I think I can: Attitude is everything

Self confidence is one of the keys to succeed in life

Perseverance is a quality we’ve all been told about but few possess. We’ve heard stories of the Little Engine That Could and Bruce and the Spider and even nursery rhymes like Itsy Bitsy Spider that tell us how important it is to tell ourselves that we can succeed and keep trying. Similarly, telling yourself that a task is well beyond your capabilities often meets with failure. Mere coincidence? We think not. Ever thought of the science behind it all?

How it all works

The primordial priority of your brain is self-preservation. It knows what it needs and knows that it has to protect itself, come what may. Its list of priorities therefore are basically as follows-oxygen, fuel and trauma avoidance. The brain uses a number of different systems and nerve pathways to function and ensure these requirements are met.

Through a complex network of sensory, motor and connective neurons, it maintains several systems and networks within the body. Two important pathways that are especially interesting to sports psychologists and those who study endurance and athletic performance are the vagus and golgi nerve pathways.

The Vagus Nerve Pathway

This nerve pathway is part of the parasympathetic nervous system. What is interesting is that the vagus nerve controls cardiac output. Yes, this is the nerve that’s responsible for controlling your heart rate,

When the brain believes it is at risk, it slows down the heart by informing the vagus nerve to lower cardiac output. This ensures more oxygen and blood glucose are available to the brain instead of the muscles. It diverts blood supply away from muscles like the stomach and legs and redirects the flow to the brain.

The Golgi Nerve Pathway

This nerve pathway controls the maximum contractional force of every muscle in the human body. Now you can understand how people involved in traumatic incidents like car accidents get sudden adrenalin rushes and can lift immense weights off of themselves or others. It’s all controlled by the golgi nerve pathway, when the brain’s survival mechanism is overriding it to a large extent.

But how does this work when it comes to fitness training? We’ve all had horrid days at the gym where every muscle is screaming with agony and we’re unable to deal with doing even a single lunge or push up. And we’ve all had the trainer telling us to push ourselves just a little bit more, telling us that s/he would helps us out, would lower the weights and so on. Except, here’s the secret, more often than not, they don’t. It’s simply our brain reacting to their placatory statements and therefore feeling less at risk, or safer.

This is very evident in everyday life too. How many times at airports have you had the mad urge to jump onto the conveyor belt or off the escalator before it reaches the end? But we don’t. Our brain stops the muscles from contracting to prevent the risk of harm and injury to our body.

What’s the Takeaway?

It’s pretty evident from the basic biology of the brain systems how it all applies to training, fitness and endurance building.If we believe we can do something we do and if we believe it is impossible we can’t. If the brain believes it is at risk, it slows us down and prevents our muscles from causing harm to ourselves by inhibiting them. The bottom line is that your brain controls your levels of endurance and defines your limit. Despite the copious amounts of muscle fatigue, it is, in fact, all in the mind.

Overcoming Our Biological Inhibitors

How do we overcome our parasympathetic nervous system and work towards a healthier body? It isn’t merely a question ofsaying the right things and talking your mind into pushing itself. You need to believe that a safe environment has been created in order for the brain to push itself to the maximum possible limit without believing it can injure itself. Some ways you can do this are as follows:

-Perform frequent reps at regular intervals and pace yourself, thus ensuring you are working your body to its full potential without doing it all at one go and taxing the brain.

-Work out with a partner who forces you to perform reps or a trainer who helps you overcome your inhibitions by placating your brain with appropriate encouragement.

-Create a safe work out space for yourself. Don’t take unnecessary risks. Don’t lift weights without a spotter. Make sure the emergency brake on the treadmill is in working order before you begin running.

-Believe in yourself. Self-affirmation techniques are an absolute must. Telling yourself that you can’t isn’t going to get you anywhere. Stay positive, focussed and determined.

Remember, overcoming your mental state is the first step towards achieving your athletic targets and fitness goals.

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