THE IMPORTANCE OF BREAKFAST FOR THE ATHLETE

Sports performance training is purposefully designed to give each young athlete an athletic advantage in his or her sport by making them faster and more explosive. However, we often see athletes who put themselves at a disadvantage the very first time they step inside our doors. How, you ask? By not eating breakfast or choosing one with little nutritional value these athletes have missed the first step in becoming a better athlete and student.

Breakfast is the most important meal of the day so you should treat it as such and even make it your biggest meal too. Breakfast means “breaking the fast”. Literally, that is what a person does when eating breakfast as you break up the “fasting” state of you body overnight. Depending on what time you ate your last meal, this fast could be 10-12 hours long. If breakfast is skipped, your body and brain are made to go without food for up to 15-19 hours! This is way too long for your body to be at its optimum. We know that muscle likes protein right before a workout but many athletes skip breakfast and go straight to a workout or practice.

To make sure that the athlete knows the importance of a good nutritional breakfast we sit down with our athletes and with mom and dad to get a “game plan” for the entire family. It’s very important that mom knows what they are trying to accomplish for their son or daughter both on the athletic field and more importantly in the class room.

First and foremost we tell the student-athlete that if they are serious about improving their nutritional content at breakfast this will mean getting up earlier each and every morning so that they may be able to sit down enjoy breakfast and not be rushed for school, job or other activities.

Second we go a little more in depth as to why breakfast is so important. The athlete has to understand that their “metabolism” (the amount of calories that the body is burning during the entire day) is at the very highest in the morning and gets slower as the day progresses. So it stands to reason that one should eat more during this time of day as calories will be less likely stored as body fat when metabolism is burning at a higher rate. This is one of the major reasons why we always encourage our athletes to eat more at breakfast than at any other meal. We remind the athlete that it is very difficult to get fat following this principle.

Another factor influencing the metabolism is the amount of carbohydrates or “blood sugar” in the blood stream. When the blood sugar is high it increases the body’s ability to store body fat. Too many stored and unused fat cells create a sluggish over weight athlete who doesn’t live up to his or her athletic potential. During the morning hours blood sugar levels are low so incoming carbohydrates are less likely to be stored as body fat. In addition, your body needs energy from calories at this time of day to help it cope with the demands and activities of the upcoming day.

So what is a nutritional breakfast? This is our third discussion with the athlete and parent. Since most individuals taste varies, we give them a variety of choices—however at the top of the list is water each morning. The body is somewhat dehydrated at this time of day and dehydration tends to slow down the metabolism. Starting out in a dehydrated state is not a productive way to start out the day. Each meal should consist of some type of protein especially for an athlete and breakfast is no exception. Eggs are a great source of protein with very little fat content. One whole large egg has a little over 6 grams of protein and one large egg white has around 4 grams of protein with even less fat and cholesterol than one whole egg. Try eating 2-4 eggs in the morning and see what a difference it makes in how you feel the rest of the day!

One of the best breakfast foods and a great nutritional carbohydrate is natural whole grain oatmeal. A ½ cup or about a 40 gram serving contains 5 grams of protein and 27 grams of high energy carbohydrates. It also contains only 1 gram of sugar, 0mg’s of sodium and only 0.5 grams of saturated fat! Waffles or pancakes are great sources of carbohydrates when the syrup and butters are limited. If you must have butter try margarine instead which now most contain non-hydrogenated trans- fats which is much healthier for you. Whole grain cereals’ which are low in sugar with skim or 1% milk fat are also another good selection. Adding a wide variety of fruits to the cereals or on the side such as bananas, strawberries, or blueberries are a great way for the athlete to get antioxidants which helps in the recovery process of games or practices.

To wash your food down try fruit juices such as grape or orange juice which are full of vitamins, minerals and also full of antioxidants. Milk and water are also great choices. We stress the elimination of soft drinks at breakfast and all through the day.

So if you’re looking for high performance in the classroom and on the athletic field, try and take the time to eat a nutritional breakfast. You won’t believe how you’ll feel and the difference it will make!

Want to Keep Your Muscle?.... What You Should Never Eat After a Workout

Did you know that what you eat directly after exercising – typically within two hours can have a significant impact on the health benefits you reap from exercise? Consuming sugar, fruit juices or refined carbohydrates within this post-exercise window will negatively affect both your insulin sensitivity and your human growth hormone (HGH).

A recent study in the Journal of Applied Physiology found that eating a lowcarbohydrate meal after aerobic exercise enhances your insulin sensitivity. This is high beneficial since impaired insulin sensitivity or insulin resistance, is the underlying cause of type 2 diabetes and a significant risk factor for other chronic diseases, such as heart disease.

A high sugar meal after working out or even a recovery drink (containing high sugar) after working out, will stop the benefits of exercise induced HGH. You can work out for hours, then eat a high sugar candy bar or have high sugar energy drink (i.e. smoothie), and this will shut down the synergistic benefits of HGH.

This is an extremely important fact to remember if you want to cut body fat and shed a few pounds.

How Does This Work?

First we know that refined sugar in the diet makes the body produce extra insulin to combat the additional sugar in the bloodstream. This increase in insulin causes an increase of another hormone called somatostatin. Somatostatin shuts down exercise induced growth hormone released by high intensity exercise.

What does High Sugar Food Mean?

High sugar food is defined by being 37.5 grams of sugar or greater per 100 grams of food. This basically means that the sugar content should be less than a 1/3 of the serving weight. The best bet is to have a low carb food such as low fat dairy or a lean meat source combined with an electrolyte replacement drink that is low in sugar after a workout.

Think ahead about what you are going to eat and drink after a workout and your efforts will continue to make you lean and healthy. Let us know if we can help.

5 LUNCH MISTAKES ATHLETES MAKE

While busy athletes typically prioritize breakfast and have an array of post-workout dinner recipes on hand, many are all too often missing a key time during the day during their lunch breaks.

A routine of sad salads or handful of nuts grows stale and letting your mid-day meal fall to the wayside does not allow for optimal performance nutrition. Revitalize your second meal of the day by avoiding these common athletes' lunch mistakes.

