physical exercise – all get added to the cup as water or “stress”. The body regards stress as stress. It doesn’t discriminate between one kind of stress and another. When the cup gets full, it overflows. Sometimes that looks like a mental health struggle or angry outburst and other times that looks like a physical injury.

We view our role as a doctor who helps you to perform at your highest level. That means if we notice something in the realm of sleep, stress, or nutrition that is within our practice scope, we will address it. Our role is to not just decrease the level of water in your cup so it doesn’t overflow; our role is to get that level of water as low as possible, so you don’t get injured again.

That’s where Resilience comes in. People who are resilient don’t break. They are more than strong; they endure and persevere. When they finish, they are strong than they were when they started. Obstacles are opportunities, not difficulties. Goals, dreams, and desires are challenges to chase, not setbacks. Resilient individuals understand that they may get injured, but they aren’t afraid to become injured because they know they have resilience. When they become injured, they have the resilience they need to fully recover. They understand that occasional shoulder pain is better than the alternative of diabetes and heart disease.

Resilience RX – Part 1

So if that’s what Resilience means, what does RX mean? RX was simpler for us to choose. One facet of it does have to do with the notion of “RXing” a workout. But, instead of just a workout, we desire the people we serve RX life. A workout is a test of physical fitness and grit, but life is even more of a test. We want people to thrive, not just survive. Our desire is that people perform in their lives as best as they can because actions have a ripple effect. When we serve others, we also serve their spouses, children, and friends. It’s indirect, but it’s present. We take our responsibility to serve others seriously because of the societal ramifications it can have.

Resilience RX – Part 2

The other meaning behind RX is prescription. Exercise is medicine. When you go to a doctor, you get a certain prescription based on your symptoms. You don’t take a random amount of insulin if you’re diabetic; you take the amount that will correctly regulate your blood sugar. It’s the same thing with exercise. We are doctors and we know how to dose exercise to get the intended results. Most don’t know it, but our diagnostic skills are no different than an orthopedic doctor or surgeon.

In a Nutshell

Resilience – treatment for the whole person that is based on one’s capacity to improve their tolerance to stress.

RX – treatment that is dosed out at a specific prescription level so you can thrive in life and perform in your workouts.

To learn more about who we are, what we believe and the story of how we got started, click here. Follow us on Facebook or Instagram for helpful content about exercise, nutrition, recovery, rehab, and much more!