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Mental Fitness Q&A

August 2, 2022/in all, Guides /by Patricia

What is mental fitness?

Let’s think about it this way –

If physical fitness is a state of health and well-being, particularly the ability to perform physically, then mental fitness is a state of health and well-being that allows us to perform well mentally (how we think, behave, and feel).

Just like we exercise to train our bodies, it’s important to make sure our minds are in good shape too.

Mental fitness trains our mind to respond to situations better. When we complete challenging tasks or think critically, we engage our minds and therefore improve our mental fitness in such a way that we increase our willpower and expand our mental dexterity (the ability to be flexible in our thoughts).

Why is mental fitness important?

Mental fitness is often overlooked as it is not something we can see, touch, or measure like physical fitness. When we’re mentally fit, we interact differently with the world around us.

When we have a higher state of mental fitness, we are ‘fit’ to complete our daily tasks and enjoy what life has to offer. When we are fit mentally, we are able to understand and respond to social and emotional challenges instead of passively reacting.

Optimal mental fitness can:

Decrease stress
Increase positive emotions
Improve sleep
Create a sense of achievement
Improve cognitive function
Increase confidence

Users of Rewire have reported being 55.6% less stressed since using the app!

What is the difference between mental health and mental fitness?

Mental health is a spectrum of our emotional well-being and therefore everyone who has a mind has mental health.

When we see mental health as a state of being, then mental fitness is how we act and react within that state.

Mental fitness is about growth. Regardless of where you are on the spectrum of mental health, you can improve your state of emotional well-being.

How can I practice mental fitness?

1. Think critically.

Challenge the mind and build resilience through engagement.

One way to do this is with Neuro-Training. The science behind Neuro-Training is a protocol called Brain Endurance Training (BET) which has been proven to improve athletic performance by targeting the part of the brain responsible for managing fatigue and willpower. The Rewire App has three different types of Neuro-Training sessions depending on your readiness to train.

Check out our article on Neuro-Training for more information.

2. Strengthen the mind/body connection.

Since our physical and mental fitness are so closely linked, improving our awareness of the mind/body connection can help us build cognitive resilience and mental willpower.

Rewire’s Readiness Assessment measures your readiness to perform, including cognitive, emotional, and physical elements. The assessment is used to assess your areas of need and provide a personalized recovery program to ensure a holistic approach to physical and mental fitness.

3. Practice mindfulness.

Being able to notice when our thoughts distract us is a powerful tool in building mental fitness.

Ways to improve mental fitness in your everyday life:

Focus on one task at a time
Increase positive self-talk
Try something new
Make Rewire part of your routine

Are you ready to try something new? Why not Rewire?

With the Rewire App, you can train both your body and your mind. The integrated resilience training system uses protocols from NASA, the Navy SEALS, and Neuroscientists to help you optimize your performance every day.

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3 Habits that Will Help Build Mental Strength

July 7, 2022/in Hacks /by Patricia

Mental strength is important for every aspect of our lives – but what exactly is it?

Mental strength can look like:

Getting up when life knocks you down.

Staying disciplined despite lacking motivation.

Competing against yourself instead of others.

Facing challenges head on.

Being mentally strong means that you can cope with negative emotions in a healthy way.

It means you can think realistically, acknowledge your feelings (positive and negative!) and act accordingly.

Here are three habits that will help build mental strength:

#1 Visualization

When we visualize a particular outcome, focusing on the specific images, associated feelings, and finer details, we show our brain the desired outcome. The more we visualize a particular situation, the better we can convince our brain to believe in it. Studies have shown that mentally imagining an outcome actually alters brainwave activity and biochemistry.

Let’s say that our goal is building mental strength. We could use visualization as a tool to achieve our goal by visualizing the steps that we need to take. We can write down a list of the habits we could implement, decide when to implement them during our day (visualization while making breakfast, for example), and create an action plan to ensure long-term commitment and results.

#2 Positive self talk

Self talk is that small voice in the background, the one that says, “Hey, it’s going to be okay, we’ve got this.”

Since self talk is our inner dialogue, we can change it. If we regularly talk to ourselves more positively, we convince ourselves that we can achieve our goals, face challenges, and conquer obstacles.

Research has shown that people who talk positively to themselves are able to think more critically and react better to social challenges.

#3 Mindfulness

In my opinion, no other habit is effective without mindfulness. To me, mindfulness means being aware of our thoughts, feelings, and actions. If we are not aware of our thoughts or the way we speak to ourselves, how can we visualize our dreams or practice positive self-talk?

