How important is the mind – the mental aspect – when it comes to sport and exercise?
Mindset is absolutely crucial: from having the motivation to keep training through the winter months, to being able to turn a new year’s resolution into a habit, to making sure you don’t choke at elite competition level. We train people to harness the power of their mind to maximise their wellbeing and performance.
How does this work in practice?
I’ve done a lot of research into positive emotion, and as a sports psychologist I aim to re-educate people to interpret events positively rather than being stressed by them. If we see something as a challenge we’re equipped to handle, rather than something we’re stressed by, our bodies respond better both physiologically and psychologically and we’re far more likely to succeed.
I try to make people understand which of their thoughts are helpful and which should be discarded.
How do you do that?
One tool is to view emotions as information, and not as direction. When we understand the emotions that we’re experiencing, we have a much better steer on what to do with that information.
For example, some people interpret butterflies in their tummy as a sign of worry – a fear that something might go wrong – but if we think about this feeling as our body getting ready for the challenge, then we can start to view it more positively.
The same principle exists for any physical activity. We must pay attention to our emotions to understand what they’re trying to tell us – what information they’re providing – so we can act on this information. For example, someone might say “I don’t feel like running today”, but when we examine the feeling it might be that the person feels sad or disappointed, perhaps because they aren’t making as much progress as they would like to.
How could gym owners apply your research to help their members?
The first thing they should do is help the people who come through the door get what they want. Most people come with a goal but don’t know how to achieve it. They come with the intention and motivation but need the strategy, and then feedback, to succeed in their goals – otherwise the intention wears off.
What works universally is simple: support, encouragement, warm feedback, direction and guidance. The people who receive this do exceptionally well. Instructors need to make people really believe that they are the person they wish to become.
