Mind Techniques For Top Performance – Part 2

Tune Into Your Mind
While a professional athlete has practiced so much that she scarcely thinks about her moves, a novice’s brain continuously tells her body what to do, “Beginners consider every move and use feedback from errors to improve.” Hatfield says. Use this natural process of learning to motivate yourself: Just as you measure your progress by improvements in strength, endurance and skill, you can measure it by the quiting of your mind.

Tip: When working out monitor how far you’ve come. During each weight-training session, for example, notice how the mental chatter decreases. As you progress, you routine should feel like part of a natural flow instead of a giant brain drain.

Be In The Moment
While working out, put everyday frustrations aside; tap into the sensory experience of your activity and respond to that. “Paying attention to sensations consumes and relaxes you and helps you focus.” Hatfield says.

Tip: Concentrate on a pleasant feeling you’re experiencing in your workout. Close your eyes and enjoy the stretch of your calf muscle during a yoga move or the push of your soles against the pool wall as you make turns in a lap pool.

Emphasize Singularity
The brain is usually versatile, but it’s not good at juggling tasks when one of them is new to you or particularly difficult. “Use this idiosyncrasy of the brain to improve your workouts. Occupy your mind so entirely with the physical activity that it can’t entertain any other thoughts.”

Tip: Set a specific goal for each workout. For instance. Concentrate on a particular technique, such as perfecting the way our foot strikes the ground as you run. Or work on improving your endurance (total workout time) or getting faster.

Visualize Your Goal
A big part of learning a physical exercise is forming “motor memory” in the brain. Creating a mental video of how you’re going to make movement helps prime the brain for the actual effort and builds your collection of motor memories, almost as if you’ve actually done an extra practice session.

Tip: Before you exercise, close your eyes and create a mental image of the task. If a difficult technique is coming up, imagine yourself doing it. Or, before doing a squat, see yourself executing it correctly.

Stay Positive
“Negative emotions can alter your brain’s commands to your muscles.” Hatfield says. Self-doubt can throw off your timing, tighten up your muscles and reduce your range of motion. So, censor the negative messages your mind tries to send to your body. Think uplifting thoughts – and if a negative one pops up, reframe it.

Tip: Turn obstacles into opportunities. For instance, rather than cursing the wind-chill factor that makes your ride uncomfortable, think about how working harder to stay warm will improve your fitness. If you make a mistake, don’t obsess about it; look at what you doing right and refine your efforts.
From Shape 2002, given to me by a great friend. Thank you!

Read Part 1 – Use Your Brain For Better Results

Related:
Secrets To Greatness
The Alpha Project
Break Bad Habits Patterns & Beliefs
Develop Motivational Muscle