What separates the women from the girls during athletic competitions?
It’s their attitude towards what they are doing that spells the
difference. Our bodies can do amazing things when we are
driven by a clarity of purpose.
Have you ever heard of people incredibly lifting heavy objects during
fires and disasters?
This
is made
possible because of an adrenalin rush which is induced
by your mind commanding your body what to do in such a situation. The
same goes for preparing for or engaging in physical activity.
| Unlike having a
mindset such as that which athletes use in competition,
where they psyche themselves up using an end-goal of winning the crown,
you have to keep tabs on small successes by
focusing on one training session at a time. |
|
Before
you even started with your program, you knew the reasons why
you decided to work out –
it may be because you’re looking at a particular target weight, you’re
preparing for a strenuous activity, or you simply want to improve your
heart rate for better health.
To help you stay focused on your goals, you can try various techniques
such as Imagenics (the creation of mental pictures of
what you want to be) or Centering (helping an athlete
“stay in the moment” and not worry about
future thoughts and worries).
You can also study focusing techniques using the concept of intrinsic
motivation.
When this type of motivation is applied to any physical activity, a
person could derive fun and enjoyment from the said activity rather
than drudgery and fatigue.
This then makes the experience worthwhile
and entices the person to “keep coming back for more.”
There are four psychological concepts that can help an
individual
become more “intrinsic” with her physical activity, making it more
enjoyable and easier to adopt as a routine:
- Vision
This is the first step and it helps
people “reach into the future.”
One
should have the ability to visualize herself as an exerciser by first
imagining her future physical self. A person should be able to first
see herself exercising before actually doing it – doing so would make
exercise personally meaningful.
- Mastery
This focuses individuals on the exercise
experience itself. As one develops mastery, she can then bring in her
natural longing to improve and grow.
With mastery, people can base
their successes based on their own criteria and not on checklists
provided by others. This also helps them achieve a mindset that enables
them to exercise under any condition – whether good or bad.
- Flow
This is the third secret to becoming an
intrinsic exerciser. It is defined as an optimal psychological state
that involves total connection to an activity.
When you get into the
flow of exercising, you will acquire a sense of self-expression and
consequently achieve self-satisfaction. Flow is important to keep you
from being distracted. All there is and all that’s
important is the task at hand.
- Inergy
This refers to the energy that emanates
from the inside.
It is based on the philosophy of well-being, which
extols what is natural in each person.Once inergy is established, the
body-mind-spirit connection is roused. This works on the principle that
“a life without movement is not really worth living.”
When
these 4 key concepts are learned, exercising becomes a welcome
activity, and adherence to a program is easily achieved.
