Mindfulness strengthens both the brain and body. Training for a competition as well as the competition itself can be exhausting and stressful. To help relieve the stress of constant pressure to perform, an athlete should look for something that brings back their energy naturally; and returns the body to its normal state. Mindfulness, being able to be in the moment and to focus on a particular moment, can offer athletes this opportunity.
After an intense workout, it is crucial for an athlete to learn to relax their body back to a resting, rejuvenative state. To concentrate on another task or train the next day without feeling tired from the previous workout, the trainee should regularly practice mindfulness techniques. Since muscle strain is common during a work out, mindfulness techniques such as a relaxing stroll can ease tension and make an athlete feel more fully restored.
The mind
Mindfulness helps to stop obsessing on overachieving and also clears one’s mind. It is important to practice this technique for mental clarity, allowing the athlete to focus. A clear mind successfully reduces possibility of health issues. Staying healthy in turn helps to ensure the athlete can perform optimally. Mindfulness can be enlightening and calming. Breath-work helps to remove excessive thoughts that can only bring stress. This allows an athlete’s to think more positively and consciously about constructive ideas. A relaxed athlete is able to face situations calmly and make decisions more rationally.
Most athletes feel an overall sense of accomplishment from whole body workouts, especially ones that include working their mind. Mindfulness is a fantastic workout that provides relaxation and reconditioning. As training or competition becomes tiresome to both the body and brain, meditation offers a revitalization.
Renewing Rest
Rest is vital to help the body heal fast. Mindfulness helps an athlete more fully benefit from quality rest. The technique of mindfulness exemplifies enabling the body to relax. There is a common misconception that whenever an athlete is too tired, he/she may sleep in excess. The truth is that being tired lends ones body to being restless which is unconducive to feeling better. Mindfulness is key to helping relax first and then enabling rest needed for renewal.
For athletes, it is important to remain physically and mentally fit in order to offer one's best in training sessions and competitions. Mindfulness offers a solution to reduce stress, recover from mistakes, prevent overthinking and to determine when to slow down or when to speed up.