Posted on July 01 2018
Mindfulness could be the missing link in your workouts. When you’re pushing yourself hard you need every tool you can lay your hands on to help you get results – whether that’s getting a new 10K PB, smashing out a tough HIIT class or surviving an intense yoga hold. So, check out our top tips on mindfulness for your workout.
No to negativity
When you’ve got sweat dripping down your face and your muscles are screaming, it’s easy to let negativity take over – “It hurts too much”, “I can’t do it”, “I’m not good at this”. But if you try to look at these thoughts objectively and just acknowledge them as negative thoughts that you can choose to embrace or ignore, you take back the control. These thoughts aren’t helpful to you, they don’t change the situation and if you listen to them, they could stop you reaching your goal. Don’t get worked up by them, but simply let them go and keep pushing on.
Add it to your schedule
Like an exercise you can’t do it well, without practice – and the same goes for mindfulness. If you want to be able to flex your mindfulness muscles when you really need them, you need to put the work in first. Sign up to an app like Headspace for easy to follow mindfulness guides and diarise your mindfulness session like you would any other exercise session.
Be present in your workout
Sure, music is a great motivator, but is blasting the tunes stopping your from listening to your body? To ensure we move in the right way – and can therefore run faster, lift heavier and bend further – we need listen to our bodies. Is there a tight spot today? Does that sequence feel off? Are you really firing those glutes when you should be or are other muscles having to jump in and compensate? Fast-paced lives often mean speedy workouts, but try to slow it down just a notch or two so you can make sure you’re getting the best out of your workout.
