Photo credit: Dave Rosenblum / Flickr
Have you ever shown up at the gym or the fitness studio and felt like you were just going through the motions? Like your body was there but your mind was somewhere completely different?
*Raises hand*
Sure, you’re getting in a workout, which is always great. But what if there were a way to ensure your next sweat sesh leaves you feeling empowered and accomplished rather than like you’re just ticking a box off a checklist? What if there were a way to make your workouts truly intentional?
Luckily, there is: Visualization.
What is visualization?
Visualization is a technique in which you imagine your desired outcome in great detail, as if it were happening right now. You picture what you would do, what you would see and hear and smell, how you would feel physically and emotionally. You imagine the event going exactly the way you want, with the perfect outcome.
How can visualization improve your workouts?
This type of mental rehearsal has proven scientific benefits, both for athletes and for us run-of-the-mill exercisers. Studies have shown that visualization helps us enhance our focus and concentration and improve our actual skills and real-life performance. Amazingly, some research suggests that the mere act of visualizing a workout can in and of itself strengthen our muscles.
Working out from the couch? Count me in.
In addition to improving our performance, visualization can also help us approach our workout with more intentionality. When we spend time imagining a really stellar workout, we’re more likely to try to replicate that experience when our feet actually hit the gym. We’ll remember why we’re really there and how we want to feel. In other words, we’ll truly show up.
How to create a visualization for your workout
So how do you start creating visualizations for more intentional workouts? Here are the essential steps.
1. Determine your why. Before you start imagining your workout, spend a minute or two thinking about why you’re working out in the first place. Are you training for a race or fitness competition? Are you trying to improve your cardiovascular fitness, strength, flexibility, or overall health? Are you jumping back into dating and want to feel more confident in your body? Do you just want to be able to keep up with your kids? Remembering your why will keep you more motivated than just about anything else.
2. Imagine yourself walking into the gym or studio and getting set up for your workout. What do you notice with your five senses in the room around you? How do you feel emotionally?
3. As you walk through your workout, imagine having the perfect form for each move. What does that look like? How does it feel, both physically and emotionally? You might even notice yourself sitting up straighter or engaging your abs as you visualize!
4. For each move, in addition to imagining the correct form, really focus on the individual muscles you’re engaging. If you’re visualizing a bicep curl, for example, really imagine the sensation of your bicep contracting.
5. Sometimes it can help to use descriptive language in a visualization to help perfect steps 3 and 4. For example, in the barre and Pilates world, it’s common to hear the phrase, “Knit your ribs together.” This threw me at first, but when I started to visualize my ribs as if they were the teeth of a zipper and were slowly being zipped (knit, if you will) up, BAM! Suddenly I was engaging my abdominal muscles much more deeply.
6. Finally, don’t forget to visualize how you feel during and after your workout as well as before. Picture yourself sailing through the hardest parts with energy and commitment and walking out feeling proud, energized, and like you could take on the world!