Personal training and nutrition in Cheltenham

Sunday 30 November 2014

It's Easier When You Know Where the Finish Line Is.

Why some people find exercise harder than others

Watching this TED Talk by Emily Balcetis Psychologist, about our perception of things related to fitness is a good way to look at a race or fitness goal. We all know that doing things in smaller more manageable parts is easier and combines to achieve our bigger objective. From losing 5 or 10 kg to finishing an endurance race.

At a recent running race, I had no real goals only to finish strong, I didn't worry about times, or position, I could look at that after the race. But it was somehow comforting to know the area where the race started and finished. In fact the same place. Meaning that as the race progressed, making the 5km marker was one of the small parts, I only then had to focus on the finish line. Mentally I could see it and knew how to get there. Keep running.



Many endurance athletes use a similar techniques, rewarding themselves after every small part of a race. It may be broken down into distances between lamp-post or mile markers, drink stops. It is a key factor in achieving the task we have set.

This talk looks at how this perception is used by those who feel motivated to do sports and those who don't.

I will be re watching this TED Talk, to see how it can be applied to real people that want to get fit but lack the focus and perhaps rewire their perception to suit their goals.

No comments:

Post a Comment