POWER OF MINDSET:

We’ve seen some truly amazing transformations with our HansenAthletics members, and we find ourselves asking how to consistency replicate this success with others. Did they simply turn on a switch and start changing their lifestyle factors? Did they happen to start eating the right amount of food all of the sudden? Did their energy levels just simply increase due to the position of the sun?

Of course not. What actually happened was they created the right environment for the body to progress and to make better choices. This is what coaches aim to teach, but often it’s not what happens. Why? Because oftentimes coaches avoid the conversations that come with improving a clients mindset. Progress comes with adaptation. Adaptation is quite often painful and uncomfortable, mentally and physically! Correcting movement, lifestyle habits, and increasing training volume all aid in the progress clients are looking for, but dialing in mindset will lead to harder work ethic and improved behaviors OUTSIDE the gym. The correct mindset will help change the perception of pain and the uncomfortable feelings that come with change and lead your clients down the path of progress.

HansenAthletics realizes the importance of physical, mental, and emotional alignment to create the perfect environment for progress.

HOW DO YOU CHANGE YOUR PERSPECTIVE?

What if when things got hard, we flipped the conversation in our heads? We often say I can’t do this, or I’m not good at this, or I’m too out of shape already. This is a victim mentality!

A fascinating example is a difference between soldiers who experience PTSD symptoms when returning home. The soldiers who were on the defensive, or in the Humvee waiting to be attacked often suffer the worst symptoms of PTSD. Teams like the Navy Seals who are usually on the offensive have extremely low levels of PTSD because they are on the attack. The key difference is they are proactive towards the enemy; not reactive.

This is merely a shift in mindset. Let’s talk about how we can be more proactive in our approach to our training/health.

PAIN IS A LESSON TO BE LEARNED

Let’s say you’re training one morning, you are squatting the way your coaching ask you to, and you are feeling really uncomfortable moving in a different way than before. In this event, we usually decide to go back to our old movement pattern OR call it quits on that movement for the day. Maybe, if it’s awful, we have a mental breakdown and start to question why we are even there in the first place. And then we repeat this process each time the movement comes up.

These are all reactive actions! Think back to the example of the soldiers on the front lines? Same thing from a mental perspective.

How can we be proactive when we start to have these feelings?

Number one: relax Instead of freaking out, take a second to be still and think. Perhaps take a seat or lay down to focus on your breathing. Focus on your breath. Holding your breath or short quick breaths will cause our bodies to tense up. This only makes it worse.

YOUR MIND IS YOURS, SO CONTROL YOUR MINDSET

It’s important to know that if you are having pain or struggling with a movement that your coach/trainer has taught you, it’s likely because we are attacking your limiting factors. Your body is going to be a little pissed off! We may automatically think when we feel uncomfortable, we are doing damage and need to stop immediately. That is likely not the case and requires a mindset shift. Learn to listen to your body! Those that have had an acute injury before know exactly what we are talking about! There is a big difference between feeling “pain” or being uncomfortable and an actual injury.

CHANGE YOUR PERCEPTION OF PAIN TO A PROACTIVE MINDSET

As we mentioned, we like to think of pain/injuries as a blessing in disguise. Having a proactive mindset switches you from thinking about your pain or injury as the worst thing that has ever happened to a lesson you can learn from.

Now that you have a proactive approach to pain and tightness, the next step is to learn from it.

Use these as a guide, it wants you to learn how to make changes so that your body can heal. Speak with your coach, search the internet, or speak one of our coaches at HansenAthletics to figure out the muscle you may have tweaked or movement pattern that needs fixed. From there you can learn how to find short term relief with stretching/release while also learning how to improve, in the long run, to avoid further pain/tightness.

DON’T GET OVERWHELMED

Take time to put a recurring event in your calendar to remind you to complete your 15 minutes of stretches and targeted work on movement. Remember this is even more important when you’re NOT FEELING pain at the moment. Stop waiting for pain to be a motivator! When you shift your focus to being proactive, you’re setting yourself up for success!

Thanks for reading,