Mistake #1: Not planning ahead

When we leave nutrition choices until we are hungry, we have to rely on will-power. Numerous studies have shown will power alone should not be relied on as we tend to make poorer choices.

The fix: Meal prep on Sunday. Include whole grains, proteins like legumes, roasted chicken, or canned salmon; and chopped veggies, like cherry tomatoes, bell peppers, and cucumber. The combinations are endless, which can keep the midday meal more exciting and give active bodies more of the nutrition they need to perform at a higher level.

Mistake #2: Skipping lunch altogether

Forgoing your mid-day meal shuts down your body's metabolism and usually results in eating larger meals later in the day, explains Krista Austin, Ph.D., C.S.C.S., a performance and nutrition coach based in San Diego, California. “The metabolism works best when its fire is kept steadily burning throughout the day.”

The fix: Eat at the rate you burn. A 135-pound athlete who is five-foot-five, for example, would have a resting metabolic rate of about 1,608 calories, explains Austin. To account for activities such as walking, breathing, and commuting, you multiply that number by 1.3 to land on a daily number of calories (in this case 2,090 calories). “If we eat five times a day, about every three hours, we would need to eat about 418 calories at lunch to eat at the rate we burn,” she says. Add in exercise and you’ll need to plan not only for lunch but pre- and post-workout snacks, too.

Mistake #3: Skimping on protein

Protein is the most satiating macronutrient. It will hold you over more effectively than carbs every time, preventing snacking and keeping calories in check. Protein also helps to boost metabolism and build and preserve precious lean mass, which keeps strength from deteriorating.

The fix: Incorporate one to two palm-sized portions of a protein-rich food such as chicken, fish, eggs, cottage cheese, or beans and legumes in your lunch. This will help you eat less while minimizing hunger, build muscle, and burn fat.

Mistake #4: Eating the same thing every day

Often, we get disinterested in food if we eat it over and over again. Giving yourself variety keeps you more interested and committed to reaching your goals. Plus, we usually enjoy our food more this way.

The fix: Come up with 10 to 15 on-the-go lunches to cycle through, then prep for your chosen options over the weekend, suggests Austin. This will help you from falling back on a go-to that can grow stale and also expose you to different ingredients, which means you'll be getting more varied nutrients.

Mistake #5: Distracted eating

Studies show that people who eat while doing something else are more likely to overeat later on. When you eat with your mind elsewhere, you don’t register the meal the same way; You miss out on noticing satiety cues, so you just end up hungry again sooner.

The fix: Focus on your meals instead of your computer or phone. Eat lunch outside and take time to focus on your surroundings. This helps your brain connect with the food you’re eating, which could prevent overeating later. Eating more slowly than you think you should has also been shown to help you be mindful of how full you actually are.

Review these five mistakes and tackle the ones that affect you – This will make your afternoon practices or meetings much more productive

Problem Focused or Solution Focused? Your Choice

Success leaves clues and one of the often neglected areas in performance is mental training. Coaches may call it mental toughness, others may call it mental awareness, and even others call it Emotional Intelligence or EQ. Regardless mental training is a skill like striking a soccer ball, hitting a fastball, or maximizing your sprint technique – the more you practice the better you get. If is often confusing to me how we spend so much time on skill development and so little time on the mental side of training.

Don’t get me wrong, skill trumps most things in athletic endeavors and job performance but the intangibles of our self-image and whether we see problems or solutions often is what separates the good from great. In the previous article we discussed self-image being like a thermostat and you would gravitate to what expectations you set for yourself.

Another component of mental toughness is understanding whether you tend to be problem focused or solution focused. Jason Selk, a former sports psychologist for the St. Louis Cardinals, states “Talking about your problems will lead to more problems, not solutions. If you want solutions, start thinking and talking about your solutions”.

The number one reason mental toughness is so difficult is the tendency to become problem-centric thoughts (PCT). PCT is the exact opposite of Relentless Solution Focused (RSF). RSF is rare as most people are PCTs. It is more natural to think and focus on mistakes, the past, barriers, and what we don’t have instead of what we do have. It’s easier to think about problems such as not having enough money, success, not fast enough, strong enough, etc., than to acknowledge good fortune and abundance.

What does it really mean to be solution focused? Being solution focused means keeping your thoughts centered on what you want from life and what it takes to achieve what you want, as opposed to allowing thoughts of self-doubt and concern to occupy the mind. The difference between a solution focus and a relentless solution focus is how often you commit to replacing negative thinking with solutions.

Many sports psychologists feel that most people achieve solution-focused thoughts about 40% of the time. Individuals with a relentless solution focus replace 100% of undesirable thinking with thoughts emphasizing solutions.

Got a challenge in your life, on the field, in the classroom? ALWAYS have a solution on the board. Ask yourself “What is the one thing I can do that could make this better?” One thing! Not 72 or 483. Just one thing!

Don’t allow yourself to say “I don’t know what to do”. Come up with an answer to that question. It doesn’t have to be perfect – just one thing that moves you in the right direction.

Two Different Mindsets – Which One Do You Have and Which One Do Successful People Have? Part 3 of 3

So far we have talked about the two different mindsets (fixed and growth) and how they affect confidence. The big question is can the fixed mindset change. Let’s take a look.

Can Mindsets Be Changed?

Can a growth mindset be taught and will people reap benefits from learning it? In four studies two from Blackwell (2005, 2007) and two from Aronson and Good and their colleagues (2002,2003) workshops were developed to teach a growth mindset. In these workshops, students (from junior high through college, depending on the study) learned that the brain was a dynamic, flexible organ and that every time they learned something new their brain formed new connections. Over time, these proliferating connections would make them smarter. Students were also shown how this idea could be applied to their schoolwork. These interventions were relatively modest, but had rather immediate and striking effects.

In every one of these studies, students who learned the growth mindset of intelligence showed significant gains in grades and/or achievement test scores. In some studies, these gains were made relative to control groups that were also given noteworthy interventions, such as an intervention involving training in study skills.

In one of our studies (Blackwell, et al, 2007), teachers singled out the students who had been in the growth intervention and noted clear changes in their motivation (even though these teachers were blind to the intervention condition their students were in). Here are some of the things they said:

“L., who never puts in any extra effort and often doesn’t turn in homework on time, actually stayed up late working for hours to finish an assignment early so I could review it and give him a chance to revise it. He earned a B+ on the assignment (he had been getting C’s and lower).”

