Power
Positive
By Linda Melone
In the early morning hours,
when many of us are entering another REM sleep cycle,
Jody-Lynn Reicher is lacing up her running shoes. By
the time we're grabbing our first cup of coffee, she's
made it home to get her 5-year-old off to ballet class.
Having completed more than
40 marathons, the 45-year-old New Jersey
businesswoman and mom attributes her focus and discipline
to more than her inner tenacity and former training
as a Marine. She works on her mental game as much as
her physical training, which she believes enables her
to achieve what others can only imagine.
The Psychology
of Exercise
Six years ago, Reicher hired Dan Schaefer, Ph.D., a
performance specialist and president of Peak Performance
Strategies, to help her get over a few training obstacles.
Schaefer, who regularly works with professional athletes,
uses mental exercises to help his clients gain a competitive
edge. "It all starts in the mind," he says.
"He taught me that
(while exercising) the brain can only hold three thoughts
at the same time," Reicher says. "When I run,
I think of the three most important things I need to
focus on. When I work on my speed, for example, I may
focus on how fast my feet are coming around, how fast
my arms are moving and keeping my head still. When I
practice this, I run faster."
Reicher says shifting her
focus away from the difficulty of the overall effort
makes the run seem easier. This technique, referred
to as dissociation, has its roots in a legendary story
about Tibetan monks who ran 300 miles in 30 hours by
fixating on a distant object.
Although physical limitations
exist for every individual, researchers debate where
those limits are because the
mind often gives up before the body. As
a result, more athletes are turning to sports psychologists
to learn how to overcome the mental roadblocks hindering
their progress. Today's top athletes use a combination
of selfhypnosis, visualization and affirmations to improve
training and win events.
Accentuate the
Positive
Since Dr. Norman Vincent Peale published his iconic
book, The Power of Positive Thinking, in the early 1950s,
many have jumped on the positive-thinking bandwagon
as a way to accomplish life goals and improve health.
Recent studies are now adding data to back up the benefits
of the feel-good movement for athletes.
While it's not always easy
to do, maintaining a positive mindset does help your
performance. According to a 2007 study in the Journal
of Applied Sport Psychology, negative self-talk--"I'm
no good at cycling, I should just give up"--only
sabotages your game. A recent Harvard study showed that
maids who were told their work met the Surgeon General's
recommendations for an active lifestyle experienced
decreases in blood pressure and body fat a month later
without changing their behaviors, something the control
group, who was not given the information, did not experience.
And not all self-criticism
is bad. Task-specific statements, such as telling yourself
to "relax your shoulders" when you run, will
help you focus and improve, reports Tom Holland, author
of "Self-Talk and the Endurance Athlete,"
published in the American Medical Athletic Association
Journal.
To cut out the negativity,
Schaefer suggests, change the conversation. "People
trash-talk themselves more than they know, and the worst
part is, you tend to listen to what you say because
it's in your own voice," he cautions.
See Success
Professor emeritus of psychology Michael Connor, Ph.D.,
endorses the well-known process of visualization and
recommends starting a regular routine two to three weeks
prior to a race. Visualization forms a detailed, mental
representation of your performance goals.
"Break the race down
into stages," Connor says. "Where do you want
to be at three miles? Six miles? Visualize each stage,
including crossing the finish line. Get yourself in
the frame of mind you want to be in when you get there."
Avoid thinking about what
you fear might happen. Instead, focus on what you want
to happen. Most of all, Connor says, "Remember
to have fun. Find the joy in what you do."
In the Zone
Adrianne Ahern, Ph.D., performance psychologist and
author of the book
Snap Out of it Now! studies human athletic potential.
She says three things must be in place to get into the
coveted "zone," the mental state in which
you feel energized and fully immersed in what you are
doing.
1. Eliminate
any negative thoughts. To do this, some athletes focus
on a
word or song that takes their minds off thoughts of
pain or exhaustion.
Others recite lists of things they are thankful for.
Find what works best
for you.
2. Practice the steps of race day.
Ensure you can perform your routine
without thinking about it--this allows your subconscious
to take over
during the real event.
3. Find your optimal energy level.
Do you function better when you're calm
or full of nervous energy? The state in which you practice
best is the
state you'll perform at your best.
