B E
Champion FOCUS! Dr. Frank B. Wyatt
Achieving Clarity of Thought
The ability to provide a specific attention demand to the task at hand is an imperative component to sport performance. I thought about this very recently as my son and I descended a mountain pass on our road bikes after an arduous climb up 6% and 7% inclines. After viewing riders in the Tour de France (congrats to Cadel Evans) crash while on their descents, I paid particular attention to our descent.
It occurred to me afterwards that while many individuals would not associate road cycling with any specific focus of attention, my mind was cognizant of many factors during this descent: speed, corners, braking, road surface, wind. All of these factors played into my reactions that had to be made in very short periods of time. Then it occurred to me that because of our reliance on split second decisions during sport performance, what we do prior to that moment is equally important.
What can we, as athletes, do to prepare for a moment when our decision making processes can spell the difference between victory or defeat? Or in some circumstance the difference between life and death. Are there training parameters utilized that can actually enhance our attention? And what of pre-competition behaviors that might provide clarity of thought? As it turns out, there seems to be a lot that we can do to enhance this component of athletic performance.
Let me go back to the aforementioned descent my son and I were on. Prior to that, of course we were involved in the climb. I cannot express the difficulty of this particular climb but suffice it to say it was extremely energy demanding. By the time we reached the summit, our blood sugar level and muscle glycogen stores were at very low levels. Because we only had a descent facing us and our appetites were non-existent because of the effort, one must ask, “is it really necessary to eat anything prior to the descent”?
Consider the fact that the brain, because of its continual use is a drain for carbohydrate consumption. The brain needs consistently high blood sugar levels to maintain optimal function. Knowing this physiological fact and realizing we would need clarity of thought on our descent, my son and I forced an energy bar down prior to the descent. I think it paid dividends. We made it down safe and alive. So one recommendation for maintaining a focus during competition is to keep your blood sugar levels high by engaging in what is referred to as “in-performance feeding”.
Any activity that extends beyond a 45 minute timeline will utilize a substantial amount of circulating blood sugar and will tap into the muscle and liver glycogen stores. Because muscles are demanding so much of the body’s carbohydrate, less becomes available to the brain for function (i.e., attention). These forms of ingestible substances are numerous such as drinks, gels, bars and dried fruit.
However, one should “experiment” with any particular form prior to performance to know what works for them. I have realized over the years that most solid forms of carbohydrate ingestion do not work will with my digestive tract while I am engaged in exercise. I generally rely on drinks and gels during efforts lasting longer than an hour, but there are other forms of behavior that can enhance your mental acuity.
FITNESS
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86 |
Page 87 |
Page 88 |
Page 89 |
Page 90 |
Page 91 |
Page 92 |
Page 93 |
Page 94 |
Page 95 |
Page 96 |
Page 97 |
Page 98 |
Page 99 |
Page 100 |
Page 101 |
Page 102 |
Page 103 |
Page 104 |
Page 105 |
Page 106 |
Page 107 |
Page 108