Last Monday, I left my meeting with Bob very excited indeed - not just about how the new ideas could help me, but about how they could help my athletes as well. Carrie can attest to this, as she had the misfortune of calling me right after and got an earful of what i learned!
So, while we covered lots of ground in our meeting, i will focus on the things that effected me most, my "aha moments" as Oprah would say. (Sorry Clint- i just mentioned Oprah in my blog.)
The first point that stuck with me is that all along i have been talking about "mental training" though the Zone is very much a physiological experience. So, in relation to my injury, I have been focusing on the injury, trying to imagine the healthy image of it that Bob helped me to create the week before. But Bob said, Don't focus on the injury, just focus on the Zone.... Aha! So, for the last week, while i've been crazy busy and in need of simplicity, this type of thinking sure fit the situation. In any given moment, if i realize i am not in the Zone, I just bring myself back. I do this by looking for physiological clues, like relaxed shoulders, good posture and a general feeling of centeredness.
Secondly, Bob and I did an exercise to help me work on my perceived weaknesses and learn from my fellow athletes. In short, i put myself in the shoes of people who already have the skills that i would like to possess. For me, one thing i would like to improve is my bike handling. So, I thought of 3 uber-bikers and then imagined myself stepping into their shoes. As i did the exercise, thoughts and images started to flood my mind, positive things about cycling. I felt strong and powerful, I felt excited about riding, as if i could own any bike course. I felt the exhilaration of riding fast and well. The best part about it was that, like last week, these thoughts came to me. I didnt have to conjure them up myself because i was trying to be positive. The positive thoughts just arrived in my head. Aha!
And so, once again this week, I feel like the missing pieces of my mental game are being found. We already know how important it is to think positively, and i know from my experience as a coach that people who are naturally positive improve faster. But if you are not naturally a positive person, this is hard to learn. Or if you have negative experiences about certain aspects of your sport or life, then it is hard to change your mindset, even if you want to. Many of the exercises that i have done with Bob help to accelerate the process of literally, changing my mind about something.
This is the revolutionary aspect of Bob's program. It helps you change your mind, and your physiology by using the Zone experience as the central focus of your everyday activities.
Some of you have been asking about how to get in touch with Bob. The series i am doing is called the Ignition Series and Bob and I meet every week for 6 weeks on Skype. Each week, i also receive follow up information by email that helps me to remember everything we covered in the session. Mercury Rising athletes receive a 10% discount. Also (this is the best bit), Bob offers a free session on Skype to anyone who is interested, so you can decide whether you would like to continue with the series or not. Obviously, I highly recommend it.
So, while we covered lots of ground in our meeting, i will focus on the things that effected me most, my "aha moments" as Oprah would say. (Sorry Clint- i just mentioned Oprah in my blog.)
The first point that stuck with me is that all along i have been talking about "mental training" though the Zone is very much a physiological experience. So, in relation to my injury, I have been focusing on the injury, trying to imagine the healthy image of it that Bob helped me to create the week before. But Bob said, Don't focus on the injury, just focus on the Zone.... Aha! So, for the last week, while i've been crazy busy and in need of simplicity, this type of thinking sure fit the situation. In any given moment, if i realize i am not in the Zone, I just bring myself back. I do this by looking for physiological clues, like relaxed shoulders, good posture and a general feeling of centeredness.
Secondly, Bob and I did an exercise to help me work on my perceived weaknesses and learn from my fellow athletes. In short, i put myself in the shoes of people who already have the skills that i would like to possess. For me, one thing i would like to improve is my bike handling. So, I thought of 3 uber-bikers and then imagined myself stepping into their shoes. As i did the exercise, thoughts and images started to flood my mind, positive things about cycling. I felt strong and powerful, I felt excited about riding, as if i could own any bike course. I felt the exhilaration of riding fast and well. The best part about it was that, like last week, these thoughts came to me. I didnt have to conjure them up myself because i was trying to be positive. The positive thoughts just arrived in my head. Aha!
And so, once again this week, I feel like the missing pieces of my mental game are being found. We already know how important it is to think positively, and i know from my experience as a coach that people who are naturally positive improve faster. But if you are not naturally a positive person, this is hard to learn. Or if you have negative experiences about certain aspects of your sport or life, then it is hard to change your mindset, even if you want to. Many of the exercises that i have done with Bob help to accelerate the process of literally, changing my mind about something.
This is the revolutionary aspect of Bob's program. It helps you change your mind, and your physiology by using the Zone experience as the central focus of your everyday activities.
Some of you have been asking about how to get in touch with Bob. The series i am doing is called the Ignition Series and Bob and I meet every week for 6 weeks on Skype. Each week, i also receive follow up information by email that helps me to remember everything we covered in the session. Mercury Rising athletes receive a 10% discount. Also (this is the best bit), Bob offers a free session on Skype to anyone who is interested, so you can decide whether you would like to continue with the series or not. Obviously, I highly recommend it.
Bob's email is: bpalmer@bell.net
His website is: www.sportexcel.ca
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