“M. was far below grade level. During the past several weeks, she has voluntarily asked for extra help from me during her lunch period in order to improve her test-taking performance. Her grades drastically improved from failing to an 84 on the most recent exam.”

“Several students have voluntarily participated in peer tutoring sessions during their lunch periods or after school. Students such as N., and S. were passing when they requested the extra help and were motivated by the prospect of sheer improvement.”

It would be fascinating to see how a growth mindset intervention works in the domain of sport— to see the impact that it has on the desire to practice, the enjoyment of sport, and the ability to cope effectively with setbacks, especially for those who have been turned off the joy of sport.

It would also be fascinating to look at the impact of such interventions on elite athletes as well. It could help “naturals” to develop the attitudes and habits that would allow them to fulfill their potential, instead of going the way of Billy Beane the baseball player.

Finally, it would be fascinating to see what a growth mindset intervention does for teamwork. Instead of each player vying to be the most talented star—always trying to look better than his or her teammates–would a growth mindset foster a more cooperative, learning-together environment?

Conclusion

Without denying the importance of that thing called “talent,” an athlete’s mindset—can be equally important. One mindset, built around a belief in fixed traits can limit athletes’ ability to fulfill their potential. It can do this by making them value looking good, being “the star,” and staying in their comfort zone over stretching themselves to learn new things. It can do this by making them feel that naturals should not have to work as hard as others to shine. And it can do this by fostering defensive strategies – a desire to hide mistakes or make excuses—instead of confronting the mistakes or deficiencies.

To the contrary, growth mindset is built around the belief in expandable skills, can foster athletes’ ability to fulfill their potential by making them value learning, by making confidence (in improvement) easier to maintain, and by fostering effective strategies and sustained effort in the face of difficulty.

In a Stanford University study, athletes who believed that athletic success was due more to practice and hard work and less to natural ability had more success the next season. The study also found that athletes who thought that their coaches believed in practice and hard work more than natural ability had more success. In fact, many are finding more and more that people absorb the mindset that is prevalent in their organization. This means that coaches must themselves adopt a growth mindset and send messages to their athletes that they believe in improvement and that they value the practices that lead to it.

I hope this 3-part series was of value to you and your athletes. I hope you continue to work on your growth mindset and share this with others. Let us know if we can help.

Two Different Mindsets – Which One Do You Have and Which One Do Successful People Have? Part 2 of 3

Last week we discussed the two different mindsets (fixed and growth) and how having either one affects your learning and achieving your goals. This week we will discuss how the different mindsets will affect when coping with setbacks and your confidence for challenging activities.

Mindsets and Coping with Setbacks

It will come as no surprise that the mindsets lead to different ways of coping with difficulty. Because in the fixed mindset, setbacks are seen as indicating a lack of ability, this mindset often leaves people few good ways of reacting to setbacks. In one study (Blackwell, et al, 2005), we found that those with a fixed mindset were more likely to say that if they did poorly on a test— even if it were in a new course and one they liked a lot—they would study less in the future and would seriously consider cheating. This is how people cope when they think setbacks mean they lack permanent ability. In contrast, those students with a growth mindset said they would study more or study differently. They planned to take charge of the situation and work to overcome the setback.

When the going gets rough, people in the growth framework not only take charge of improving their skills, they take charge of their motivation as well (Grant, 2004). Despite setbacks—or even because of them—they find ways to keep themselves committed and interested. Instead, students with a fixed framework lose interest as they lose confidence. As the difficulty mounts, their commitment and enjoyment go down. Since all important endeavors involve setbacks sooner or later (more likely, sooner and later), it is a serious liability to lose interest and enjoyment just when you need greater effort.

Putting it all together, this means that a fixed mindset leads people to value looking good over learning, to disdain and to fear effort, and to abandon effective strategies just when they need them most. A growth mindset, on the other hand, leads people to seek challenges and learning, to value effort, and to persist effectively in the face of obstacles.

Billy Beane, over time, actually came to recognize that these growth-mindset ingredients– the ability to see setbacks as a natural part of learning, the ability to improve through effort, and the ability to sustain enjoyment and commitment– were keys to success in the sports world (Lewis, 2003). With this knowledge, as general manager of the Oakland Athletics, he led his team to several seasons of almost record-breaking wins on nearly the lowest budget in baseball.

Naturals Revisited

But aren’t they’re people who are true naturals? Michael Jordan? Babe Ruth? Wasn’t Babe Ruth this out-of-shape guy who dragged his paunch to the plate and belted out his home runs? An examination of almost any of the greats will reveal people who practiced like fiends and honed their skills over many years. The story of Babe Ruth’s development as a home-run king is interesting (Creamer, 1974/1983). Ty Cobb argued that it was Ruth’s career as a pitcher that helped him become a great hitter. No one expected a pitcher to hit well, so Ruth could experiment with his big swing, seeing what worked and what didn’t. When it didn’t work, nobody cared. After all, he was the pitcher. Over time, he learned more and more about how to control his swing, so that when he became an outfielder, he was ready to hit.

Take any “natural” you can name—Jackie Joyner-Kersee, Mia Hamm, Muhammad Ali—and if you just look more closely, you can see the discipline, perseverance, and commitment that went into their success. Sure, they had talent, but they also had the right mindset.

Mindsets and Confidence

Isn’t motivation just a matter of confidence? To some extent, yes, but one of the most fascinating findings in research is the fact that within the growth framework, with its focus on growth, it is far easier to sustain your confidence (see Blackwell, et al, 2005). In the fixed framework, with its focus on proving your ability, a poor performance casts doubt on your deep-seated ability and can undermine your confidence. Someone else’s good performance can undermine your confidence (“Maybe they have more talent than I do.”) (Butler, 2000). Even needing effort and practice can undermine your confidence–so it’s a constant battle to stay confident in the face of inevitable challenge.

However, in the growth framework, making mistakes or even having clear deficits doesn’t mean you aren’t or won’t be good at something. It’s simply an occasion for learning. Moreover, you don’t need a wagon-load of confidence to embark on learning. You just need to believe in improvement over time.

