It's All In Your Head

A sports client of mine recently said to me, “Neal, what exactly is mental toughness?”

It’s a great question, as whenever I have conversations with people about the mind and what a vital part it plays - not only in the sports arena but also with life in general - I tend to find that thoughts and reasoning can differ quite greatly.

My own belief as to why these thoughts differ, is that it comes down to personal life experience. If for example you are a top athlete, then your understanding of mental behaviour will be more highly attuned. This doesn’t mean that you have to be an athlete to understand and appreciate the powers of the mind but it does help.

The Mind in Sport

For many years there was always an emphasis on improving physical fitness and technical ability within elite sport but very little focus was placed on one’s mental skills. I’m pleased to say that over the past decade or so this has begun to change although I believe there is still some way to go yet.

Performance comprises of Fitness, Technical Ability and Mental Skills.

Mental Skills comprises of Concentration, Will and Emotional Balance.

If I randomly asked someone to list the three components attributed to Performance, there is a good chance they would guess at least two. If I was to ask the same question about Mental Skills, I would be quite surprised if I was given more than one.

The interesting thing is that the extent to which fitness and technical ability are important will vary from sport to sport. Running, for instance, requires a high level of fitness but a comparatively lower level of technical skill. Snooker, however, requires a higher level of technical skill but a lower level of fitness.

With elite athletes across all sports, the levels of required fitness and technical ability tend to be fairly close. Therefore, it is the athlete with the better mental skills that will most likely win the day.

To view a little more detail on these Mental Skills attributes, click here.

Once an athlete has accepted the importance Mental Skills play in their overall success, the next step is to ensure they have the right knowledge at their fingertips and are utilising the correct tools to improve. Methodologies such as how to get into the zone; anchoring; routines; mental rehearsal and mind-body connection can all be used to outstanding effect.

And, in fact, most of these skills can be employed within many other professions as well.

A Game Changer says…

For me, mental toughness is the ability to perform at your very best when under extreme pressure. It is the ability to remain calm when all around you has broken into chaos. It is the ability to block out all distraction and remain fully focused on the task in hand.

For this month’s blog I am also going to leave you with several top athletes take on what mental toughness means to them. Until next time, keep learning!

Mental toughness…

is when you, your body, the competition, nature, or the environment has the best of you so that you’re physically tapped out and need to figure out how to pull something out of yourself… not in a robotic way, in a way that’s mentally aware and engaged. It’s not just the ability to keep moving but to keep doing it in a way that’s engaged and competitive in the environment you’re in, whether that’s competing against the clock or other human beings. It’s easy when you feel good physically. It’s when that physicality leaves you.

- Andy Scott, Ultra-Endurance Mountain Biker and Ski Mountaineer

for me, is acknowledging that very challenging moments can occur in all sports (and also in life in general) but having the capacity in a quick time frame to turn a negative experience into a positive one.

- Samantha Gash, Ultra-Endurance Runner

means being able to keep on performing whilst in extreme discomfort. It’s the ability to mentally overcome the brain, which is telling you to stop, and keep pushing yourself forward, even if things aren’t going well.

- Mark Pattinson, Endurance Racing Cyclist

is your ability to deal with pain and to process it. It’s your body’s ability and your mind’s ability, mostly your mind’s. Mental toughness could be the ability to get out of your body what your body is capable of that day.

- Jesse Thomas, Long Course Triathlete

basically means being able to overcome outside circumstances, negativity and whatever obstacles you have going on in your life at the moment, to focus on the task at hand. It’s easier said than done.

- Lindsey Valenzuela, Elite CrossFit Athlete

Mind Your Language!

Every day it’s our language that shapes us - the words and phrases that we use, the intonations and inflections, the positivity and negativity.

This language has a great impact on our state of mind and subsequently on our positivity, our productivity and our performance. It can be the vital component when breaking down achievement and non achievement. Therefore, it is crucial to be aware of our internal dialogue, so that we can have it working for us and not against us.

Within the sporting world, I have often heard people talk about ‘getting in their own way’ when they are performing. This means that they have created a conflict between their conscious and unconscious minds and are unable to remain congruent.

One of the main contributors to incongruence is the way in which we use language to speak to ourselves.

By using the right language we can make a very positive impact on our performance.