Every morning, I try to tune in to my mind and my body. I ask myself, “How am I today, really?”

Sometimes that’s easy – “Oh, I’m quite hungry, let me go grab something to eat.”

But then life gets in the way and it’s – “Woah, I have so much to do today. I almost forgot! I also need to…”

A good morning routine is so important for me because it helps set me up for the rest of the day. Part of that morning routine is the Rewire Readiness Assessment which considers emotional, cognitive, and physical elements as well as physiological data. All it takes is a few minutes and I am given a helpful readiness score that allows me to tune in to my mental and physical state. This way I am able to be more mindful and build mental strength.

Bonus #4 The Rewire App

Now, I don’t know about you, but trying to add all of these habits into what already feels like an over packed suitcase on a family vacation is just not feasible. That’s where Rewire comes in –

Rewire is an app designed for athletes (managing life and training is tough) and focuses on the training and recovery of both the body and the mind. All those habits I mentioned? Rewire takes them all into consideration and creates personalized Mindset Recovery sessions based on your data to help you make the most of your day and build mental resilience holistically.

Not yet convinced? Give Rewire a try and let the results speak for themselves.

“When we are tired, we are attacked by ideas we conquered long ago.” – Friedrich Nietzsche

Sources

Ralph Roberts Personal Trainer | Amarillo, TX. (2017). What Does It Mean To Be Mentally Strong? [online] Available at: https://ralphrobertspersonaltrainer.com/what-does-it-mean-to-be-mentally-strong.

Verywell Mind. (n.d.). The Difference Between Mental Strength and Mental Health. [online] Available at: https://www.verywellmind.com/the-difference-between-mental-strength-and-mental-health-5078284.‌

OMAR ITANI. (n.d.). 12 Habits That Will Help You Build Real Grit and Mental Strength. [online] Available at: https://www.omaritani.com/blog/12-habits-mental-strength

Smith, D.B. (2018). Power of the Mind 1: The Science of Visualization. [online] Science Abbey. Available at: https://www.scienceabbey.com/2018/10/24/power-of-the-mind-the-science-of-visualization-1/.‌

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The Benefits of Mindfulness Without Meditation

February 22, 2022/in Science /by James Davis

When we think of mindfulness, often the images that spring to mind are of sitting in a darkened room with crossed legs, deep in meditation. It is easy to think of this as all there is to mindfulness, and to not always identify with it ourselves, especially for those of us leading active lifestyles or those who have tried meditation and not found it to work.

However, excluding mindfulness practices from our routines altogether could be detrimental – the benefits of mindfulness are far reaching.

As with many elements of sports training, those who practise it can see improvements outside of their sporting life as well; mindfulness practitioners can see improvements in both empathy and compassion (1). Back in the sporting world, we can find the practice helps us better regulate our emotions, and decrease stress, anxiety, pessimism and mental fatigue (1-5). All are benefits that you can find aids you as a sportsperson, regardless of discipline.

Although different definitions of mindfulness can be found across the internet and beyond, it is best described as “moment-to-moment awareness of one’s experience, without judgement” (1). The practices that can bring about this vary, and can be active, as well as passive, more suited to the more animated and outdoorsy amongst us.

With both the holistic and sport-specific benefits on offer, mindfulness can be an attractive prospect to add into your routine. However, as not everyone finds meditation works for them, there are multiple and varied ways of introducing the benefits of mindfulness for yourself.

Binaural Beats

Binaural beats are a type of auditory stimulation that has been linked with increased focus for those listening for just twelve minutes, reducing the wandering of the mind that might occur during a long training session, for example (6).

In sport, perception of how you feel can be as important as the physical reality, and binaural beats have also been seen to improve the perception of sleep and motivation in sportspeople (7).

Guided Breathing

Guided breathing is frequently recommended as a method of stress and anxiety reduction (8,9).

By focusing on breathing, even while doing other activities, you can bring about a state of mindfulness, with the ‘moment-to-moment awareness’ of your breathing aiding relaxation and focus.

Box breathing is commonly used by the Navy SEALs as a method of staying calm and performing under pressure. This methodology is also applicable to all high performing individuals, including athletes, who will find benefit from using box breathing in preparation for a competition.

Subliminal Priming

Subliminal priming is the use of visual, auditory, or other cues that occur below the threshold of perception, such that they are only perceived subconsciously.

