| Understanding the mind's role in motivation | | | | specific performance goal such as completing |
| and behavior is one of the most critical | | | | a difficult workout or a heavy lift like a |
| elements in fitness success. If you struggle | | | | squat or bench press. |
| with changing habits and behaviors or if you | | | | |
| can't get motivated, then even the best | | | | One creative way you can use mental imagery |
| training and nutrition program is not much | | | | is called "process visualization." Once |
| help. | | | | you've set your goals, it's easy to come up |
| | | | with a list of the daily habits, behaviors |
| A fascinating fact about your subconscious | | | | and action steps necessary to reach your |
| mind is that it's completely deductive in | | | | goal. So write down the action steps and |
| nature. In other words, it's fully capable of | | | | visualize them - the entire process, not just |
| working backwards from the end to the means. | | | | the end result. See yourself food shopping |
| If you "program" only the desired outcome | | | | and grabbing fruits, vegetables and lean |
| successfully into your "mental computer," | | | | proteins, ordering healthy foods from |
| then your subconscious will take over and | | | | restaurant menus, saying no to sodas and |
| help you find the information and means and | | | | drinking water instead, and going to the gym |
| carry out the actions necessary to reach it. | | | | consistently and having killer workouts. Some |
| | | | people visualize their entire "perfect day" |
| Many people are familiar with affirmations | | | | as they would want it to unfold. When you do |
| and goal-setting as ways to give instructions | | | | this as vividly, emotionally and in as much |
| to your subconscious mind. But perhaps the | | | | detail as you can, you will be neurologically |
| ultimate mental training" technique is | | | | priming your brain to carry out those |
| visualization. In one respect, affirmation | | | | behaviors. |
| and visualization are the same, because when | | | | |
| you speak or think an affirmation first, that | | | | The least known of all mental imagery |
| triggers a mental image, being as the human | | | | techniques is called "physiology |
| brain "thinks" in pictures. | | | | visualization." An example would be picturing |
| | | | the fat burning process in your body or |
| You can use visualization to plant goals into | | | | seeing the muscle fibers growing larger and |
| your subconscious mind. You simply close your | | | | larger. Using this technique, could it be |
| eyes, use your imagination and mentally | | | | possible that you might be giving |
| create pictures and run movies of your | | | | subconscious instructions to your body's |
| desired results. If repeated consistently | | | | cells, organs and tissues? |
| with emotion, mental images are accepted by | | | | |
| your subconscious as commands and this helps | | | | Well, consider the work of Dr. Carl Simonton, |
| with changing habits, behavior and | | | | a physician and cancer researcher who taught |
| performance. | | | | his patients (as one part of a comprehensive |
| | | | program), how to visualize powerful immune |
| Although there are some new and creative ways | | | | cells devouring the cancer cells. I'm not |
| to use visualization, (which you are about to | | | | suggesting that you can cure cancer or |
| learn), this is not a new technique. | | | | materialize a lean and muscular body just by |
| Visualization has been used formally in the | | | | visualizing, (there's a step in between |
| fields of sports psychology and personal | | | | thought and manifestation - it's called |
| development for decades and philosophers have | | | | action - a step that many self help 'experts' |
| discussed it for centuries: | | | | forget to mention). However, thoughts and |
| | | | mental images are the precursors to action |
| "If you want to reach your goal, you must | | | | and the fact that a mind-body connection |
| 'see the reaching' in your own mind before | | | | definitely exists makes this an exciting |
| you actually arrive at your goal." | | | | prospect. |
| | | | |
| - Zig Ziglar | | | | Scientists have established the mind-body |
| | | | link in many contexts, and not just by the |
| "The use of mental imagery is one of the | | | | existence of a placebo effect. There's also |
| strongest and most effective strategies for | | | | direct evidence as in the way emotional |
| making something happen for you." | | | | stress can contribute to physical disease. |
| | | | The mind does influence the body! The mere |
| - Dr. Wayne Dyer | | | | fact that a branch of science has been |
| | | | devoted to this area is proof that it |
| "Perhaps the most effective method of | | | | deserves critical investigation and is not |
| bringing the subconscious into practical | | | | just the domain of infomercial self help |
| action is through the process of making | | | | gurus. The science is called |
| mental pictures - using the imagination." | | | | psychoneuroimmunology. |
| | | | |
| - Claude Bristol | | | | Using "physiology visualization," you could, |
| | | | even in the middle of a workout, imagine the |
| "There is a law in psychology that if you | | | | fat burning process taking place, and |