Athletes can have a confidence problem. Coaches tell you to believe in yourself 100%–never to doubt yourself—but it can be difficult. Any time he or she posts a disappointing time, commits a turnover, or strikes out they can fall into self-doubt. However, thinking of things in a growth framework—where setbacks are just information about what they need to do in the future—can allow them to keep things in perspective and maintain confidence in those very same situations. The setbacks simply meant: Get back to work.

The Idea of Potential

Many of the scouts in the sports world scouted for naturals, for people who looked like superstars, that is, were shaped like superstars and moved like superstars (Lewis, 2003). If they didn’t look the part, they weren’t recruited. Yet Ben Hogan, one of the greatest golfers of all time did not have the grace of a natural golfer. Muhammad Ali actually did not have the build of the natural boxer. He did not have a champion’s fists, reach, chest expansion, and heft. People gave him no chance against Sonny Liston, who seemed to have it all (Dennis & Atyeo, 2003). Muggsy Bogues at 5’3” or the little quarterback Doug Flutie—anyone could look at them and tell you they were not naturals and people doubted they had the potential to make it.

Within a fixed mindset, potential is easy to judge. You just look at the person’s gifts right now and project them into the future. Talented now equals talented in the future. Not talented now equals not talented in the future. Boy, that was easy!

Yet within a growth framework, potential is hard to judge. Sure “natural talent” buys you a lot, and if you’re accomplished now, you’ve got a leg up on others. But after that you cannot know where someone might end up with years of passion, discipline, and commitment—and good instruction.

This provides exciting support for the view that passion and excellence in sport are guided by people’s mindsets about their sports abilities.

Where Do Mindsets Come From?

Many times mindsets are fostered by the kind of feedback students get from the people who evaluate them: their parents, their teachers, and presumably their coaches. Specifically, the mindsets are fostered by a focus on the person (e.g.,talent or ability) as opposed to a focus on the process (e.g., effort, learning) (Dweck & Lennon, 2001; Kamins & Dweck, 1999;).

First, we have found that when adults evaluate students on their abilites—even if the evaluation is positive–it puts students into a fixed mindset (Kamins & Dweck, 1999; Mueller & Dweck, 1998). For example, in one set of studies (Mueller & Dweck, 1998), students were given some problems to solve from a nonverbal IQ test and then, in one condition, lauded their performance and praised them for their intelligence. These students 

• now favored a fixed mindset of intelligence (compared to a group that was praised for their effort) 

• when asked about the task they would like to work on next, rejected an opportunity to learn in favor of a chance to look smart again 

• lost interest and performed poorly after the tasks became harder

However, students who were praised for the process they engaged in—in this case, their effort: 

• now expressed a more growth mindset of intelligence 

• overwhelmingly went for the task that would give them a chance to learn 

• maintained their interest and their performance even after the task became harder

It would be fascinating to look at this with coaches too. The illustrious John Wooden, who coached the UCLA basketball team to 10 NCAA championships, constantly focused on his players’ learning and improvement (Wooden, 1972, 1997). Although he recognized that some players had more talent than others, he was committed to developing each player’s ability to the fullest. By focusing on process and learning, Wooden seemed to inspire his players with a belief in their own development—a belief that paid good dividends.

In part 3 we will talk about if mindsets can be changed… guess what??..... they can!!!

Two Different Mindsets – Which One Do You Have and Which One Do Successful People Have? - Part 1 of 3

There are things that distinguish great athlete s and champions—from others. Most of the sports world thinks it’s their talent, but I will argue that it’s their mindset. This idea is brought to life by the story of Billy Beane, told so well by Michael Lewis in the book and then movie Moneyball (starring Brad Pitt). When Beane was in high school, he was in fact a huge talent–what they call a “natural” or in baseball a 5 tool player. He also was the star of the basketball team and the football team–and he was all of these things without much effort. People thought he was the new Babe Ruth. He went on to be second overall pick in the Major League Draft right out of high school.

However, as soon as anything went wrong or he experienced difficulty, Beane lost it. He didn’t know how to learn from his mistakes, nor did he know how to practice to improve. Why? Because naturals shouldn’t make mistakes or need practice, at least that is what Beane thought . When Beane moved up to baseball’s major leagues, things got progressively worse. Every at-bat was a do-or-die situation and with every out he fell apart yet again. If you’re a natural, you believe that you shouldn’t have deficiencies, so you can’t face them and you can’t coach or practice them away.

Where did Beane’s contempt for learning and his inability to function in the face of setback come from? With avid practice and the right coaching he could have been one of the greats. Why didn’t he seek that? Let’s discuss how his behavior comes right out of his mindset.

Mindsets

Psychologist James Dweck discusses two mindsets about the ability that people may hold (Dweck, 1999; Dweck, 2006; Dweck & Leggett, 1988). Some hold a fixed mindset, in which they see abilities as fixed traits. In this view, talents are gifts—you either have them or you don’t. Other people, in contrast, hold a growth mindset of ability. They believe that people can cultivate their abilities. In other words, they view talents as something that can be developed through practice. It’s not that people holding this mindset deny differences among people. They don’t deny that some people may be better or faster than others at acquiring certain skills, but what they focus on is the idea that everyone can improve over time.

Common Questions about Mindsets

Do people hold the same mindsets with respect to different traits? Not necessarily. People can hold one mindset about intelligence and another about sports ability. Whichever mindset they hold about athletic ability will guide their choices and their motivation in sports.

Are people’s mindsets related to their level of ability in the area? No, at least not at first. People with all levels of ability can hold either mindset, but over time those with the growth mindset appear to gain an advantage (Aronson, Fried, & Good, 2002; Blackwell, Trzesniewski , & Dweck, 2006; Good, Aronson, & Inzlicht, 2003; Robins & Pals, 2002).

Are mindsets fixed or can they be changed? Mindsets are fairly stable beliefs, but they are beliefs, and beliefs can be changed. In part 2 we will discuss interventions that altered students’ mindsets and had a real effect on their motivation and performance.

