Strong Mind. Smart Body.

Strong Mind, Smart Body: This is the “tag line” or “mantra” of my company, my practice, my training. While at first glance it may seem backwards (strength is typically associated with the body and intelligence with the mind) I truly believe this is a far more important, and often under-looked, association.

Optimal performance has many dimensions. Should one or more of these dimensions of performance be under or over-prioritized, your overall performance will be out of sync and out of balance. Your aim is to obtain a degree of balance and harmony across all dimensions of performance areas.

While this may seem to only pertain to athletes or exercisers, having a “smart body” is extremely important for professionals. Operating in a stress-state yields less than optimal results in the office or board room. Research shows that being a state of stress inhibits memory, creativity, critical thinking, among many other critical skills leaders must have. Understanding how mental preparedness can lower the natural stress response, has enabled professionals to push through barriers in performance and really shine in high-stress situations.

For athletes and exercisers, it is not unusual that many of us focus primarily upon the physical dimension of performance for determining our rank or status on a team or among other players or exercisers in our class. While taking care of your physical health is essential for performance, this aspect represents only one dimension of performance. Since your body and mind are interrelated, each and every one of your dimensions of performance needs to work in harmony with the another in order for you to reach your full potential as an athlete and find you zone of optimal performance.

In order to achieve our zone of optimal performance (ZOP) we must practice superior mental fitness before all else. This is KEY! So many of the worlds BEST athletes and leaders use mental performance training as a daily part of their overall routine which is why they are the BEST of the BEST; they have realized that mental fitness is a lot like physical fitness in that you must work at it daily in order to see results.  

Whether I am working with a professional athlete, a novice exerciser or a company CEO, understanding the connection between mind and body is fundamental and drives our daily work.