| form a picture in your mind of what you would | | | | visualize fat being released from adipose |
| like to be, and you keep and hold that | | | | tissue storage in your abdominal region or |
| picture there long enough, you will soon | | | | elsewhere. You could see the free fatty acids |
| become exactly as you have been thinking." | | | | entering your bloodstream, being carried to |
| | | | the working muscles and being burned for |
| - William James, 1842-1910, Psychologist and | | | | energy in the muscle cells. You could also |
| Author | | | | visualize the physiology of muscle growth. |
| | | | |
| Despite these glowing endorsements and a long | | | | To make your imagery as accurate and detailed |
| track record, some people can't get past | | | | as possible, my best suggestion is to refer |
| feeling that this is just a "hokey" self-help | | | | to an anatomy & physiology textbook that |
| technique. Rest assured, however, that | | | | shows pictures of fat cells, blood vessels, |
| visualization is an effective and time-tested | | | | myofibrils, motor units, sarcomeres, and cell |
| method for increasing personal success that | | | | organelles like the mitochondria, so you know |
| has been used by some of the highest | | | | what the structures look like. You could also |
| achievers the world. | | | | get more details about the processes by |
| | | | looking up lipolysis, hypertrophy or beta |
| The Soviets started to popularize | | | | oxidation. |
| visualization in sports psychology back in | | | | |
| the 1970's, as detailed in Charles Garfield's | | | | Even if you had no idea what the internal |
| landmark book, "Peak Performance." They | | | | structure and workings of the body were like, |
| dominated in many sports during that period, | | | | you could still use this method. Your body |
| which validated visualization anecdotally. | | | | responds to mental imagery even if it isn't |
| | | | anatomically correct. We know from the field |
| In the last 10-15 years, there has been some | | | | of hypnosis that the subconscious mind |
| groundbreaking new brain research which has | | | | responds well to metaphor - maybe even better |
| validated visualization scientifically. | | | | than literal suggestions. Facts and logic are |
| Here's something that was written recently by | | | | the domain of the conscious mind, while |
| Dr. Richard Restak, a neuroscientist and | | | | emotion and metaphor can slip right past the |
| author of 12 books about the human brain: | | | | conscious and into the subconscious. Dr. |
| | | | Simonton often wrote about his young patients |
| "The process of imagining yourself going | | | | who created (metaphorical) mental images of |
| through the motions of a complex musical or | | | | immune system cells as "knights in shining |
| athletic performance activates brain areas | | | | armor", slaying "the dragon" of cancer cells. |
| that improve your performance. Brain scans | | | | |
| have placed such intuitions on a firm | | | | One of your greatest mental powers is |
| neurological basis. Positron emission | | | | imagination. You can visualize anything you |
| tomography (PET) scans reveal that the mental | | | | want and you can embellish and exaggerate |
| rehearsal of an action activates the | | | | your imagery as much as you want. For |
| prefontal areas of the brain responsible for | | | | example, you could imagine the free fatty |
| the formulation of the appropriate motor | | | | acids being burned for energy in the |
| programs. In practical terms, this means you | | | | "cellular powerhouse" - the mitochondria - |
| can benefit from the use of mental imagery." | | | | and you could imagine the mitochondrion as a |
| | | | fiery furnace... "incinerating" the fat! I |
| So much for being a "cheesy" self-help | | | | think it's a pretty cool idea to "see" your |
| technique. | | | | fat cells shrinking and visualize your body |
| | | | as a "fat burning furnace." |
| Although visualization is widely used today, | | | | |
| even people who are familiar with it often | | | | Should you not believe that there's anything |
| don't realize its many applications. Arguably | | | | to the physiology visualization technique, |
| the most common use of visualization is by | | | | that's ok, because we know that the |
| athletes, musicians and other performers as a | | | | subconscious is deductive. Just give it a |
| form of "mental rehearsal." Research shows | | | | goal, tell it what you want and it will get |
| that "practicing in your mind" is almost as | | | | you there automatically by altering your |
| effective as practicing physically, and that | | | | attention and behavior. Therefore, we can be |
| doing both is more effective than either one | | | | confident that physiology visualization will |
| alone. | | | | be effective even if only as a subconscious |
| | | | directive about your desired goal. If science |
| A common use of visualization in the fitness | | | | someday provides us with conclusive evidence |
| context is "goal visualization." In your | | | | that visualization actually does cause |
| mind's eye, you can see yourself having | | | | cellular - physiological changes in the body, |
| already achieved your physique goal or your | | | | well, that's just all the better. |
| ideal goal weight. You can also visualize a | | | | |