Mindfulness may benefit performance, study finds

According to a study in the International Journal of Sports Medicine, mental training might be the key to beating fatigue in training and racing. The research investigated the effects of mindfulness on the running performance, finding that athletes who use mindfulness strategies maintained their performance even if they were increasing their training–whereas runners who didn’t performed less well.

What is mindfulness training?

Mindfulness training is a type of cognitive-behavioral therapy that encourages individuals to “pay attention to and accept their current physical experience” using breathing and body scanning to help athletes regulate stress and emotion–rather than trying to avoid or ignore it. The training often involves deep-breathing exercises, yoga, journaling and meditation. The importance of mindfulness training in sports is often overlooked due to the emphasis on physical performance, even though countless studies suggest mental training is just as crucial.

Testing procedures

The study split sixty-five trained runners into a mindfulness intervention group (30 runners) and a control group (25 runners). The study used the “FeelTheRun” programme, an eight-week brief mindfulness meditation (BMM) intervention which included guided exercises before, during and after training sessions. The BMM group attended three in-person mindfulness sessions per week, and were offered additional practice using audio files or via videoconference twice a week. The control group attended three information sessions per week on running-related topics, such as the influence of shoes with carbon plates.

The study took place in October and November, a period when many athletes increase their training loads after the summer in preparation for winter competition. Baseline testing was conducted before the study and repeated at four and eight weeks into the study.

Findings

Researchers observed a decline in cardiorespiratory fitness for the control group, which was likely due to the increased training load and resulting fatigue throughout the preparation period. In contrast, the BMM group maintained stable performances, suggesting that the mindfulness training may improve psychological resilience, adaptability and focus to reduce fatigue-related performance declines.

While more research is required, it is evident that mindfulness training has the potential to improve running performance.