Monday, Dec. 6, 2010 update. Before you read the blog post below, look at the photo to the left. It was taken yesterday as I came in on the half marathon. Now read on….
I decided to have some fun with a technique that I used before as a sceptic and was shocked with the results. The technique was visualization. This blog is being written on 11/24/10. In 2005 I decided to walk my first marathon. I did not have time to train properly. The marathon site had a 6:30 minute video which traveled the whole route. Each day I could for about 2 months I watched the video from my desk chair, swinging my arms, and moving like I was walking fast. I wish you could have been there the day of the race. Remember I was walking this marathon, not running. As I approached the 26 mile mark the time clock read approximately (can’t remember exact) 6:26! I came in a few minutes later at 6:34.
Well, I am about to do a version of that again. However, good sense has gotten the better of me, and I now only do 1/2 marathons. This week (11/20 to be exact) I decided to walk the Las Vegas half-marathon and of course have no time to train. The course video does not exist any longer, so I put a map of the route up and I have a timer I set for 3:20 minutes. Every few days I stand in front of the mirror and pretend to walk and enjoy every moment of it. If there was a video of what I do in front of that mirror, I know my kids would have me committed. In any event, I am ‘game on’ to see what time I clock in at on 12/4. This blog will post 12/4 in the morning. I will let you know how I do that afternoon.
For those of you interested in the science behind visualization and performance, read this great blog by Bomes Consulting. A copy is printed below.
The Power of Visualization Unleashed
Written by: Bob Bomes
Our theme this week on Bomes’ Monday Morning Message and on our blog posts has been about the power of Visualization. Hopefully you are getting the picture of how essential it is to have pictures in front of us throughout the day that give us a visual for the things we want in life. Here are several other examples about the power of Visualization that took the power of Visualization to an even higher power. Let me explain.
Researchers at the famed Cleveland Clinic found that picturing (Visualizing) an action activates the nerves, which makes muscles move and triggers an actual contraction. When participants in the study did an exercise where they practiced visualizing for five minutes a day, they were able to increase muscle strength by 35 percent in 12 weeks – without ever going near a gym.
Another study at the University of Liverpool showed people could improve performance by 29 percent if they would visualize themselves using proper form. If, for example, they were doing a bench press, they would visualize that their arms were rising evenly and in perfect alignment. By adding the Visualization practice, they boosted their performance.
The ways you could use this same type of Visualization power to improve your life is unlimited. At work, think of the things that you have to do that are stressing you and imagine doing them perfectly. Some examples include: • A heart surgeon visualizes guiding herself perfectly through a complicated operation. • A computer salesman imagines a perfect sales scenario. • A High School Senior imagines writing an outstanding paper that gets an A+. Now, it is up to you to pick the areas of your life you want to improve. Spend time each day looking at your Visualization Board. Imagine a perfect outcome.
As our friends at NIKE would say, “Just do it!”