Mindsets and Goals

Research shows that people’s mindsets set up completely different motivations (Molden & Dweck, 2006). The fixed mindset, in which you have only a certain amount of a valued talent or ability, leads people to want to look good at all times. You need to prove that you are talented and not do anything to contradict that impression, so people in a fixed mindset try to highlight their proficiencies and hide their deficiencies (Rhodewalt, 1994). In fact, they will often reject valuable learning opportunities if these opportunities hold the risk of unmasking their shortcomings (Dweck & Leggett, 1988; Hong, Chiu, Dweck, Lin, & Wan, 1999; Mueller & Dweck, 1998).

Doesn’t everyone have shortcomings? Isn’t that what learning is for—to overcome them? Of course, however, this mindset does not give people the leeway to expose and remedy their weaknesses because any weakness can indicate a permanent lack of ability.

In contrast, the growth mindset, in which you can develop your ability, leads people to want to do just that. It leads them to put a premium on learning. One study (Wan 1999) recruited entering students at the University of Hong Kong, an elite university where everything—classes, textbooks, term papers, exams—is in English. But not all incoming students are proficient in English. Surely they would be eager to improve their English skills. To find out, we told them that the Faculty was thinking of offering a remedial English course and asked them how likely they were to take it if it were offered. Students with a growth mindset about intelligence were eager for this course. It could help them master the very skills they needed. However, students with a fixed mindset were not enthusiastic. Because they did not want to expose their deficiency, they were willing to put their whole college career in jeopardy.

In another study (Mueller & Dweck, 1998), students in a fixed mindset lied about their deficiencies. Students performed some very challenging sets of problems and then were asked to write about their experiences to students in another school—students they would never meet. There was a place on the sheet where they were asked to report their scores.

Almost 40% of the students in the fixed mindset, perhaps feeling that their poor scores were a reflection of their permanent ability, lied about their scores. Only 13% of those in the growth mindset saw fit to falsify their performance. Like Billy Beane, those in the fixed mindset didn’t think they should make mistakes!

In a 2004 study (Dweck, Mangels, & Good), researchers examined the brain to assess the impact of mindsets on people’s attention to ability-relevant information or to learning-relevant information Here, college students came to the EEG lab, where an electrode cap was placed on their heads and recordings were made from the parts of the brain that reflected attentional processes as they performed a highly difficult task. Each time they answered a question on the task, they were told whether their answer was correct or incorrect, and then a little later were told the correct answer. What did they pay attention to?

The students who held a fixed mindset about intelligence paid attention only to whether their answer was right. Once they knew this, they had little further interest in learning what the right answer was. Thus, their interest in being right took strong precedence over their interest in learning, and we later showed that this significantly hurt their subsequent performance.

Students who held a growth mindset about intelligence paid close attention to the both kinds of information. They paid attention to whether their answer was right or wrong and they paid attention to what the right answer was. As a result, they did substantially better than students with the fixed mindset on a later test.

It’s clear that both things—wanting to do well and wanting to learn– are important in a sports setting. It’s important to validate your abilities through high quality performance in a competitive setting, and it’s also important to grow your skills over time. The problem with a fixed mindset is twofold. One is that any lapse in performance is a threat to people’s sense of their underlying ability and hence their sense of their future. And the second is that this great concern with ability tends to drive out learning, often when they are most needed. It’s hard to see how people can thrive in the world of sports if they don’t have strong desire to address their weaknesses and learn.

Mindsets and Effort

As we have seen, people in the fixed mindset feel measured by setbacks and mistakes. They also feel measured by the very fact of exerting effort. They believe, like Billy Beane, that if you have true ability, you shouldn’t need a lot of effort (Blackwell, et al., 2005). Yet, there is no important endeavor in life—certainly not in the sports world—that can be accomplished and maintained without intense and sustained effort. However, in this mindset, it’s a sign that you are lacking talent or ability.

This is serious because many young athletes who have a great deal of early ability can coast along for some time, outshining their peers. They may even come to equate athletic ability with the ability to outperform others without engaging in much practice or training. At some point, however, natural ability may not be enough, and others may begin to pass them by. Whether they can now learn to put in that needed effort is critical to their future success. Many do not.

In contrast, people in the growth mindset understand that effort is the way that ability is brought to life and allowed to reach fruition. Far from indicating a lack of talent, they believe that even geniuses need great effort to fulfill their promise. People with a growth mindset not only believe in the power of effort, they hold effort as a value. Ian Thorpe, the illustrious Australian swimmer, feels that as long as he’s tried his best, he’s been victorious. “For myself, losing is not coming second. It’s getting out of the water and knowing you could have done better. For myself, I have won every race I’ve ever been in.”

Four Foods that Decrease Your RecoveryAre You Eating Any of These?

Do you eat these harmful foods that hurt your recovery? Some are even deceptively marketed to you as "healthy" by giant food corporations.

Due to biochemical reactions in your body that occur with every type of food you eat on a daily basis, some foods hurt recovery and some foods help recovery.

Eat the wrong foods regularly, and you won’t get the edge that proper nutrition can give you but eat the right foods, and over time, you can start getting the edge over your opponents because you will be able to train harder and longer.

Three of the processes that go on inside your body that have a MAJOR impact on your rate of recovery are called "glycation", "inflammation", and "oxidation". When we talk about recovery, we are talking about factors that you can't see, such as how well your organs function, and whether your joints are degrading.

Food #1 that decreases your recovery: Wheat (yes, even "whole wheat")

Before we tell you why wheat can actually slow down the recovery process in your body, let's clarify some simple biochemistry in your body...

This deals with "glycation" in your body which is a process that takes the food you eat and breaks them down to molecules your body will use. The wrong type of food breaks down to substances called Advanced Glycation End Products (AGEs). These nasty little compounds called AGEs reduces the recovery process in your body and damages over time your organs and your joints.

So, let's get back to how "whole wheat" relates to this...

Here is a little-known fact that's often covered up by the massive marketing campaigns by giant food companies that want you to believe that "whole wheat" is healthy for you... but the fact is that wheat contains a very unique type of carbohydrate (not found in other foods) called Amylopectin-A, which has been found in some tests to spike your blood sugar higher than even pure table sugar. The better you control your blood sugar levels they better your energy levels are (ask a type 1 or type 2 diabetic)

In fact, amylopectin-A (from wheat) raises your blood sugar more than almost any other carbohydrate source on earth based on blood sugar response testing.

