The Flow State Effect
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By: Jessie Rush-Cox - Personal Trainer
It's no surprise that you are more likely to stick with a workout routine, if you actually enjoy what you are doing. And it's unique for everyone. Some prefer an early morning boot camp class, while others may only prefer outdoor activities such as cycling, tennis, and roller-blading. The bottom line is find what you like to do.
Researchers have found that one secret is keeping you interested in your workout is reaching a fitness state known as “flow.” It’s defined as the balance between an individual’s perceived abilities and the challenge of the task. A fitness assessment can be helpful so that you do not start too small with your workout, and you know a healthy way to progress the workout to reach your goals. The workout is not too easy, or a waste of time. Also, the workout is just challenging enough to not be “defeating.”
There are three helpful ways you can reach the flow state--confidence, optimal arousal, and focused attention:
- Confidence and mental attitude can help you to endure even the hardest of workouts. Believing you can win, positive thinking, blocking negative thoughts, and enjoying what you are doing can all help build confidence.
- Optimal arousal is distinctive to each individual, but it is the balance between being relaxed, controlling anxiety, and enjoying the activity. Some may prefer to be “on edge” before competing in a match or participating in a spin class, while others need to calm down after work before demanding exertion from their tense muscles. The important thing is to know yourself well enough to know when your best fitness experience can occur.
- Focused attention refers to a narrow concentration for each workout that keeps the participant from wandering around the gym aimlessly. A narrow focus allows one to make the most of the time they have allotted for that particular workout. “Playing it by ear” when walking onto the fitness floor can be a bad idea, so make sure you have a clear plan.
Each of these strategies can stop a highly skilled participant from becoming bored when the workout is too easy, a beginner from becoming apathetic when the workouts are not progressing, or anxious when the workouts are too hard. Flow is achieved when your skill perfectly matches the challenges of the workout. If you can reach this state, and continue to perform along its continuum, then you will be very successful in reaching your goals and avoiding a fitness relapse.
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