What We Can Learn From Simone Biles and Tiger Woods
Hello Champion:
Listening to your body is a crucial skill for any athlete.
When was your last off day?
Do you have a pulled muscle?
Have you been struggling to get your mind right from stress?
Humans are composed of interconnected highways where messages and stimuli are traveling throughout our entire body at all times. Our bodies talk to our mind through our senses.
Although one may ask, what happens to an athlete when their mind and body is out of sync?
This past summer one of the top Olympic athletes ever, Simone Biles, struggled with her own mental health and withdrew from several events. Biles attributed this loss of mental health to the stress of the pandemic year and the Olympic process. However, Biles was in touch enough with herself and decided to abstain from competition.
Similar to Biles, all athletes have dealt with mental struggles due to the pandemic. It is crucial that we are self-aware and use our support system to know when our mind-body connection is out of sync.
Additionally, rehab is all about listening to your body and restoring it to its properly functioning level. For instance, Tiger Woods has had multiple serious injuries that have required rehab, but he told reporters after his most recent accident that he is going to give his body the proper rest before competing again.
Whether you have been dealing with a pulled hamstring or torn ACL, you must be 100 percent before taking the field again. Ultimately, returning to play too soon could lead to a more serious injury.
Here are three keys to help an athlete listen to their body:
Talk to your support system about your mind-body connection.
Daily yoga, stretching, and meditation will help you be more in tune with your body.
Overtraining can lead to injury or a decline in performance.
The mind-body connection is an essential skill for athletes of all ages to master. Remember, vulnerability and transparency in your training process is not a weakness.
The WTMG Team