Diet & Fitness

Have you ever seen the movie Facing the Giants? It is the true story of Coach Grant Taylor's courageous battles against fear and failure on and off the field. Anyway, there's a clip from the movie that I like to watch before going to the gym. In it, one of Coach Taylor's high school football players completes the death crawl for the entire length of the field with another person on his back. The reason he is able to accomplish this great feat? He is blindfolded so that his mind won't make him give up before he has reached his potential.

Every time I watch that part of the movie, it makes me reflect on the many times I have let my mind talk me into quitting. When I go to spinning class, do I give it my best or just do the minimum required by the instructor? And when I work out with weights, do I do as many reps as I can or just go through the motions?

Researchers from the University of Cape Town in South Africa recently proved that our brains tend to turn on the pain long before we reach our potential. Apparently, receptors in the brain called interleukin-6 try to shut the body down as a defense mechanism. But elite athletes know the right mental tips and techniques they need to use in order to get the most out of their workouts.

And speaking of elite athletes, eDiets Chief Fitness Pro Raphael Calzadilla knows a thing or two about mental toughness. After all, he is a drug-free competitive bodybuilder and winner of the prestigious WNBF (World Natural Bodybuilding Federation) Pro Card. Raphael has some real life examples of techniques that have worked for him and many of his clients as well.

"The most important thing is to have a specific goal," Raphael says. "Without the goal, none of these techniques will be effective."

That being said, here are four tips you can use to get the most from your mind:

1. Visualize success.
Before going to sleep at night, Raphael suggests that you visualize yourself completing a specific activity that you want to accomplish -- whether it’s getting in an extra rep or finishing a marathon. You can keep the visualization brief, but Raphael says it is important to start doing it every single night. "There is something related to the sleep state and the subconscious that I personally believe has power," Raphael says.

2. Use a mantra.
When you are working out or running, Raphael suggests finding a mantra or phrase that works for you. "For example," Rapheal says, "when I’m setting new records in the gym on a particular exercise, mine is: 'I Own You!' " Raphael posted this on an eDiets support board, and many of our members used it with success. Though he prefers a tough, take-no-prisoners approach, Raphael says it is important to find a phrase that works for you. (When she was preparing to run a marathon, our Senior Copy Editor used to repeat the slogan made popular by Nike to herself: "Just do it!")

3. Make your mind blank.
Another technique that Raphael has successfully used with clients is to tell them to block everything out of their mind when performing a specific activity. Just do the activity with precision and don't allow any thoughts or emotions to enter your brain, Raphael says. "It has a zen-like quality about it, but that was not my initial intent," Raphael admits. "My intent when creating this exercise was merely to eliminate any negative thoughts."

4. Be strong.
"Another technique I like to use is to assert that I’m stronger or faster than an activity," Raphael says. For example, when he's about to lift a weight he's never worked with before, Raphael declares to himself: "I am stronger than the weight. I am stronger than the weight."

Raphael reminds people that this can also be used with endurance training. He has worked with runners, who would repeat to themselves “faster than my previous time, faster than my previous time” while completing a race. "The key is to rise above the perceived assumption of what you think you can do," Raphael says.

Do you have any other mental tips or techniques you use when working out? Let us know by posting a comment below.

Labels: exercise, fitness, running, tips