This means that wheat-based foods such as breads, bagels, cereals, muffins, and other baked goods often cause much higher blood sugar levels than most other carbohydrate sources. As you know now, the higher your average blood sugar levels are over time, the more AGEs are formed inside your body, which makes your recovery more difficult. Now let’s be clear – we are not saying to never eat these but understand that you eat these foods two to three times a day you are hurting your chances to maximize your performance from sports nutrition.

You've probably heard about the potential health-damaging effects of gluten (also found in wheat) in the news recently, but this blood sugar aspect we just covered is not talked about that often, and is yet another reason to reduce or eliminate wheat-based foods in your diet. Your body will thank you by aging slower and looking YOUNGER!

Food #2 that decreases your recovery: Corn-based foods -- corn syrup, corn cereal, corn chips, corn oil

This is quite a variety of stuff that you might eat every day... we're talking corn chips, corn cereals, corn oil, and also the biggest health-damaging villain that gets most of the media attention, high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS).

We already talked in detail in the last section about wheat regarding the blood sugar process and it's relation to recovery reducing formation of nasty "AGEs" in your body. Well, corn-based starchy foods such as corn cereals, corn chips, etc also have a big impact on blood sugar levels and therefore can increase AGEs in your body and accelerate aging and hurt recovery from your training efforts.

But here's another nail in the coffin for corn... it turns out that scientists have found out that the fructose in HFCS causes 10x more formation of AGEs in your body than glucose! Yes, that's right... that means the HFCS you consume daily in sweetened drinks, and most other processed foods (yes, even salad dressings and ketchup) contribute to decreased recovery in your body... as if you needed yet another reason to avoid or minimize HFCS!

We're not done yet with corn... it gets even worse...

Another major issue with corn-based foods and corn oils is that these foods contribute excessive amounts of omega-6 fatty acids to your diet, which causes an imbalance in your omega-3 to omega-6 ratio and leads to inflammation and oxidation within your body.

Once again... another example of corn-based foods hurting your recovery. Our advice: Avoid or reduce corn-based foods like corn chips and corn cereal as much as possible. These aren't as bad as wheat in relation to blood sugar, and they don't contain gut-damaging gluten like wheat does, but they are still bad for you. When it comes to corn syrup or corn oil, avoid as much as you can if you want to stay lean. We often say in the clinic that you should treat corn as a grain not a vegetable and we want you to reduce your grains! In other words if corn isn’t on the cob… Don’t Eat It!!

Food #3 that decreases your recovery: Sugar, sugary foods, certain starchy foods

Again, we get back to the relationship between your average blood sugar levels and blood sugar spikes over time, and how that can increase those recovery limiting compounds.

Sugar is an obvious one to avoid. You've heard how bad it is for you 1000 times before for many other reasons, including your waistline and developing type 2 diabetes. But now you also understand the anti-recovery effect of sugar.

Instead of sugar, consider using a natural non-caloric sweetener like Stevia in your daily coffee, tea, in baking, or other sweetening needs. This dramatically helps you control your blood sugar response and thereby help slow aging. So this also means to think twice about sugary desserts, sugary cereals, candy, and other sweets. One trick to satisfy your sweet tooth is to only have 1-2 squares of dark chocolate after dinner instead of a normal full dessert that most people choose. You only get about 2 grams of sugar in 1-2 squares of dark chocolate as opposed to 40-80 grams of age-accelerating sugar in a typical cake, ice cream, or brownie type of dessert.

Keep in mind that some starchy foods like white rice, oatmeal, and white potatoes can also have significant impacts on your blood sugar and thereby can increase formation of AGEs in your body. These foods are best kept in smaller portions if you decide to eat them, and balanced with healthy fats and protein to slow the blood sugar response.

Food #4 that decrease your recovery: Soybean oil, canola oil, or other "vegetable oils"

We know these have been marketed to you over the years by giant food companies as "healthy", but if you understand a little biochemistry about how these highly-processed oils react inside your body, you would quickly see how false that is.

First, anything labeled soybean oil, canola oil, corn oil, vegetable oil, or cottonseed oil (these are in a LOT of processed foods you probably eat) most times have undergone a refining process under extremely high heat and use of chemical solvents such as hexane.

This leaves you with an oil where the polyunsaturated fats have undergone a lot of oxidation and are therefore VERY inflammatory inside your body, producing free radicals, damaging your cell membranes, contributing to faster aging, heart disease, and other possible health problems.

If you want to avoid the health-damaging effects of soybean, canola, corn and other "vegetable oils", make sure to avoid them as much as you can, and instead opt for truly healthy oils and fats such as extra-virgin olive oil, avocado oil, or virgin coconut oil.

Pay attention to these four foods and I guarantee your training level will increase!!!

How’s Your Self Image? Check Your Thermostat!

Mental toughness is a skill like striking a soccer ball, hitting a fastball, or maximizing your sprint technique –the more you practice the better you get. It is often confusing to me how we spend so much time on skill development and so little time on the mental side of training.

Don’t get me wrong, skill trumps most things in athletic endeavors and job performance, but the intangibles of our self-image and whether we see problems or solutions is often what separates the good from the great.

Let’s look at self-image for a moment. Self-image governs how successful any individual becomes because it motivates and shapes our work efforts – notice I said effort! Think of self -image like a thermostat. If you set the thermostat at 72 degrees and the room temperature drops to 70 degrees, the thermostat sends a message to the heater to warm the room. If the room temperature gets warmer than 72 degrees, the thermostat sends a signal to the heater to turn off. All day the thermostat is working to keep the room temperature the same.

We are the same way…… we can neither out-perform nor underperform our thermostat (self- image) for long. This is why it is so important to set our self-image, our personal thermostat, high enough to achieve our life goals. Set your self-image too low and by definition, you will underachieve because your mind won’t call for the motivation to achieve more.

Self-image is viewing yourself to assess what strengths and weaknesses you believe you possess and what you believe you are capable of achieving. Henry Ford said it best… “Whether you think you can or think you can’t, you’re right”.

