Health & Fitness
Sponsored by

What keeps you going?

2,291 Views | 28 Replies | Last: 6 yr ago by bruno319
Spore Ag
How long do you want to ignore this user?
Like when your muscles are spent and your heart is busting what mind games do you play. Also could be a survival theme.
Definitely Not A Cop
How long do you want to ignore this user?
AG
Spore Ag said:

Like when your muscles are spent and your heart is busting what mind games do you play. Also could be a survival theme.


I just really focus on breath. It's easy and it definitely helps.
Kool
How long do you want to ignore this user?
AG
The Mental Tricks of Athletic Endurance

Great timing. This is from this weekend's WSJ.
No material on this site is intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. See full Medical Disclaimer.
Spore Ag
How long do you want to ignore this user?
That is what inspired the question. Fascinating the transcranial direct-current stimulation, tDCS. Seems untraceable so appears to be accepted by the Olympics.
Swarely
How long do you want to ignore this user?
Can you give a quote? It's behind the paywall.

In my case I end up either doing really unnecessary math about how much further I have to go, or my brain goes on some really strange tangents.
c-jags
How long do you want to ignore this user?
This totally justifies that #3 at Whataburger later today.
Kool
How long do you want to ignore this user?
AG
Swarely said:

Can you give a quote? It's behind the paywall.

In my case I end up either doing really unnecessary math about how much further I have to go, or my brain goes on some really strange tangents.
Sorry. Will paraphrase a few key points. The physical manifestations of fatigue that the brain perceives are not hard and fast limits on physical performance.

A few things that have been studied and shown to work to increase stamina and performance include:

A mental picture of a smile can trick the brain into believing you are doing better than you are doing, and you can force a smile yourself to help out, even when you are in pain.
Transcranial direct stimulation works, and right now it is legal in a lot of sports. It allows you to give a smaller brain effort to achieve the same physical result, involves scalp electrodes giving a weak stimulus directly to the brain..
Cyclists in a heat chamber can go faster if they are being shown a falsely low temperature. And swishing and spitting a sports drink can trick your body into thinking energy is on its way, even if you don't swallow it. (There might be more than just something mental here, as digestion begins in the mouth and putting something into your mouth does stimulate enzymes, etc., in order to help prepare for a meal).
You can deceive yourself into believing that you are actually doing better than you really are. If, however, you set a pace too far in front of your "best" effort, this will work against you.
Positive motivational self-talk can actually help you make it towards your goal, including telling yourself that you're doing great, you are almost done, etc. The finish line is just around the corner, you are on a personal record pace, etc.
No material on this site is intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. See full Medical Disclaimer.
Spore Ag
How long do you want to ignore this user?
Right, when the brain perceives body stress like increase in core temperature or oxygen deprived muscles it wants to protect the body by trying to shut down. Trainers try to trick the brain by above techniques. Not sure if it works on teenagers.
AggieOO
How long do you want to ignore this user?
All seem to be recycled studies/points, but I'm probably one of the few the reads all this mental training stuff as it comes out or listens to podcasts talking about it.
P.U.T.U
How long do you want to ignore this user?
AG
Don't count on motivation as it comes and goes. Just be disciplined and put in the work. Nothing special to it. Quit or take the next day off, not today
mrsbeer05
How long do you want to ignore this user?
AG
That I don't want my coach to be disappointed with my performance.
Geriatric Punk
How long do you want to ignore this user?
AG
On days I don't feel like lacing up, I tell myself, "I'll just go do one mile real quick."

Then at mile one, I tell myself, "Ok, just one more."

Sometimes it is a short as, "I'm going to stop when I get to the end of the block."

Achieving little goals and "tricking" yourself into plowing through have always worked for me.
Life's an endless party, not a pushcart.
mrsbeer05
How long do you want to ignore this user?
AG
Thought of another one I use frequently- I break my run up mentally into smaller runs. Yesterday I had 10 miles, but I thought of it as 5 miles, 4 miles fast, 1 mile cool down.
NoahAg
How long do you want to ignore this user?

reproag
How long do you want to ignore this user?
AG
Discipline and Jocko
I will NEVER apologize for being American
AgPediRPh
How long do you want to ignore this user?
AG
I do training runs with a group of 2-3 people. It's a lot harder to skip workouts when you have people counting on you to show up.
Diet Cokehead
How long do you want to ignore this user?
AG
I just tell myself that pushing through is what makes me better than everyone else and I enjoy winning life.
RangerRick9211
How long do you want to ignore this user?
AG
c-jags said:

