One of the secrets of a successful life is to be able to hold all of our energies upon one point, to focus all of the scattered rays of the mind upon one place or thing. -Orison Swett, Iron Will
Physical workouts are an amazing tool for training your mind to be able to focus on the task at hand, and not be distracted by anything else. Some people refer to this kind of focus as, "getting in the zone" -- others call it "being in the present". Your brain is, by far, operating in it's most powerful state when you are entirely focused on one task and not distracted by anything else. It is also one of the reasons I see a benefit in making some of your workouts very intense. High intensity requires focus -- ignoring things like pain and fatigue while focusing entirely on executing the exercise -- whether it's staying with the beat of music or maintaining a certain running pace. You see, workouts aren't just about the body, they are also about the mind.
Mental focus is skill, and as such, it can be trained with practice, just like anything else. Even longer, lower intensity exercise can be good for training mental focus. A marathon is an extreme example of this. When running a marathon, a very important mental skill is to be able to focus on the current mile (or quarter mile) and to complete that distance at your goal pace. Letting your mind dwell on things like having 20 miles left can completely overwhelm you and swallow your confidence. While we definitely plan for the big picture beforehand, during the actual race, being able to mentally stay in the moment is a very important skill.
It is only by continued, strenuous efforts, repeated again and again, day after day, week after week, and month after month, that the ability can be acquired to fasten the mind to one subject, however abstract or knotty, to the exclusion of everything else. The process of obtaining this self-mastery--this complete command of ones mental powers--is a gradual one, it's length varying with the mental constitution of each person; but it's acquisition is worth infinitely more than the utmost labor it ever costs. --Professor Matthews
While workouts are a very powerful way to train mental focus, you can also practice this incredible skill throughout the day. This is one of the reasons that todo lists are so effective; they allow you to focus on one thing at a time and complete it using all of your attention, without your mind churning constantly with worry about other things you have to do.
Another very effective time to practice mental focus is when going to sleep. Fix your mind on one specific thing, like relaxed muscles, or how good your pillow feels and try to hold onto that thought only and nothing else. This gets easier and easier the more you do it and it is also extremely helpful for those who have difficulty falling asleep because their minds are always racing.
Multitasking is Bad
A counterproductive practice is multitasking; this is when your mind is operating at it's worst.
According to Earl Miller, Neuroscientist at MIT, "Switching from task to task, you think you're actually paying attention to everything around you at the same time. But you're actually not. People can't multitask very well and when people say they can, they're deluding themselves."
I believe it is important to train ourselves to avoid the habit of multitasking. Whenever you realize you are multitasking, stop and focus every ounce of your attention on the highest priority task and then move to the next thing. The end result is always much better.
Mind and Body
I hope this post provides more appreciation for the fact that workouts not only develop a healthier body, but a healthy mind as well. In addition to improved mood, reduced stress, increased neural activity -- they can also be used to improve the extremely valuable skill of mental focus.
Physical workouts are an amazing tool for training your mind to be able to focus on the task at hand, and not be distracted by anything else. Some people refer to this kind of focus as, "getting in the zone" -- others call it "being in the present". Your brain is, by far, operating in it's most powerful state when you are entirely focused on one task and not distracted by anything else. It is also one of the reasons I see a benefit in making some of your workouts very intense. High intensity requires focus -- ignoring things like pain and fatigue while focusing entirely on executing the exercise -- whether it's staying with the beat of music or maintaining a certain running pace. You see, workouts aren't just about the body, they are also about the mind.
Mental focus is skill, and as such, it can be trained with practice, just like anything else. Even longer, lower intensity exercise can be good for training mental focus. A marathon is an extreme example of this. When running a marathon, a very important mental skill is to be able to focus on the current mile (or quarter mile) and to complete that distance at your goal pace. Letting your mind dwell on things like having 20 miles left can completely overwhelm you and swallow your confidence. While we definitely plan for the big picture beforehand, during the actual race, being able to mentally stay in the moment is a very important skill.
It is only by continued, strenuous efforts, repeated again and again, day after day, week after week, and month after month, that the ability can be acquired to fasten the mind to one subject, however abstract or knotty, to the exclusion of everything else. The process of obtaining this self-mastery--this complete command of ones mental powers--is a gradual one, it's length varying with the mental constitution of each person; but it's acquisition is worth infinitely more than the utmost labor it ever costs. --Professor Matthews
While workouts are a very powerful way to train mental focus, you can also practice this incredible skill throughout the day. This is one of the reasons that todo lists are so effective; they allow you to focus on one thing at a time and complete it using all of your attention, without your mind churning constantly with worry about other things you have to do.
Another very effective time to practice mental focus is when going to sleep. Fix your mind on one specific thing, like relaxed muscles, or how good your pillow feels and try to hold onto that thought only and nothing else. This gets easier and easier the more you do it and it is also extremely helpful for those who have difficulty falling asleep because their minds are always racing.
Multitasking is Bad
A counterproductive practice is multitasking; this is when your mind is operating at it's worst.
According to Earl Miller, Neuroscientist at MIT, "Switching from task to task, you think you're actually paying attention to everything around you at the same time. But you're actually not. People can't multitask very well and when people say they can, they're deluding themselves."
I believe it is important to train ourselves to avoid the habit of multitasking. Whenever you realize you are multitasking, stop and focus every ounce of your attention on the highest priority task and then move to the next thing. The end result is always much better.
Mind and Body
I hope this post provides more appreciation for the fact that workouts not only develop a healthier body, but a healthy mind as well. In addition to improved mood, reduced stress, increased neural activity -- they can also be used to improve the extremely valuable skill of mental focus.