So the question to ask is how is your self-image? When you talk to yourself, are you consistently telling yourself you’ve got what it takes to achieve your potential, or are you dwelling on your mistakes? Are you problem focused or solution focused? It is easier to think about the problems than about the good fortune and abundance we have. Dr. Daniel Amen, a physician who specializes in brain health, describes this as having “ANTs” in our head. These are Automatic Negative Thoughts, and we have to work hard to re-focus so they don’t deteriorate our self-image.

We all need to create the vision for our self-image. Take 30 seconds every day to visualize who you want to be and how you want your life to turn out. This simple step… this simple action…. this simple effort (there’s that word again) will dramatically increase the likelihood of achieving your potential.

In the next article we will talk more about being solution focused vs. problem focused and how this affects our everyday performance.

Ten Tips for Better Sports Nutrition and Recovery

When you eat properly, you have more energy, sleep better, enhance your recovery after practices and games, and improve your overall performance. Many athletes think proper nutrition is complicated. This is not the case. Keep these 10 simple principles in mind as you plan your day and what you are going to eat. If you get confused – refer to the second page of this article.

1. Come back to earth. Choose the least processed foods, such as fruits, veggies, whole grains, and high fiber carbohydrates.

2. Eat a rainbow of colors. Eat fruits or vegetables with each meal. Choose a wide variety of colors to get a lot of nutrients.

3. The fewer legs, the better. Eat a lean protein source with each meal, but favor chicken, turkey or fish over beef, pork or lamb.

4. Eat healthy fats. Don’t shy away from healthy fat options, like olive oil, nuts, natural nut butters, seeds, avocado, fish, flaxseed and flaxseed oil.

5. Eat breakfast every day. When you eat within 30 minutes of waking up, you jump-start your metabolism and give yourself the energy you need for the day ahead.

6. Three for three. Eat smaller portions more often, spread evenly throughout the day—no excuses. Eat four to six small meals each day and aim for a balance of carbs, protein and fat with each one.

7. Stay hydrated. Dehydration equals decreased performance. Drink at least three liters of non-caloric beverages (water/green tea) every day.

8. Don’t waste your workouts. You need energy for training and the proper nutrients to recover, or you won’t make gains in the weight room. Think of this process in three stages—pre-, during and postactivity. Eat some carbohydrate-rich foods before, water and/or carbohydrate during, and protein with carbohydrate within 30 minutes after.

9. Supplement wisely. Fuel with real foods first and supplement second. We are big believers in adding a multi-vitamin and fish oil supplement to your diet. If you are a female athlete you may benefit from a Vitamin D supplement as well but know your levels first. Create a smart supplementation program that improves your performance without compromising your health or draining your wallet.

10. Sleep. Aim for eight hours of sleep each night. If you can’t consistently get 8, take power naps when you can. The body recovers and repairs best when it is sleeping. '

And finish off with:

The 80/20 Rule. Each meal and snack is an opportunity to fuel your body. Choose foods that are best for you 80 percent of the time. Eat some foods that may not be the best, but are your favorites, 20 percent of the time!

3 Common Traits in Elite Athletes and How to Perform in the Clutch

Some incredible athletes are just born with unsurpassed talent. But many more have to will themselves to greatness. In 22+ years of working with athletes and studying many more they have these common traits.

1. Passion

Everybody likes being “good” at something, but truly great athletes often have an unquenchable, almost maniacal, thirst to see just how good they can become. This passion translates into a willingness and desire for hard work. For example, the best race car driver of all time, Dale Earnhardt, once crashed and could not finish his next race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Despite the risk to his life, race officials had to remove him from his car. He later said, "Nobody loves anything more than me driving a race car." After years of success, Earnhardt eventually died in another crash on the track. He was so passionate about his sport that he was willing to die for it.

2. Competitiveness

While you and I might enjoy a friendly competition every now and again, top-caliber athletes seem to constantly seek situations where they can test their skills. Their competitiveness stems from more than just the desire to beat others; they get a rush from testing themselves under pressure. I often witness athletes go all-out to win games far outside of their sport—checkers, darts, even a table tennis or bowling competition. This mentality can make winning seem less like a thrill and more like redemption. Both Jimmy Connors and Michael Phelps once said, “I hate to lose more than I love to win.” Men and women like these fear losing, but do not succumb to that fear. Instead, they have an inner confidence and trust in their abilities so that they can continually compete.

3. “Another Gear”

Sports announcers often say that certain players can change speeds. For example, Emmitt Smith the former running back of the Dallas Cowboys holds the NFL record for career rushing yards, although few would say he was the best ball carrier of all time. He certainly wasn’t the fastest. But what he had was the ability to hit the gap hard and, when the field opened up, to come alive as he turned it downfield. He had another gear.

When opportunity presented itself, Smith knew how to make the most of it. He and other top athletes seem to muster up performances beyond their on-paper abilities, allowing them to finish stronger than the rest.

These three traits help the athlete’s confidence and also places them in the right mindset to perform in the clutch. Clutch players in sports are those who seem to play their best when the game is on the line—a.k.a. "when the lights are on." Players who immediately come to mind include the great Michael Jordan, Tom Brady, Kobe Bryant and Derek Jeter. Of course, these are all Hall of Fame-caliber athletes, but don't let that stop you from aspiring to become a great clutch player.

Great clutch athletes aren't born that way. They focus their training so that they are supremely confident in critical situations. In fact, confidence might be the single most important aspect of playing well under pressure. Confident athletes "play to win." They eagerly look to the next play and quickly forget the last bad one. Without confidence, athletes are susceptible to poor focus, high anxiety, and poor resiliency— which of course result in poor athletic performance.

So how do you play your best when the lights are on? The following tips are designed to help:

1. Keep in mind that confidence is king when it comes to athletic success. So you need to do things that improve your confidence, including setting (and tracking) your goals; soliciting feedback from coaches about what you are doing well; keeping a journal with your daily accomplishments and successes; and using healthy self-talk to keep your attitude positive. Learn how to boost your confidence. Examine the following three tips to help increase your confidence

Tip #1: Draw a line down the middle of a sheet of paper. At the top of the left column, write, "Situations in my sport in which I am most confident," and on the right side, "situations in my sport in which I am least confident." Write at least three situations in each column to help you visualize.