The importance around use of language when discussing the realm of the mind is massive and there is simply too much to cover in one article. However, just consider the following few words, their usage and the potential impact this can have on our beliefs and behaviour:

TRY

Very often you will hear people (yourself included I’m sure) saying that they will ‘try’ and do something. What does that actually mean? If I was to drop my car keys on the floor and ask you to ‘try’ and pick them up, you only have two options - either you pick them up or you don’t!

When someone uses the word ‘try’ a lot, it usually means they are giving themselves an option not to do something. When you remove ‘try’ from their language, the person is much more likely to be focused on succeeding.

HOPE

‘Hope’ is most definitely related to ‘try’. They are family. If you ask someone if they can do something and they reply “I hope so”, there is a fairly strong chance they don’t believe they can do it.

‘Hope’ like ‘try’ gives us an alternative. If we hope we will do something, we are allowing ourselves a get out clause - we might do it; we might not.

Normally when people use the word ‘hope’ a lot it signifies that they have a doubt or limiting belief. Where necessary, this needs to be identified and changed.

BUT

The word ‘but’ is pure magic. It has the ability to make anything that went before it disappear.

Positive feedback can be destroyed by the word ‘but’. E.g. “You played brilliantly today but…”, “that meeting went really well but…” etc.

What happens next is that people only remember the negatives.

If you simply replace the ‘but’ with an ‘and’, then any message being delivered is one of positivity not negativity and you are still conveying your thoughts as you wish.

Lastly, I want to share one final word with you that all on its own can drive our senseless habits and make us act irrationally.

That word is ‘Because.'

In 1977, psychologist Ellen Langer and her research team at Harvard University conducted an experiment that changed our understanding of human behaviour.

Langer asked her research assistants to cut in front of innocent people waiting in line at the photocopiers in the library. This is how it worked:

A researcher would spot someone waiting at the copy machine and walk over with the intention of cutting the person in line. Then, the researcher would look at the innocent bystander and ask them one of three questions:

Version 1 - “Excuse me, I have 5 pages. May I use the Xerox machine”

Version 2 - “Excuse me, I have 5 pages. May I use the Xerox machine because I’m in a rush?”

Version 3 - “Excuse me, I have 5 pages. May I use the Xerox machine because I have to make copies?”

I’m sure, like me, you’ve noticed that Version 3 doesn’t make much sense. Using the phrase “because I have to make copies” is a fairly useless reason for skipping the line, as everyone in the line is there to make copies!

The phrase contained no new information but the researcher was trying to use it to justify the favour anyway. Surprisingly, this senseless reason preformed well. When the data was analysed they found the following:

Version 1 - 60% of people let the researcher skip the line

Version 2 - 94% of people let the researcher skip the line

Version 3 - 93% of people let the researcher skip the line

Langer’s research, known as The Copy Machine study, was published in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology.

The study became famous because it uncovered one of the most powerful words we use to drive our behaviour - ‘because’.

Langer’s work proved that as long as we can justify a behaviour in our brains (“I’m doing this because…”), we would perform the behaviour even if the reason didn’t make sense!

Author, Robert Cialdini explained this phenomenon by saying, “A well known principle of human behaviour says that when we ask someone to do us a favour we will be more successful if we provide a reason. People simply like to have reasons for what they do.”

A Game Changer says…

Take some time out to consider the language you tend to use on a daily basis. Perhaps ask a loved one or close friend to help out. This is not about running a critique, this is about helping yourself.

I can think of many occasions when I use the word ‘because’ simply to facilitate my own wishes and beliefs, yet knowing full well that my reasoning doesn’t always make sense. We often don’t question ourselves simply because we have a reason, even if it isn’t a good one.

I’d venture to say that we do this to ourselves in many areas of life:

Fitness - how are you justifying not exercising regularly?

Writing - what is your reason for why you can’t write each day?

Business - how is your mindset preventing you from progression?

The reasons that we use to guide our behaviour are just stories that we tell ourselves. Sometimes, those stories are true and accurate. We all have reasons for why “now isn’t quite the right time”, why we slip up on habits that we say are important to us and why we do favours for people.

What we often fail to realise, however, is that our behaviours can just as easily be driven by irrational reasons as logical ones! And yet we just plough on.

Utilising the right language in our daily lives will most definitely lead to a more positive mindset and quite often a better reality. It will also lead to better efficiency, performance and rapport whether it be in the workplace, on the sports field or at home.

