In the world of trades, we respect the ‘specs’. We know the load-bearing capacity of a beam, the voltage limits of a circuit and the drying time of screed.
To get in touch with the FIT Committee, please email fit@iopsa.org or WhatsApp them on +27 (0) 82 218 7454.
We understand that if you push a tool beyond its designed limit without maintenance, it breaks. Yet, for decades, the most complex tool on any job site – the human brain – has been expected to run 24/7 without a service plan.
Through the Friends in Trades (F.I.T.) initiative, we’ve used physical events like the Cape Town Cycle Tour to spark conversation. But the real ‘fit’ in Fit for F.I.T. isn’t just about cardiovascular health, it’s about neurological resilience. It’s about practicing mindfulness, which is scientifically defined as the awareness that arises from paying attention on purpose, in the present moment, and non-judgmentally.
To understand why this matters on a job site, we have to look at the biology of the ‘mental load’
The ‘high-voltage’ brain: Stress and the amygdala
Every tradesperson knows the feeling of a ‘high-pressure’ day – deadlines looming, materials delayed and clients breathing down your neck. In these moments, your brain’s survival centre, the amygdala, takes over. This is the ‘fight, flight or freeze’ response. It floods your system with cortisol and adrenaline.
While this is great if you’re escaping a falling scaffold, it’s a disaster for long-term mental health. Chronic ‘high-voltage’ stress robs you of sleep, makes you irritable and, most dangerously, clouds your judgment. You start making mistakes. You stop being present. You’re working on the job, but your mind is already stressing about the invoice you haven’t sent or the argument you had last night.
Paying attention ‘on purpose’
Mindfulness is the manual override for that stress response. When we say mindfulness is ‘paying attention on purpose’, we are talking about engaging the prefrontal cortex. This is the part of the brain responsible for logical thinking and emotional regulation.
When you are out on a 160km ride like the Race to the Sun, you are practicing ‘applied mindfulness’. You aren’t sitting on a cushion, you are navigating a technical descent. You are paying attention to your breathing, your heart rate and the terrain. By focusing on the present moment, you are effectively ‘re-wiring’ your brain. This is known as neuroplasticity. Research shows that repeated mindfulness practice actually shrinks the amygdala (the stress centre) and strengthens the prefrontal cortex (the calm centre). You are literally building a more resilient brain, one mile at a time.
The non-judgmental ‘site inspection’
The final, and perhaps most difficult, part of the F.I.T. philosophy is being non-judgmental. In our industries, we are trained to judge everything. We judge the quality of a finish, we judge the speed of an apprentice, we judge ourselves when we fall behind.
When it comes to mental health, that judgment is a killer. We feel anxious, and then we judge ourselves for ‘being weak’ or ‘not being man enough’. This creates a secondary loop of stress.
Mindfulness teaches us to observe our thoughts like a site inspector observes a crack in a wall. The inspector doesn’t get angry at the wall, they simply note the crack, determine the cause and plan the fix. When we observe our own thoughts non-judgmentally, “I’m feeling really burnt out today”, we stop the emotional spiral. We see the ‘fault’ for what it is, which allows us to address it without the weight of shame.
The F.I.T. conclusion: Servicing the engine
We wouldn’t dream of running a generator for a year without an oil change. Why do we do it to our minds?
The Fit for F.I.T. events are our training ground. Every step of a 5km walk and every pedal stroke of a 46km cycle is an opportunity to practice being present. It’s an opportunity to pull our minds out of the ‘future-stress’ or the ‘past-regret’ and put them exactly where they belong: right here, in the present moment.
When we are present, we are safer. We are better mates. We are more efficient workers. And most importantly, we are healthier human beings.
The science is specific: Mindfulness isn’t a ‘soft’ skill. It’s the hardest, most essential piece of PPE you will ever own. Let’s keep moving, keep paying attention and keep supporting each other, on purpose.
© Plumbing Africa