Priming sees the most significant effect when those using it are motivated to pursue the goal that they are priming in themselves, but can increase motivation, and feelings of self-efficacy, especially when combined with other techniques (10,11).

We developed Rewire with athletes in mind, to highlight and develop the cognitive side of sports performance.

Rewire’s Mindset Recovery system contains a range of protocols to help you enhance your performance, with binaural beats, guided breathing, and subliminal priming alongside various other neurological and psychological protocols like visualization and self-talk.

Start your free trial with Rewire today to get the benefits of mindfulness without meditation.

References

1. Davis DM, Hayes JA. What are the benefits of mindfulness? A practice review of psychotherapy-related research. Psychotherapy (Chicago). 2011 Jun; 48(2): 198-208. doi: 10.1037/a0022062.

2. Corcoran KM, Farb N, Anderson A, Segal ZV. Mindfulness and emotion regulation: Outcomes and possible mediating mechanisms. In Kring AM, Sloan DM. Emotion regulation and psychopathology: A transdiagnositc approach to etiology and treatment. New York: Guildford Press; 2010. p. 339-355.

3. Shapiro SL, Schwartz GE, Bonner G. Effects of mindfulness-based stress reduction on medical and premedical students. Journal of Behavioural Medicine. 1998 Dec; 21(6): 581-599. doi: 10.1023/a:1018700829825.

4. Rosenzweig S, Reibel DK, Greeson JM, Brainard GC, Hojat M. Mindfulness-based stress reduction lowers psychological distress in medical students. Teaching and Learning in Medicine. 2003 Sprint; 15(2): 88-92. doi: 10.1207/S15328015TLM1502_03.

5. Scott-Hamilton J, Schutte NS, Brown RF. Effects of a Mindfulness Intervention on Sports-Anxiety, Pessimism, and Flow in Competitive Cyclists. Applied Psychology: Health and Well-Being. 2016 Mar; 8(1): 85-103. doi: 10.1111/aphw.12063.

6. Axelsen JL, Kirk U, Staiano W. On-the-Spot Binaural Beats and Mindfulness Reduces the Effect of Mental Fatigue. Journal of Cognitive Enhancement. 2020; 4: 31-39. doi: 10.1007/s41465-019-00162-3.

7. Abeln V, Kleinert J, Strueder HK, Schneider S. Brainwave entrainment for better sleep and post-sleep state of young elite soccer players – A pilot study. European Journal of Sport Science. 2014; 14(5): 393-402. doi: 10.1080/17461391.2013.819384.

8. NHS. NHS. [Online].; 2018 [cited 2021 Sep 23. Available from: https://www.nhs.uk/mental-health/self-help/guides-tools-and-activities/breathing-exercises-for-stress/.

9. Isle of Wight NHS Trust. Isle of Wight NHS Trust. [Online]. [cited 2021 Sep 24. Available from: https://www.iow.nhs.uk/Downloads/Chronic%20Pain/Stress%20and%20Relaxation.pdf.

10. Strahan EJ, Spencer SJ, Zanna MP. Subliminal priming and persuasion: Striking while the iron is hot. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology. 2002 Nov; 38(6): 556-568. doi: 10.1016/S0022-1031(02)00502-4.

11. Pettit JA, Karageorghis CI. Effects of video, priming, and music on motivation and self-efficacy in American football players. International Journal of Sports Science & Coaching. 2020 Dec; 15(5-6): 685-695. doi: 10.1177/1747954120937376.

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An Athlete’s Guide to Looking After Yourself During Isolation

April 6, 2020/in Guides, Link in Bio, Science /by Ed Gibbins

Across the globe, people are limited, like never before, with what they can and can’t do. This has, naturally, had a massive impact on everyone’s life and health, meaning that it is more essential than ever to make sure that we tick all the boxes in terms of our health.

Exercise

During this time, it is incredibly important to keep exercising. Since (almost) all sporting competitions and events across the globe have been cancelled, it can become very demotivating to work without a goal. On top of this, with gyms closed and social distancing measures meaning that we cannot train with a partner, more barriers are in the way of our goals. The ability to overcome obstacles is what separates us as athletes.

