Using Sports Psychology to Improve Your Fitness

Fitness has a mental side to it, in addition to physical challenges. Even if you're in great shape, you can come across mental obstacles that can reduce your motivation and stifle your performance.

When professional athletes start having these obstacles, they often get help from sports psychologists to get a mental edge. But it does not matter what your skill level may be. Everyone can benefit from mental health training. Here are ways to increase your fitness motivation and improve your overall athletic performance. (If you have any health concerns or conditions, be sure to check with your doctor before starting or changing an exercise program.)

To become a good athlete or improve at your favorite sport, you have to be able to put up with failure and accept it as part of the process of succeeding. Without failure, you don't learn. And without learning, you don't get better.

You must have an emotionally compelling reason to stick with an exercise program.

For serious athletes who train for 4 years to 8 years at a time, the motivation might be an Olympic gold medal. They connect their daily practice sessions to this ultimate prize. But for others, a compelling reason for working out could be to get into top shape, lose weight, or feel better.

Here's a trick to try. On the days you don't feel like working out, sit down and think about how good you'll feel when you're done.

Another important part of motivation is not comparing yourself with others. If you work out regularly at a gym, channel your competitiveness into the progress you're making. Don't focus on the highly fit person working out next to you.

The same is true when competing. Tune out the runners around you when running a race.

If you're trying to master a certain physical feat, like diving off the high board or perfecting your tennis serve, imagine yourself doing it. Make your image vivid enough that you can see, feel, and hear it.

In the middle of an activity, it's easy to fall into the trap of focusing on things you can't control. These could include the weather, your opponent, your opponent's record, or how you've done in the past. Instead, stay in the present.

While you're running a marathon, for instance, concentrate on the rhythm of your breathing or your arm swing. Don't focus on the length of the race or the other runners.

Plateauing, or reaching a level of fitness or performance where you are not moving forward, is a natural part of training. But it can reduce your enthusiasm and motivation.

Talking to other people who have achieved your goal will help you improve your exercise performance when you've reached a plateau.

To help yourself stay positive, create a daily victory log. This is a record of what you've done right while training or working out. Your victory log might read, "I ran 5 miles today. And at the 4-mile mark, I pushed myself when I wanted to stop."