Breaking Through Barriers With Mental Training

While exercise and nutrition are very important, mental training is the most underappreciated aspect of peak performance in exercise, sports, and life.

And because it's underappreciated, you will have the proverbial "ace in the hole" if you are able to maximize this aspect of living.

Mental training is necessary for peak performance because it helps us overcome past negative experiences, the negativity around us, and builds confidence in our abilities to succeed.

Here is a list of mental qualities and practices that sports psychologists have found separate the winners and losers.

If you condition your mind towards achieving these mental characteristics in your life's performances, you will be reaching your full potential.

-Finding your optimal energy for any given activity (you will find different optimal energy levels for different activities)

-Learn to view a moderate level of anxiety as performance enhancing, rather than performance detracting

-Learn how to relax when anxiety/arousal becomes too high (deep breathing works wonders)

-Imagine total focus, optimal energy, and successful completion of the given activity. Imagine the activity intrinsically (as if you were performing the activity) and extrinsically (as if you were watching as a third-person).

-During imagery, utilize all of your senses. What does the activity feel like? What does it sound like? What does it smell like? How does your body feel? What is your emotional state? Imagine the ideal.

-Become immersed in the activity. Focus on the tasks at hand. Do not focus on the outcome.

-Imagine your performance as effortless.

-Use positive affirmations. Although I often laugh about the character of Stuart Smalley on Saturday Night Live ("I'm Good Enough, I'm Smart Enough, and Doggone It, People Like Me!"), the use of positive affirmations helps counter-balance the mentalgarbage we are exposed to during the day.

There you have it. Review that list and put it to use. These are the skills of champions. Never a bad idea to emulate the "best practices" of the best performers.

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