Can using hypnosis for exercise really lead to better workouts?

Learn what one writer discovered when she tried it for a month.

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(The OG series!

woman sweating in the gym

director of the Center on Stress and Health at Stanford University School of Medicine, and one of the foremost experts on hypnosis in the United States

Do not talk to me about the remake!)

You are brave, and thats a fact.

You will do the high wire act.

Woman walking on a treadmill at the gym.

This movement style requires both power and raw strength, and it can be tough on the body.

And so I decided to… get… very… sleepyI meanVERY…

MOTIVATED… and start my journey of self-hypnosis.

Full body female athlete in sportswear using rowing machine during fitness workout in gym.

Here are my honest thoughts about how it went.

What is self-hypnosis?

According to clinical hypnotherapistJulie Costa, that portrayal couldnt be further from the truth.

Happy woman dancing and listening to music near a green empty wall outdoor in the city.

director of the Center on Stress and Health at Stanford University School of Medicine, and one of the foremost experts on hypnosis in the United States

In simplest terms, hypnosis is the act of entering a state of deep relaxation.

In simplest terms, hypnosis is the act of entering a state of deep relaxation.

The goal is to relax your body so that you could then relax your mind, says Costa.

Healthy female training in the gym, performing a hip thrust.

This allows you to bypass your critical faculties and kick off the doors to your subconscious mind.

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Entering a state of hypnosis before a workout has so many benefits, says Costa.

Youre just engaging in what it feels like to let your body do what it wants, he says.

This feels similar to slipping into a flow state orachieving a runners high, he adds.

So, I downloaded Reveri and started the Prepare for Your Workouts hypnosis.

I pictured different climbing holds and how they would feel against my hand.

I pictured engaging my core to help me stay on the wall.

I pictured executing the final, exhausting movement I would need to finish a problem.

Once I opened my eyes, I found that my focus had sharpened.

To be clear, I still fell (many times!

), but I no longer felt like I was fighting my way up the wall.

I was just reaching for one hold, then the next one, and the next.

Sometimes, I missed a hold completely.

Sometimes, I couldnt quite reach it.

Sometimes, I couldnt hold on.

But I found myself comparing my progress to other better boulderers less and less as my workout continued.

Once I opened my eyes, I found that my focus had sharpened.

After that, I made a ritual of running through the hypnosis before starting my warm-up.

I just love the movement itself.

In other words, I dont need someone to hypnotize me into enjoying my time at the gym.

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