September 17, 2015
4 Easy Ways to Get Yourself Psyched Up for a Better Workout
So you're on your last lap of that race, or the 89th minute of your 90-minute yoga class. Or perhaps your fitness instructor has informed you that you have 30 more seconds to hold your plank. How many times have you told yourself you can do it? Our brainpower is a whole lot stronger than we think. That term mind over matter? It's a real thing, and it can really get us through a tough workout to provide us with better results.
Giving up is easy. Excuses are too. But for a long time, many of us have believed that our bodies are the bearer of our outcomes — that they are really letting our minds know it's time to call it quits. But, apparently we've had it all wrong according to researcher Timothy D. Noakes, MD, a professor of exercise and sports science at the University of Cape Town, South Africa. In his study, he found that when cyclists threw in the towel out of mere exhaustion after an average of 62 miles, their muscles still had a plentiful amount of oxygen to keep them going.
Here are some mental hurdles standing in your way of getting the most out of your workout, and experts' tips for fixing it.
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The excuse: "I'm tired. I can't go on!"
The fix: Pretend there are springs on your feet.