“Obstacles don’t have to stop you. If you run into a wall, don’t turn around and give up. Figure out how to climb it, go through it, or work around it.”
Michael Jordan

At the very minimum, we want to maintain our fitness, however by using this unprecedented time to do more than anyone else, it distinguishes you and you will be ahead of the rest when we are released back into the sporting world again. One crucial thing to note is that it is important to do something even if it is significantly less than before. One study into resistance training showed that even when doing 1/9th of the original training, participants were able to maintain their muscle mass for the duration of a 32 week period, whereas those who did not undergo any training over 32 weeks regressed to their original muscle mass before the training plan began (1). However, now is not the time for complacency or downheartedness – we have a unique opportunity to use this time to progress and focus on our health in a way that we have never before.

It is also important to consider the positive effect that exercise has on our mental health. Exercise has been shown to reduce depression and anxiety and has positive effects on mood, self-esteem and cognitive function (2). This is another of the many reasons why we should continue to exercise regularly.

Sleep

With significantly reduced social commitments it is very easy to let our sleep habits go to pot. Aside from having a negative effect on our physical and mental recovery, poor sleep quality impairs our immune system (3), something we naturally don’t want during a global pandemic. When sleeping, there are a few crucial things to take into account: consistency, appropriate length and quality – all which influence each other. By setting a consistent bedtime and wake up time you can reduce the time it takes to fall asleep as well as improving the quality of your sleep by allowing you to spend appropriate time in each sleep stage. When considering sleep length it is important to remember not only to get enough sleep but also not to get too much, having too little or too much sleep is associated with worse health (4). We cannot ‘store’ sleep and so once we have achieved all the sleep we need, sleep is essentially a waste of time and time that we can utilise for better purposes. When considering appropriate sleep length it can also be helpful to think in terms of 90-minute cycles, rather than hours – a more accurate representation of our sleep. You can use an app such as SleepCycle to track your sleep and wake you up at the lightest point so you feel free and ready to start the day. It is crucial to practice good sleep habits, try to turn off blue light sources as you prepare to sleep so as not to interfere with melatonin secretion, which is inhibited by the presence of blue light. To read more on sleeping efficiently, click here.

Nutrition

Strictly speaking, the immune system cannot be boosted through vitamins. However, vitamins can be used to support normal immune function. Whilst it might not be necessary to supplement vitamins or minerals, it is important to get a sufficient amount in your diet, and if you are unable to achieve suitable levels with your diet, then consider changing your diet or supplementing. Essential vitamins and minerals for supporting immune function are copper, folate, iron, selenium, zinc and vitamins A, B6, B12, C and D (5). You might find it useful to use an app, such as Cronometer, to track your micronutrient intake and highlight deficiencies. One vitamin to highlight in particular is vitamin D, which we get from sunlight. Considering the lockdown measures that many countries have put in this creates a challenge, particularly knowing that in normal circumstances 40% of Americans are deficient in vitamin D (6). If you have a garden, try to use it throughout the day or if your current government regulations allow, try to get outside, whilst abiding by social distancing measures. If you are unable to get outside, then consider supplementing vitamin D. Overall maintaining a healthy diet, rich in the relevant nutrients can help to maintain immune function during this crucial time.

Mindfulness

During this strange period, it is easy for us to become stressed and distressed by the circumstances. To help combat this, set aside some time daily to practice mindfulness and breathing exercises. Mindfulness can help us to reduce stress (7), something that we all will be facing to varying extents with the forced change in lifestyle. At Rewire, we have been developing a Mindset Recovery System. This involves guided box breathing exercises (a Navy SEAL technique) to help reduce stress (8) and binaural beats which help to counteract the negative effects of mental fatigue (9).

We have put together a demo of these to help with your mindfulness during this difficult time, which you can access using the following video.

DOWNLOAD VIDEO TO PHONE

To read more about the positive effects of mindfulness, click here.

Overall, it is incredibly important to stay healthy and active during these uncertain times. Try to create structure in your life where structure lacks and use this unique time effectively to improve yourself without social pressure.

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References

1. Bickel CS, Cross JM, Bamman MM. Exercise dosing to retain resistance training adaptations in young and older adults. Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise. 2011.

2. Callaghan P. Exercise: A neglected intervention in mental health care? Journal of Psychiatric and Mental Health Nursing. 2004.