This totally justifies that #3 at Whataburger later today.
I wish I could give you more stars. Any cardio is pure torture and I only do it for Shipley's.
wxguy95
How long do you want to ignore this user?
AG
My Dad has sextuple bypass in 2000. Every time I don't want to workout or quit, I think of him in recovery post-surgery.
94chem
How long do you want to ignore this user?
Spore Ag said:

Like when your muscles are spent and your heart is busting what mind games do you play. Also could be a survival theme.
Well, I'm 45, so I just slow down, try to finish if I can, go home, and drink some Gatorade. I think about how I'll try it again in a few days, and how I want to die healthy, just not today.
lotsofhp
How long do you want to ignore this user?
AG
Geriatric Punk said:

On days I don't feel like lacing up, I tell myself, "I'll just go do one mile real quick."

Then at mile one, I tell myself, "Ok, just one more."

Sometimes it is a short as, "I'm going to stop when I get to the end of the block."

Achieving little goals and "tricking" yourself into plowing through have always worked for me.


This has worked for me for a long time. Example when on treadmill or stationary bike:

"Ok let's do "x" distance"
"Nice that's done but look if I stay on for another 3 minutes I'll hit 20 minutes. That's a nice whole number"
"Dang, after that 3 minutes I've almost got another mile down, might as well hit that"

And so on. Amazing how those mind games takes me from "I'm just going to go get my heart rate up for a bit" to really having a nice work out.
AggieOO
How long do you want to ignore this user?
its just getting out the door. once i'm out the door, I don't typically have any motivation issues.

Right now, I have two friends/teammates coaching me, so I don't have any excuse. If a run doesn't show up on strava, I start getting hammered with questions.
BlueSmoke
How long do you want to ignore this user?
Discipline
Nobody cares. Work Harder
AggieOO
How long do you want to ignore this user?
i'd argue that even the most disciplined people struggle with motivation on occasion.
wcb
How long do you want to ignore this user?
AG
Early morning workouts - simply getting my feet on the floor is 90% of the battle. Still have not mastered it.
Presley OBannons Sword
How long do you want to ignore this user?
AggieOO said:

i'd argue that even the most disciplined people struggle with motivation on occasion.

If you are disciplined you don't rely on motivation

MOTIVATION IS A LIE
MikesFamousJava
How long do you want to ignore this user?
AG
- The power of habit (I highly recommend the book by that name by Charles Duhigg)
- Accountability partners...I'm much less likely to skip a workout when I know that the guys at the office will give me crap if they don't see me at the gym
- The streak. I'm motivated by keeping a streak going...once I miss a workout it's much easier to miss the second one.
- Goals. I recently restarted StrongLifts 5x5 and every workout is a chance for a new PR.
- Getting vertical. I'm a black belt at convincing myself of the merits of going back to sleep when my alarm goes off. It's the same self-talk most mornings..."you're sore and need to recover...what's that tweak in your knee/back? You don't want to overdo it...". I usually find that if I just make it out of bed to the bathroom to pee, and sit there for a couple minutes reading TexAgs, I find the motivation to put on my gym clothes and get going. Going to bed at the same time every night helps, along with getting enough sleep.
- Reading TexAgs H&F Board. Ironically, I was having the same struggle this morning. Sitting there on the toilet not feeling at all like working out, and I read this thread. By the end of the thread, I realized that I wasn't that sore after all.
AggieChemist
How long do you want to ignore this user?
AG
One of our crossfit coaches is a) a lesbian b) really, really pretty and c) a games competitor.

This is a very difficult and motivating factor for me, because I find it really emasculating when she's yelling at me during a WOD.

I also will push my limits to try to at least match the weight she's moving on certain days/lifts.
Claude!
How long do you want to ignore this user?
The wild dogs that are constantly at my heels.
bruno319
How long do you want to ignore this user?
AG
wcb said:

Early morning workouts - simply getting my feet on the floor is 90% of the battle. Still have not mastered it.


I'm with you, buddy! I do find if I sign up for something, like a 5k, that I have a limited time to prepare for, I'm more motivated to get up and get it done each day. Sometimes, it's the evenings, as I'm not my best every morning.

Edit: just found my next 5k! See Help Aggie Family thread just posted to this board. April 8 5k in honor of a young Aggie taken to soon that will raise funds for an Aggie scholarship.
Refresh
Page 1 of 1
 
×
subscribe Verify your student status
See Subscription Benefits
Trial only available to users who have never subscribed or participated in a previous trial.