In endurance sports, it's not just about healthy lungs, speed workouts, and logging lots and lots of miles. There is a definite spirit, mind, body connection and much research has been done on this topic.
Researchers who have studied athletes who use "mantras" or "self talk" have noted that these athletes feel less exhausted following workouts and achieve desired goals more often. On the other hand, those who go into a workout or race with negative thoughts often achieve a negative outcome.
You've likely heard the famous quote, "Whether you think you can or think you can't, you're right." Cognitive scientists continue to study how the brain processes both positive and negative self talk. Positive self talk appears to have the power to cause a chain reaction that motivates you to succeed.
Scientists at the Institute of Cognitive Sciences in France recently discovered that hearing a verb related to physical action increases the force with which people grip objects. If a negative word is spoken, the person's strength decreases but if a positive word is spoken, strength is increased.
A "volition switch" seems to turn on when a person hears or reads words like "go", "jump" or "attack" whereas this switch turns off when a person hears or reads words like "stop", "sit" or "surrender". Through MRI, scientists can actually see the spark of the volition.
So, as an athlete, have you experimented with positive self talk before a workout or before a race? Has that helped? What words do you tell yourself before you start?
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