Weekly Mental Fitness Workouts
September 18th - September 24th
Good Morning Folks and Happy Monday,
I wanted to start today by giving you all an update on where we are at with The Mind Gym by RGF Performance. Last week marked the end of the first mesocycle in the program. If you were working with a personal trainer or strength & conditioning coach, a mesocycle would be a training block that lasts several weeks and fits into a year-long macrocycle that has a specific skill or ability that is being trained.
For our purposes, each mesocycle is designed to enhance your psychological flexibility and overall mental well-being. Each week we train two core concepts: one from the acceptance and commitment training’s hexaflex and one from Martin Seligman’s PERMA model. Alongside stress & focus training, we believe that committing time to complete these exercises will improve your mental health!
If you are interested in learning more about the program or want to ask any questions about how to fit this work into your life, sign up for a free 15-minute chat with me here.
Mental Fitness Workouts
This week’s workouts will focus on developing engagement and contact with the present moment. As a compliment to each other, both are highlighted by present-moment awareness, noticing what is showing up, and focusing on the task at hand. Both practices support us in reducing stress, enhancing resilience, and increasing the likelihood of experiencing happiness & flow.
Similar to how you do the same leg lift week after week, you may start to see exercises in the mind gym repeated as well.
Contact with the Present: Register, Release, Refocus
The following process is a strategy that you can continually implement in your life whether you are attempting to focus on a big task at work, striving to be present with friends & family, or whenever you want to be present.
To train the 3Rs schedule a reminder to complete this check in 3 times during your day.
Combo the 3Rs with mindful music as well for additional training
Focus Training: Mindful Music
Pick a Song or Instrumental
Pick one part of the song to focus on (Drums, Guitar, Vocals, etc.)
For the whole song, attempt to only listen to that one part. Every time you lose focus, note it and then refocus on your part.
Practice at least twice a day x 4 days this week
Interesting Read: Inside the Pain Cave
Check out this article about Courtney Dauwalter, one of the world’s greatest ultra-marathon runners, and learn how she uses her mental fitness to conquer incredible feats of human capacity.
Engagement: Character Strength Check In
Take a moment to check in with your character strengths from the VIA assessment
If you have not done so already, take a moment to learn about your Character Strengths here.
Reflect: over the course of the past 6 weeks name 3 good things that have happened to you:
What character strengths did you utilize to make these good things happen?
In what ways did your character strengths show up to support you in difficult moments that happened during this time?
Is there a certain strength that you want to intentionally cultivate over the next 6 weeks?
How will you do it?
Stress Training: Measured Breathing (4 inhale-1 hold-7 exhale)
4 days a week x 3 minutes
If you enjoy this practice, feel free to extend the days or time out to meet your current needs!
This breath pacer is a great tool to utilize for this practice
As always, feel free to contact me with any questions, comments, or feedback. I am happy to support you along your journey towards authentic happiness.
Be Easy,
Ryan