by Tim Curry, MS ACSM-RCEP
Over the past two decades I have been active in and around competitive sports. I began mountain bike racing at 17, obtaining pro-level racing status through dedication and hard work. As an exercise physiologist, I’ve worked with professional and Olympic athletes and teams, in addition to coaching NICA athletes and coaches. As such, I have experienced and witnessed many of the mental challenges that occur within endurance sports. Over the years I have developed a personal mental health check, as well as practices that I employ regularly. The following focus areas can help you and your athletes both on and off the bike:
Enjoyment - While not every training session is a blast, personally, I typically enjoy any time I get to exercise or be active. If you find you are suddenly not enjoying your biking, make sure to pay attention to this feeling. When I dread getting on the bike or have a session where I’m looking forward to the end before it has even begun, this is an alert that something is out of balance. If this feeling becomes chronic I know I need to explore the situations behind the feeling more. Has my sleep been poor? Am I under more stress then I realize? Do I feel sick? These are some of the training aspects I consider and monitor. To start, I might take several days away from training, and monitor how that affects my mood and energy levels. As an athlete who experienced burnout resulting in completely stepping away from mountain biking for 2 years, and who later regained my joy of the sport, ignoring these mental health warning signs can damage your relationship with the sport or activity you previously loved.
Purpose - Much like enjoyment if I can’t identify or connect with the purpose of my workouts there is usually something going on I need to attend to ASAP. This can be the symptom of a lack of or poorly focused goal setting, or due to other factors. Just like with enjoyment if I am feeling a lack of purpose I will start looking for answers and solutions. As you explore this area ask yourself “why am I doing this activity?” and be honest with your answer. Ideally your reason is something within your control such as personal enjoyment, feeling better, etc. If your reason is something external to you and out of your control, such as to make another person happy, perceived obligation based on time/money, or to win races, take note! This external focus can lead to becoming disengaged and unhappy with your activity.
Eustress vs. distress - A stressor is neither good nor bad, but how we interpret and respond to it can be beneficial or detrimental. Eustress is caused by a stressor that we can cope with and may improve performance (physical or mental). Distress results when we cannot cope with the stressor and can lead to adverse outcomes. Taking a “stress inventory” where you write down stressors and if they are causing eustress or distress can help identify areas to focus on. Anything marked as a distress can be assessed to identify ways to counter the stressor and reduce its impact on your mental health. As a doctoral student working full time and participating in several research projects, I perform this task regularly to ensure stressors remain manageable and don’t lead to distress.
Mood and behavior changes - We can all get into odd moods; however, if my mood or behavior has shifted dramatically, especially negatively, it’s another signal that I should pause and take care of myself. Negative shifts in mood and behavior can be related to many things, including too much training, stress, or inadequate rest. When these issues aren’t addressed, they can negatively impact your fitness and enjoyment of your sport.
There are plenty of additional factors you can watch for that are more individualized to your body, mind, and needs. What factors come to mind based on your personal experiences? Maybe things like changes or imbalances in hydration, nutrition, or community//team/family relationships and support?
Now that we’re armed with some areas of focus, what can we do to care for and protect our mental health?
Take a break - Many athletes are terrified of taking any amount of time away from their sport, or even just reducing their training load. There is a fear that missing a couple of training sessions will tank their season. Did you know that missing a couple of training sessions will have little to no effect on your overall fitness? What has a much larger impact on fitness is missing months of training due to ignoring signals of a health concern, leading to a much larger issue. If you have a busy work or school week (or month) and notice it is negatively impacting your mind and body, reduce your training time and intensity or take time off completely, as needed.
Invest in mental skills - Yoga, meditation, and mindfulness have been fad pop-culture terms for some time. However, the research behind these practices is extremely solid regarding their positive impact on our bodies. Investing time in a regular practice can help you learn some basic skills and create a space for you to focus your mind on the present. These skills take time to learn, and you have to do them regularly, so it’s a journey, not a destination. There are many great resources (both free and paid) to get you started. Headspace for guided meditation sessions offers outstanding design and production, and is a tool I use often (I have no financial interest in this product and/or company and am not affiliated or sponsored).
Unplug, as needed - Currently, multiple wars are occurring globally, a persistent toxic political culture exists in many nations, and a range of other factors can make us unhappy or anxious. Media focused on negativity can easily start to impact our mental health. When I notice this happening, I put limits or embargo any or all of these sources. Instead, I pick sources that educate me on interesting topics that are positive. For example, did you know that hyena produce antibiotics in their mouths? How cool is that?!?!
Therapy - When you break your arm, we all know to go to the doctor and get it fixed. However, when you are struggling mentally, mental health care can still often carry certain levels of stigma. Mind or body, we can all benefit from health care when we need it. Mental health therapy helps identify and address a range of conditions, developing and strengthening your mental skills to handle the world more healthily. The single most important variable that has positively impacted my mental health, relationships, and enjoyment of life (including biking!) has been regularly working with a therapist. If you are looking for options or simply want to see what’s out there, websites such as Psychology Today can help you search your local area.
Mental health is an underappreciated and often overlooked component of our health and athletic performance. We spend hours each week training our bodies to ride faster…take a little time to support your mental health and see benefits on and off the bike!
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