Do you remember those super-oxygenated waters? The American Council on Exercise studied them in 2001 and concluded that they did not live up to their “scientific” claims that the body would absorb the extra oxygen in the super water and the drinker would have improved stamina and athletic performance, reduced recovery time, and better mental clarity.
(Heck, I’d buy it, too, if that were the result!)
But scientists being scientists that wasn’t enough for them. A few years ago they used the same “scientific” claims and tested two groups of runners. One group got regular water and the other group got regular water, but they were told it was super water.
(I love that; how many of us have ever thought a Starbucks coffee was inherently better than a different coffee?)
The group of runners ran three times and interestingly, those told their regular water was super water ran faster. The really interesting thing was that their heart rate, blood lactate levels, and rates of perceived exertion remained constant despite the increased speed. They in fact said they felt lighter on their feet and were ready to purchase the super water. Too bad for them—it was just regular water, but the mental game had changed.
They believed they had an advantage and that belief on its own was enough to generate the very advantage they thought the super water supplied.
This study simply points out something I’ve seen time and time again with my bootcampers and with myself: this exercise thing? A lot of it is in your head rather than your muscles.
Those words “I can’t” don’t mean much to me as a trainer. They really mean “I don’t want to” more often than not. If I believed everyone who said they “couldn’t” do something and let them stop trying… well, I think I wouldn’t be a very good trainer. Sometimes, sure, “I don’t want to” is a fair statement and it has its place in life and in exercise. But make sure you can differentiate between “I can’t” and “I don’t want to try.”
So here’s the thing to learn from this study: not only are you possibly shortchanging yourself by underestimating your abilities, YOUR MIND can change the circumstances. Notice the physical effects of the subjects running faster were identical to them running a slower pace. This shouldn’t happen physically—your heart rate, perceived exertion, and blood lactate levels should increase with the increased stress of running faster. But here, their bodies thought they were having an easier time with the run because their minds thought so, too.
I think that’s a pretty neat thing to learn. Get your mind on your side, and the world opens up for you.
Now get going.