Regular Exercise And The Mind

Realising The Effect Exercise Has On Our Brain

In recent years we have all read articles, listened to podcasts and watched programmes informing us about the important role regular exercising plays in keeping our bodies fitter, healthier and ultimately more immune to ailments and illness.

A key area that is rarely discussed however is the vital impact regular exercising can have on our brain as well as the subsequent positive knock on effect.

When you consider that the mind controls the body, we believe that by explaining and educating people about the real value of regular exercise in this arena, it will encourage them to participate more often, understand the purpose and ultimately enjoy the process.

The human brain is the most complex machine on earth but when it comes to using fuel to function, it is certainly not the most efficient. It only makes up 2% of our body weight but swallows up one fifth of the oxygen we take in to keep operating.

To make sure it operates at its most optimum, many experts believe that regular exercise is crucial. Even a 20 minute walk can help us better fight stress or anxiety, think and act more logically and help make clear and concise decisions.

_______________________________

A recent study conducted at the University of Illinois showed how a nine year old’s brain is affected by 20 minutes of exercise. The results were astounding. Cognitive testing on the child was tested both before and after exercising. Post walking on a treadmill for short periods during 30 minutes of exercising, the child’s brain registered a 5 to 10% improvement in mental processing.

To reap the physical benefits of exercise often takes hours of hard work but the moment you set off for a walk, run, cycle or swim - each of which is attainable for us to perform - there are hidden mental benefits that kick in straight away:

New Brain Cells Are Created - levels of protein are raised improving brain function

Creativity Is Increased - Stanford research 2014 showed that simple walking can increase creative output by up to 60%. Have you ever stood up and walked about when on an important phone call? Try it sometime!

Greater Focus Is Achieved - increased blood flow delivers oxygen and glucose to the brain improving concentration levels for up to three hours after exercise

An Improved Mood - production of serotonin (the happy serum) is increased, acting as a natural antidepressant

_____________________________

Since the advance in technology - from online shopping to ready meals - everything has become that much easier; we’ve got it made. A sedentary lifestyle however can have huge implications, not only to our physical health but also to our mental health.

Science presenter, Greg Foot, conducted the following research with regard to the important part regular exercise can have on our brain:

Stress - when we are ‘stressed out’, we very often forget things. This is because stress hits the part of our brain called the hippocampus, which plays an important role in our memory. Regular exercise produces vital neurohormones that in turn improve our cognitive function, learning and mood. Although stress can never be totally avoided, exercise is massively important in controlling it. Next time you feel highly stressed, go for a 20-30 minute walk, jog or cycle. You will truly notice the difference in how much more settled and relaxed you feel afterwards!

Sleep - in middle age, another battle that exercise can help us fight is insomnia or lack of sleep. A UK survey found that over 50% of us struggle with sleep deprivation. One 20-30 minute session of cardiovascular exercise will raise our body temperature by up to two degrees for up to 5 hours before it then dips lower than if we hadn’t exercised. This dip is a trigger which can ease us into a deeper sleep when it’s time for bed. Exercising in the late afternoon/early evening isn’t always possible for everyone but even if we just do some basic exercises or stretches we can improve our sleep regimes.

Dementia - according to the World Health Organisation (WHO), one new case of dementia is diagnosed every four seconds and by 2050 they estimate over 135 million sufferers. A 2015 study carried out by Cambridge University looked at the top factors that would increase the risk of developing Alzheimer’s. Above smoking and well above depression is physical inactivity. So, how can exercise fight dementia? Answer: Neuroplasticity. Our brain can change and maintain itself over time if treated right. Regular aerobic exercise generates new brain cells and keeps it healthy.

A Game Changer says…

Completely eradicating stress, anxiety and insomnia as well as other personal worries and frustrations is simply not possible. These are elements of our day-to-day lives that we have to learn to manage and control. And by the way, that's OK!

It is the same with regard to our emotions. They are hard wired within us for a reason and there areimportant times when they are required for those reasons.

Our advice is always:

a) learn to identify when you are experiencing a continuous problem. The sooner you identify it, the faster you can start to manage it.

b) once you have identified it, accept it. When experiencing a problem or concern, ‘acceptance is something that the vast majority of us find very difficult.

c) when our brain ‘accepts’ something, it can then start to relax and focus on the healing/solution process.

There are no quick and easy fixes but as you can see from this article, regular exercise will really help and it is so important to carry out for our mental well being.

N.B. The mind and body are inextricably linked - one will always affect the other.