The Path to Mental Fitness

Posted July 25, 2007 at 02:00 PM by Lisa Cieplechowicz

Section: In The News, His Health, Mental Health

Want to be a better athlete? Get tough. Mentally tough, that is. It’s becoming more and more obvious that it’s not about how long you stay at the gym or how fast you can run a mile. The real test of any athlete is to be able to push himself to succeed no matter what challenge may be getting in his way.

It’s the marathon runner who makes it to the finish line despite the exhaustion that has set in, the weightlifter that keeps doing reps long past the time the others have gone home, the swimmer who pushes himself that last hundred meters despite the painful cramp in his side. It’s the motivation to go on, despite the potential costs. It’s the determination to avoid failure, no matter how hard it may be. It’s mental fitness. And it’s what we all need to succeed.

Though mental toughness is often assumed to be an innate quality, there are certain techniques and practices that can help make any athlete more prepared to face the challenges ahead of them.

Motivate yourself - The root of mental toughness is sheer motivation to succeed. Don’t let yourself stop short of a goal because of fear or lack of confidence. Push yourself to keep at it, and after a while you’ll find it’s not so hard. Run that extra mile on the track, pump out 5 more reps before calling it quits. Whatever your goal may be, find some way to make it happen and you’ll thank yourself later.

Think happy thoughts - Sounds lame, but you’d be surprised how well staying positive works in the world of sports. Getting down on yourself serves no purpose except to make you feel incapable and unworthy. So tune out those negative thoughts, and get ready to talk yourself up. Because the more you tell yourself you can do it, the sooner you’ll find out you really can.

Visualize your goal - Picture those final strides across the finishing line, imagine yourself lifting the weights during your final set. Visualize the motivation it will take and the strength it will require, and your job’s half done.

Take some time to meditate - It’s not as girly as it sounds. In fact, when you’re stressing yourself out about your performance or concentrating too hard on the negatives, meditation may be the key to getting yourself back on track to mental fitness. Letting yourself relax helps keep you calm and clears your head. The last thing you want as an athlete is for anything to get in the way of your motivation and determination. So get in the habit of setting some time for meditation before big events or competitions. Your mental fitness depends on a healthy state of mind.

Say good-bye to your comfort zone - Security breeds stagnation. The more comfortable you are with your routine, the less motivation you’ll have to really challenge yourself to do better. The best athletes are the ones who don’t settle. They constantly look for new ways to improve themselves and new obstacles to overcome.

Prepare yourself - In battle it’s best to know your enemy, and the same can be said for sports and competition. Anticipate everything from the mundane to the major - from the outfit you’ll be wearing on the day to the injury that could befall you during the event. The more ready you are to deal with any problems that may arise, the more you can concentrate on accomplishing the goal itself.

When it’s all said and done, without mental fitness you’ll never be the athlete you want to be.

For resources and more information: [Men’s Fitness], [Mental Fitness Center], [About.com], [picture]