Improve your performance and get one step closer to reaching your fitness goals by implementing visualization into your routine.
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Its available to just about anyone and any goal.
Eric Bean, PhD, CMPC, is an executive board member of the Association for Applied Sports Psychology.
Dylan Firsick, PhD, clinical assistant professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at the University of Southern California.
Ryan Flaherty is the Senior Director of Performance at Nike.
To learn more about it, we talked with experts and badass athletes who regularly use the tool.
Heres what to know.
What is visualization, exactly?
Why is visualization so popular among the best athletes in the world?
In essence, we get a mental rep without further exhausting the muscles, continues Dr. Bean.
More practice with no physical strain?
Thats a major win.
The more senses you might engage, the better, he says.
Dylan Firsick, PhD, clinical assistant professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at the University of Southern California.
For fitness goals, Dr. Bean recommends using whats called an external perspective.
Both Dr. Firsick and Dr. Bean underscore that its important to focus on positive outcomes during the visualization.
This is where the third pillarcontrollabilitycomes in.
Controllability encompasses not only how youll physically perform the skill, but how youll feel doing it.
This is why mindfulnessthe awareness of your thoughtsis key to productively using visualization.
Who is visualization right for?
Visualization can improve pretty much anyones performance.
That said, visualization shouldnt take the place of other forms of help like talking with a certified therapist.
How to start a visualization practice
1.
Visualization for me begins with an intention.
It is a gift of ancestral knowledge via practice that I learned from my Indigenous elders, she says.
Initially this was more of a practice in my day-to-day life when organizing with the community or for ceremonies.
In fact, thats not a bad way to start, says Dr. Bean.
The first step to integrating visualization is to start with something simple and familiar, he says.
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When you firststart a mindfulness or visualization practice, Dr. Firsick emphasizes that consistency is key.
I wanted to take what I learned during my first marathon and see how I could improve.
How to use visualization to reach your goal
Got a goal?
Great, youre ready to start visualizing.
Ultimately, finding the right method, perspective, and timing is totally up to you.
Once you feel comfortable with those skills, you’re free to begin to focus on visualization.
For performance, it all comes down to breath.
Slow your mind, relax your muscles, and get comfortable with [visualization], he continues.
Give time before your workout to begin to incorporate visualization.
Typically, the more senses that are experienced, the greater the vividness and realism, says Dr. Bean.
Optimal visualization includes the visual and tactile experiences, sounds, smells, and emotions.
https://www.instagram.com/p/CJmwUmyHWPV/
Sine does just this.
I find that being as prepared as I possibly can helps to increase the potency of my visualization technique.
The brain is interesting and has evolved over many years, he says.
The brain tries to seek out problems around us.
Champion athletes talk to themselves, they dont listen to themselves.
In addition to preparation, Sine uses positive affirmations during especially challenging portions of a race or course.
Squash negativity
Counterproductive thoughts happen, its what you do (or dont do) with them that matters.
If you find yourself in a spiral of negative thought, disrupt the dialogue.
As I did my intervals, my legs felt heavier with each round.
And all the doubt within me took over and I just let myself go and cried, she recalls.
I allowed myself to be present in that moment and ride that emotion, but visualization helped me.
And that visualization really made all the difference.
Practice patience
Like anything, it might take a little time to build vivid and successful visualizations.
Thats okayand more, totally normal.
[Visualization is] a muscle just like anything else, says Dr. Firsick.
Dont jump to long-length visualizations.
As with all skills, visualization takes practice, reiterates Dr. Bean.
Try a beginner visualization exercise
Ready to embark on your visualization practice?
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