Psychology is a young science, and sport psychology even more so. It is often assumed that this is a discipline only for elite sports, but in reality anyone who wants to exercise or improve their level of physical activity can use the tools of sport psychology to achieve their goals.

What actually is sport psychology?

Sport psychology is an interdisciplinary science based on knowledge from many related fields, including biomechanics, physiology, kinesiology, and psychology. It involves the study of how psychological factors influence performance and how participation in sport and exercise affects psychological and physical factors.

Beyond this scientific definition lies a whole array of techniques designed to help people start moving, keep moving, and resume movement when life does what it does best — happen.

The transformation process is spiral, not linear

There is a common belief that when a person starts an activity, things happen in a linear fashion. Which is actually not the case at all. When we begin to transform ourselves, whether through sport or through diet (and very often both), the changes in our body and mind do not happen sequentially. On the contrary, transformation is a series of rises and falls. Both modalities have a habit of being so powerful that sometimes we forget that after the rise comes a plateau, and sometimes even a downward movement. And while many people handle the rises well, the dips are the moments when we need to be able to answer the most important question in sport psychology.

Why?

Behind this seemingly simple question lie the reasons why we started everything in the first place. Why did I decide to start exercising? Why did I decide to learn more about how the human body works, so I know what to eat? Why did I decide to learn to love my hunger, if that is what it takes?

“Why” is a philosophical question, and that is why it is very important to always know its answers, because when it comes to transforming the mind and body, philosophy takes a back seat. It is hard to recall the long-term benefits of a healthy body weight when your brain is craving sugar. It is hard to think about how useful strength training is for improving bone density when the weights are so… well, heavy. It is also hard to take that first step early in the morning to go for a run, even though you know you will feel better mentally afterward.

Where does sport psychology fit in?

I very often recommend that people write down three answers to the question “Why” on a piece of paper and keep it close by. The human mind is capable of rationalizing almost every choice we make, which is why the “battle” with it is often uneven. Writing things down and reminding yourself is an approach from sport psychology that helps us recall the beginning — when we were most motivated — in the moments when motivation is at its lowest. Remember the peaks and dips from the beginning of the article? Sport psychology and its methods help us prepare for the dips in those moments.

How do we use motivation?
I admit this is a second question, but its place is right next to “Why.” Motivation is a wonderful tool, as long as we have the capacity to recognize when it is at its peak. That is precisely the moment to learn techniques such as visualization, mindfulness, and progress journaling. We use the good times to prepare for the bad ones, when the answer to “Why” seems furthest away.

Instead of a conclusion

I will share perhaps the most common question I encounter in my practice when it comes to the tools I described above. The question is, “Why should I write things down and use tools when I can just remember the reasons I embarked on the path of transformation?” The answer is that the modern world is not conducive to either movement or healthy eating. When we let things follow their own inertia, they will follow the path of least resistance. In today’s world, that is the path of inactivity and easy access to food. It is entirely possible for anyone to reverse this trend for themselves and for inertia to eventually carry us in the opposite direction, but at least in the beginning most people need some kind of tool. Whether that will be cognitive-behavioral techniques or a specialist depends on the person. The important thing is to always (and I mean truly always) have close at hand the answer to the most important question in sport psychology — “Why?”

If you want to work with a sport psychologist who applies these principles in practice — learn more about my approach or book a free consultation.