Mindful Fitness: The Importance of Focus

You see them at the gym – people with earphones glued to their ears as they exercise. Of course, there are some benefits to listening to music when you work out. It can reduce the perception of how hard you’re working, making exercise feel easier so you’re likely to push yourself longer or harder. But there’s another side to the coin. When you listen to music or are distracted in other ways, you can’t focus on the movements your muscles are making or how you’re breathing. These are important cues for how hard you’re working and whether you’re using proper form. There’s even evidence that exercising “mindfully” can give you better results –and who doesn’t want that?

Mindful Exercise: The Importance of Focus When You Work Out

The mind is a powerful thing. Harvard psychologists carried out a study that shows just how powerful. Researchers told a group of sedentary maids with low fitness levels that the work they were doing was a “good workout”. They even reminded them every day how many calories they were burning as they made beds, vacuumed floors and did other tasks. Another group of maids that were equally as active on the job were told nothing.

After 30 days, they measured the health status of both groups of women – both those who thought they were getting a good workout and those who had been told nothing. To their surprise, the maids who believed they were “getting fit” as they did their job lost an average of 2 pounds compared to no weight loss for the control group. Plus, their waist to hip ratio decreased and their systolic blood pressure dropped 10% over the 30 day period. The researchers determined that the maids hadn’t changed their routine in any measurable way, only their mindset had changed – and it had measurable results.

Mindfulness and Strength-Training

Can mindfulness and focus help you get better results from strength training? How many times have you seen people mindlessly tossing weights around, using momentum to move the weight rather than focusing on form? Chances are they’re thinking about something else, like what they’re going to do after their workout, rather than their form. Then they wonder why their muscles look no different six months later.

To get the most benefits from strength-training, your mind needs to connect with the muscles you’re working so your muscle fibers are constantly engaged throughout the full range of the exercise. Mentally focusing in on the movement precludes the use of momentum and helps you maximize your form – so you get better results. It also reduces the risk of injury.

Ways to Be More Mindful When You Work Out

Put aside the headphones. and focus on the movements your muscles are making. Be aware of your form throughout the full range of the movement instead of rushing to complete the required number of reps. If you need to, lighten the weight. It’s more effective to train with a lighter weight with good form than it is to use a heavier weight and let your form deteriorate.

Try slow lifting. Lifting slowly let you concentrate on form while reducing momentum. Raise the weight in six seconds and lower it for six seconds to keep your muscles under tension longer and train yourself to focus and use proper form.

Do a yoga DVD once a week like my Yoga Max and Yoga Relax. Yoga teaches you to focus and strengthens the mind-body connection. This will carry over into your strength-training workouts.

Don’t let your workout get stale. Add new challenges to your routine like my XTrain 100 Rep Challenges. New stimuli will engage your mind so you won’t feel like you need to tune out due to boredom.

Eliminate distractions. Before starting a workout, get rid of distractions that could affect your focus – that means cell phones too. There’s an advantage to working out at home. You don’t have to deal with other gym members who want to socialize.

 The Bottom Line?

Is it time to put more focus into your workout? Exercising mindfully will help you improve all aspects of your fitness – your form, motivation and will give you better results.

References:

Exercise and the placebo effect. Psychological Science 18, no. 2:165-171.

Related Articles By Cathe:

What Role Does Mindset Play in Weight Loss and Fitness Success?

The Power of Thought: Does Thinking About Exercise Give You More Motivation to Do It?

Related Cathe Friedrich Workout DVDs:

Stretching and Yoga DVDs