The Psychology of Sports Nutrition

Words are food for the spirit…feed your soul with positive, nurturing thoughts and your mental strength will increase. 

Just as you would choose foods that you like or that are good for you, affirmations help you feel good about yourself and give you power.

 Eating is a learned behavior that we “practice” every day.  What we practice, we become very, very good at. 

Repeating affirmations daily gives them strength, much like repetitions in the weight room increase muscle.

 Learn to manage your energy effectively.  Keep a performance journal, and write down the foods you eat before a race.  See if there is a relationship between the foods you eat and your performance.

 Setting goals clarifies direction and increases success.  Commitment is the willingness to d whats necessary to get the result you want.  Reaching goals means you are willing to do the day-to-day actions that are required.

 What you focus on you achieve.  Don’t spend your energy on negative thoughts.

 Be aware of your self-talk.  Repeat your goals and believe in your abilities.

 Feelings affect thoughts and thoughts affect feelings.  Every time we have a feeling, a thought automatically goes with it.

 Feeling                                    Thought

Fear (of failure)                       “I’ve tried to diet before, it hasn’t worked.”

Frustration                            “No matter how hard I try, I don’t change.”

Fatigue                                   “I’m so tired, I don’t feel like cooking.”

Worry                         “ I’m so stressed out.  I can’t handle all this work.”

Just because you have a thought (about a feeling), you don’t have to act on it. When you have a thought – any thought – that’s all it is.  It can’t hurt you without your consent.  Try to put negative thoughts out of your mind.  Focus on your goals; on what is right in your life.

 Q: What percentage of your eating behavior (diet) is mental?

 Success in maintaining a healthy diet is about learning to manage your mind effectively.  That is, setting clear goals, defining specific behaviors, maintaining a positive focus, creating and using high performance images, creating empowering feelings; and nurturing a positive attititude.

Learn how to mentally prepare, learn how to anticipate, learn to “play the game” in your head are important skills to practice.

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