Many athletes swear by the power of visualisation. One experiment by Prof Fabrizio Benedetti at the University of Turin found that reframing muscle aches as a positive signal can ramp up the production of the brain’s endogenous cannabinoids and opioids, natural analgesics that could mask the strain. Through the mind-body connection, they could even activate a beneficial “expectation effect” – akin to the placebo effect – that alters the physiological response to the exercise. Studies show that these small changes in mindset can soften the sense of physical distress and the perceived exertion of exercise. You might even try to see discomfort as a sign of progress – that you are successfully pushing your body to the max. This could involve taking a deliberately dispassionate view that avoids negative interpretation you might try to passively observe the feelings without judging them. To avoid this fate, you can practise “cognitive appraisal”. Psychological science suggests that these thoughts will only amplify your distress – which may, of course, discourage you from continuing your workouts in the future. The sensations may even trigger cycles of catastrophic thinking, in which you start to exaggerate your discomfort – “this is awful”, “I can’t take it”, “I’m never going to get fit”. The heart thumping hard in your chest, the burning of your lungs, the aches of your limbs – your body seems to be yelling at you to stop exercising. If you are just getting started on a new fitness regime or simply having a bad day, it’s very easy to interpret feelings of fatigue as a sign of failure. This seemed to be tied to lower body satisfaction – the sight of the fitness gurus had left them feeling less attractive and more concerned about their weight and shape, which put a downer on the whole experience. Far from encouraging the exercisers, the #fitspo images had a negative effect on their mood and increased their rating of “perceived exertion”, so that they found the activity more tiring than the people who had seen the travel snaps. They then took to the treadmill for a 10-minute workout. Others saw travel photos of attractive locations. Some saw supposedly motivational photos related to fitness, such as before-and-after shots depicting a body transformation. The participants first scrolled through a set of 18 images. But a study led by Ivanka Prichard at Flinders University, Australia suggests these accounts can lead to a less rewarding workout. Such images might seem like a sensible source of motivation, a way of focusing your mind on what you want to achieve. Scrolling through Instagram and TikTok, you’ll come across countless “fitspiration” accounts offering pictures of perfect pecs and tight torsos – a portrait of what might be possible if you only follow the right regime. For energetic cycling, you might want something slower, such as Dangerous by David Guetta ft Sam Martin, at 92bpm. If you are taking a step for every beat, around 170-180bpm (such as Roar by Katy Perry) would be right for a high-intensity run. If you want to make the most of the pacemaker effect, the tempo of the music must match the type of exercise you are trying to perform. This reduces any energy-wasting irregularities in our movements and results in more efficient use of our muscles. And research by Costas Karageorghis, a professor of sport and exercise physiology at Brunel University London, shows that we naturally synchronise our body’s motion to the underlying rhythm. Loud, high-octane music also increases our “physiological arousal”, resulting in a faster heart rate that will deliver more oxygen to our muscles. The benefits are not only found in motivational lyrics – though there’s no doubt that upbeat tracks can infuse you with positive feelings that can help to drown out the sensations of fatigue when you are lost in the music, you simply forget how hard you are working out. Let music be your pacemakerĬhoosing the right music for a workout can be as important as picking the right playlist for a party, with ramifications for your enjoyment and your performance. Here’s the science behind the five strategies that I found most transformative.
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