MENTAL FITNESS MAKES OR BREAKS OLYMPIANS: BEYOND POSITIVE THINKING
#Olympics2012… Twitter yes, or twitter no, just before entering the race? Well that depends. It’s amazing what thoughts can do, or undo!
The Opening Ceremony entertained and inspired millions to think – think about the past, present and future. The profoundly deaf musician, Dame Evelyn Glennie led a band of 965 ground-shaking drummers. 600 Nurses and patients from theLondon Great Ormond Street Hospital
And now it’s all about the amazing athletes – past and present stories, interviews and reports, arousing the good, the bad, and the ugly.
THE GOOD… “Are you mentally fit for it?” – an important question from a coach.
Dawn Fraser, one ofAustralia
Today there are all sorts of fancy inventions resulting from sports science and psychology; from medicine and diet to equipment. And yet, the relationship between our thoughts and our performance is clear. To today’s Games:
THE BAD… uncovered. Anti-doping agencies are at work once more. And eight badminton athletes were caught blatantly throwing matches in order to improve their positions for the knockout stages.
THE UGLY… Body image issues came up even before the Games began. Aussie swimmer Leisel Jones was criticized as looking unfit (putting it mildly). There was general outrage in the community, for and against. After her excellent race Jones shared how chuffed she was to be at her fourth Olympics, and said, “Smooth sailing doesn’t make for a skilful sailor.” Cathy Freeman, another Aussie icon who ran and won the 400m race in the Olympics 2000, implored the Aussie public to be supportive, not critical of their athletes. When swimmer James “Missile” Magnussen missed his mark for Gold in the men’s 4x100m freestyle relay swim, there was a news poll asking the public whether they believed he’d make it or not in his next race. Scientific or not, was this poll helpful? It depends.
FORWARD THINKING… Handling being under pressure to perform is plainly an individual journey. How can the athletes prevent becoming victims of their own hype? Lose graciously and stay motivated despite defeat? Overcome sickness resulting from the strain? What if the highest quality care is to include spirituality into training? According to ‘The Effect of Spirituality on Health and Healing: A Critical Review of Athletic Trainers, Journal of Athletic Training, 2000’:-
Conclusions/Recommendations: The impact of spirituality on health and healing is a topic that has been virtually ignored in the disciplines of athletic training and sports medicine. Because of their lack of exposure to this topic, most athletic trainers are unaware of the many positive associations that exist between spirituality and health and healing. The available literature base regarding this topic is quite large; its findings need to be explored and integrated into our profession.”
After all is said and done, every competitor has permission to shine, beyond positive thinking. It might be the simplest thing that makes one mentally fit for the moment. Like someone reminding us to “enjoy”. Or realising that there is something far greater than ourselves to depend upon.
from Carey Arber's
www.health4thinkers.com
Carey Arber is a health blogger, researching scientific studies and testimonies on the relationship between consciousness and wellbeing, particularly spirituality and health. She finds her own practice effective, as a Christian Science practitioner, and is seeing how scientists are exploring this new-old subject, and the impact it has on medical outcomes. www.health4thinkers.com Carey also represents Christian Science to the media and government in ACT & NSW.
The Opening Ceremony entertained and inspired millions to think – think about the past, present and future. The profoundly deaf musician, Dame Evelyn Glennie led a band of 965 ground-shaking drummers. 600 Nurses and patients from the
And now it’s all about the amazing athletes – past and present stories, interviews and reports, arousing the good, the bad, and the ugly.
THE GOOD… “Are you mentally fit for it?” – an important question from a coach.
Dawn Fraser, one of
Today there are all sorts of fancy inventions resulting from sports science and psychology; from medicine and diet to equipment. And yet, the relationship between our thoughts and our performance is clear. To today’s Games:
THE BAD… uncovered. Anti-doping agencies are at work once more. And eight badminton athletes were caught blatantly throwing matches in order to improve their positions for the knockout stages.
THE UGLY… Body image issues came up even before the Games began. Aussie swimmer Leisel Jones was criticized as looking unfit (putting it mildly). There was general outrage in the community, for and against. After her excellent race Jones shared how chuffed she was to be at her fourth Olympics, and said, “Smooth sailing doesn’t make for a skilful sailor.” Cathy Freeman, another Aussie icon who ran and won the 400m race in the Olympics 2000, implored the Aussie public to be supportive, not critical of their athletes. When swimmer James “Missile” Magnussen missed his mark for Gold in the men’s 4x100m freestyle relay swim, there was a news poll asking the public whether they believed he’d make it or not in his next race. Scientific or not, was this poll helpful? It depends.
FORWARD THINKING… Handling being under pressure to perform is plainly an individual journey. How can the athletes prevent becoming victims of their own hype? Lose graciously and stay motivated despite defeat? Overcome sickness resulting from the strain? What if the highest quality care is to include spirituality into training? According to ‘The Effect of Spirituality on Health and Healing: A Critical Review of Athletic Trainers, Journal of Athletic Training, 2000’:-
Conclusions/Recommendations: The impact of spirituality on health and healing is a topic that has been virtually ignored in the disciplines of athletic training and sports medicine. Because of their lack of exposure to this topic, most athletic trainers are unaware of the many positive associations that exist between spirituality and health and healing. The available literature base regarding this topic is quite large; its findings need to be explored and integrated into our profession.”
After all is said and done, every competitor has permission to shine, beyond positive thinking. It might be the simplest thing that makes one mentally fit for the moment. Like someone reminding us to “enjoy”. Or realising that there is something far greater than ourselves to depend upon.
from Carey Arber's
www.health4thinkers.com
Carey Arber is a health blogger, researching scientific studies and testimonies on the relationship between consciousness and wellbeing, particularly spirituality and health. She finds her own practice effective, as a Christian Science practitioner, and is seeing how scientists are exploring this new-old subject, and the impact it has on medical outcomes. www.health4thinkers.com Carey also represents Christian Science to the media and government in ACT & NSW.
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