3. Besedovsky L, Lange T, Haack M. The sleep-immune crosstalk in health and disease. Physiol Rev. 2019;

4. Kim CE, Shin S, Lee HW, Lim J, Lee JK, Shin A, et al. Association between sleep duration and metabolic syndrome: A cross-sectional study. BMC Public Health. 2018;

5. British Dietetic Association. COVID-19 / Coronavirus – Advice for the General Public. 2020.

6. Forrest KYZ, Stuhldreher WL. Prevalence and correlates of vitamin D deficiency in US adults. Nutr Res. 2011;

7. Astin JA. Stress reduction through mindfulness meditation. Psychother Psychosom. 1997;

8. Stinson A. What is box breathing? Medical News Today. 2018.

9. Axelsen JL, Kirk U, Staiano W. On-the-Spot Binaural Beats and Mindfulness Reduces the Effect of Mental Fatigue. J Cogn Enhanc. 2020;

The High-Pressure Lifestyle of an Elite Athlete and the Techniques used to Combat Stress

January 31, 2020/in Link in Bio, Science /by Ed Gibbins

An athlete’s life is fairly unique when compared to the general population. Apart from the obvious exchange of a suit for a tracksuit, their objectives are different too. For many athletes, their efforts accumulate and build up to a major event at the end of a cycle. This could be the Olympics or World Cup every four years or a league final at the end of a year. In this crucial event, it is imperative that they perform to the best of their ability. Their performance on that day not only affects them but also all those that have helped them get to that point: coaches, sponsors, family, support staff and fans all rely on their success to varying degrees in addition to the athlete themselves.

An athlete needs to be at peak health at all times. This means complete focus on everything that they put into and do to their body. Training routines and nutrition plans are regimented and there are limited opportunities to relax this. Lots of sleep is needed to ensure recovery in order to perform and benefit from the next day of training. This regimented lifestyle as well as the reliance from others creates an inevitable sense of pressure. And from pressure comes stress. As they approach a big event an athlete needs focus, and stress does not always help the athlete achieve this.

Whilst sports psychologists might be in place, some things can simply impede performance. Be that impending parenthood, illness, or the death of a loved one. We’ve seen this before, in the 2016 Australian Open Final, Andy Murray looked visibly distracted and lost in straight sets. Why? His wife, Kim, was about to give birth to their first child, whilst he was on the other side of the world. These kinds of distractions can be almost impossible to resist, and whilst it is more than understandable to be distracted by the idea of imminently becoming a father, we can still look for ways of keeping focus even at the most challenging of times.

In his autoethnography, Bradford Cooper talks about the mental toughness needed to overcome setbacks and frustrations during the Race Across America in which he was part of a 2-man team. These setbacks included needing to cover his teammate’s night pull after just after coming off a 5-hour pull, as well as being given the wrong directions by his daughter and having to turn round to get back on track. These kinds of setbacks cause frustration, mental fatigue and stress but with the right training, the effects of it can be minimized.

To stay in control in times of pressure and stress, athletes spend time practising mindfulness. Mindfulness practices help an athlete stay in control at times when they need it most. It has been shown that by practising meditation, stress levels can be reduced allowing for increased focus and concentration. Those regularly using meditation have also been shown to have improved sleep including more time spent in deep sleep and increased hormone release allowing for better recovery. Athletes also benefit from spending time during mindfulness to visualise success and create goals, allowing in turn for increased motivation and work ethic to develop their athletic performance. A recent study also showed that the use of binaural beats helps to counteract the effects of mental fatigue. Their findings demonstrate that binaural beats are an effective technique alongside mindfulness at enhancing cognitive control.

Practising mindfulness can help an athlete get into the ‘flow’, which is poetically described by the psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi as a state of being ‘completely involved in an activity for its own sake. The ego falls away. Time flies. Every action, movement, and thought follows inevitably from the previous one, like playing jazz. Your whole being is involved, and you’re using your skills to the utmost.’ This is a state we have likely all experienced at some point in our life, where we become incredibly productive. Whilst this state might come and go naturally with motivation, practising mindfulness allows us to maintain a state of ‘flow’ for longer. The benefits of being in this state to an athlete are evident, with the athlete being in an optimal state to train and reap the resulting benefits whilst total focus is devoted to improving performance.

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Posts

Mental Fitness Q&A

What is mental fitness?

Why is mental fitness important?

Optimal mental fitness can:

What is the difference between mental health and mental fitness?

How can I practice mental fitness?

1. Think critically.

2. Strengthen the mind/body connection.

3. Practice mindfulness.

3 Habits that Will Help Build Mental Strength

Here are three habits that will help build mental strength:

The Benefits of Mindfulness Without Meditation

An Athlete’s Guide to Looking After Yourself During Isolation

References

The High-Pressure Lifestyle of an Elite Athlete and the Techniques used to Combat Stress

Further Reading:

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