Mindfulness and the “everyday” athlete

Becoming a “mindful” athlete begins with defining parameters for mindfulness. In other words, what must one learn or accomplish to be considered a “mindful” athlete?

Here are some of the separators I’ve witnessed between individuals who mindfully reach their athletic goals and those who continue to fall into repetitive ruts:

1. Can you set clear intentions? Can you further break your intentions into more micro-chunks or goals that have clear actionable steps and can be accomplished within 2-3 months? 
2. Can you listen to your body? Do you know the difference between pain and soreness? Can you effectively rate your perceived exertion on exercises? Are you experiencing any issues with training motivation, sex drive, inflammation, and/or appetite?
3. Do you have a clear understanding of progressive overload? Do you have a clear understanding of what YOU need to do to achieve progressive overload?
4. Do you have a clear understanding of the specific adaptations you want to achieve? Do you understand the specific adaptations being created by the imposed demands of training?
5. Do you understand how nutrition affects you throughout your day/night? Do you alter your nutrition to improve performance/create desired adaptations? Do you do this consistently >85% of the time?
6. Do you FEEL? Do you allow yourself to experience success and failure with equal magnitude? Do you recognize the importance of feelings for creating neuro-plasticity (essential for skill development) and improving your nervous system responses (essential for recovery)? Do you enjoy what you’re doing?

How we live is based on what we reinforce.

How we move is based on what we reinforce.

How we grow is based on what we reinforce.

Because we cannot separate the nervous system from our musculoskeletal function, ALL individuals must consider mindfulness as an integral practice – especially in athletics.

Repetition can reinforce behavior. Repetition can create change. However, mindfulness determines the degree to which that change is a positive and accurate adaptation of your intent. Are you aware of your effort? Are you aware of your intent? Are you aware of what you’re repeating?

If not, start with #1 and write out what you WANT. Get clear.

Then you can make a game plan to move forward.