Tip #2: Begin to pay closer attention to your own tactical strengths and weaknesses. Write down three examples of each. For each game or match, write down the major weakness of your opponent to keep it fresh in your mind.

Tip #3: Pay close attention to your coach's words of praise. Write them down and repeat them to yourself. Commit them to memory, so that when you are in a pressure situation, they will automatically come to mind.

2. Develop a pre-game routine that allows you to prepare your mind. When crafting your pre-game routine, frame the competition in a realistic way—remember it's still just a game, no matter how many people are watching or what kind of title is on the line. Your mind and body need to be in sync, so when you leave the locker room, you are secure in the knowledge that you have prepared all season to be successful.

3. Learn from role models. It's never a bad thing to learn as much as you can from legendary sports heroes. Surf the web to find interviews with clutch athletes. What do they do to be successful? What tips can you take away from their experiences?

4. After the game, go back and look for ways to get better. Whether you win or lose, review each game to learn what you did well, and make it a point to do it again in the future. Also, identify any weaknesses and develop new goals and strategies for future improvement.

Playing your best in the clutch is a realistic goal—something you can do with the right mindset. Believe in yourself, read your goals each day and always learn from your mentors and role models.

Coconut Water – An Alternative to Your Sports Drink?

If you're not already drinking coconut water, I wanted to share with you some of its benefits as many are starting to consider this as a potential sports drink. Coconut water is a natural drink that has everything your average sports drink has and more. It has five times more potassium than Gatorade or Powerade. Whenever you get cramps in your muscles, potassium will help you to get rid of the cramps. It's a healthy drink that replenishes the nutrients that your body has lost during a moderate workout.

While coconut water is fine after light exercise, the marathon runners and heavy lifters among us may want to stick with Gatorade or Powerade. Coconut water has relatively low sodium compared to traditional sports drinks, meaning it doesn't measure up in replacing the salt that hardcore athletes lose through sweating through an intense workout. Again, intense exercise is defined by hard exercise longer than one hour.

Still, all the potassium from coconut water could be very beneficial, especially to people that eat a typical unhealthy American diet that's heavy on the salt but light on potassium. It has more potassium than a banana with much less sugar so if you cramp this may be an alternative to try. Coconut water comes from young, often green coconuts - not the mature ones that look like hairy brown bowling balls. The water's the precursor of the coconut's white, spongy meat, which is often processed to make coconut milk or coconut oil.

Coconut water has five electrolytes your body needs:

1. Potassium: The most important positive ion (cation) inside your cells; potassium regulates heartbeat and muscle function; coconut water contains 295 mg, which is 15 times the amount in the average sports drink

2. Sodium: The most important positive ion in fluid outside your cells, and also the one most depleted with exercise, as you lose sodium through sweat and urine

3. Magnesium: important for maintaining the electrical potential of your cells, proper muscle function, and preventing calcium overload

4. Phosphorous: Plays important roles in bone health, but also in transferring energy throughout your body, helping your muscles contract, and regulating nerve function (partners with calcium)

5. Calcium: Important for bone health (partners with phosphorous)

Less than one percent of those who use sports drinks actually benefit from them. Most sports drinks are loaded with things you DON'T want, like refined sugars, artificial colors and chemicals, none of which are in natural coconut water. If you exercise for 30 minutes a day at a moderate to high intensity, fresh, pure water is the best thing to help you stay hydrated. It's only when you've been exercising for longer periods, such as for more than 60 minutes, or in the heat, or at extreme intensity levels, where you are sweating profusely, that you may need something more than water to replenish your body.

Besides plain water, coconut water is one of the best and safest option to rehydrate yourself after a strenuous workout. If you need the electrolytes, it will provide them. If you don't need them, then it certainly won't hurt you. And as you're learning, coconut water has a mountain of other health benefits in addition to rehydration, which commercial sports drink don’t routinely provide. Depending on how much salt you've lost through sweating, you might even add a tiny pinch of salt to your glass of coconut water.

A separate study of 12 male athletes published in January in the Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition found that coconut water had about the same rehydration benefits as sports drinks or pure water after the subjects ran on treadmills for an hour. Of note however, these drinks did have a small amount (a pinch) of salt added

In Summary: If you exercise harder than one hour such as practices and games, stick with your “…ade” drink. If you are a “cramper” then perhaps try coconut water with a pinch of salted added since it has extra potassium. If you exercise less than this, water will do but coconut water is an alternative with additional health benefits.

Got Nine Minutes and Some Time to Stretch – Give this Routine a Try

Exercise is a key factor of optimal health; it's particularly important for controlling your blood sugar and normalizing your insulin levels. We often recommend viewing exercise as a drug that needs to be properly prescribed and "taken" at a proper dosage.

When done correctly, exercise can often times act as a substitute for some of the most common drugs used today for things like diabetes, heart disease and depression. Of course, we are not saying come off any medication unless you have consulted your physician but exercise is being prescribed more and more as a first line of defense against these afflictions.

There are many versions of High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT), but the core premise involves maximum exertion followed by a quick rest period for a set of intervals.

A recent article in the American College of Sports Medicine’s Health & Fitness Journal1 shows how you can fulfill the requirements for a high intensity exercise using nothing more than your own body weight, a chair, and a wall.

Best of all, this science-backed routine only requires a nine-minute investment, as the program calls for as little as 10- to 15-seconds of rest between each 30-second exercise, which should be performed in rapid succession.

As reported by the New York Times:

“'There’s very good evidence that high-intensity interval training provides “many of the fitness benefits of prolonged endurance training but in much less time,' says Chris Jordan, the director of exercise physiology at the Human Performance Institute in Orlando, Fla., and co-author of the new article.”

The health benefits of high intensity interval training are well-established at this point, and include:

One of the added benefits of this 7-minute program is that since you don’t need any equipment, you can easily take this routine with you when traveling. You’d be hard pressed to find a hotel room that doesn’t at least have a chair in it. When done at the appropriate intensity, which should hover around 8 on a scale of 1- 10, the following 12 exercises, which are outlined in the report, equate to doing a long run and a weight training session.

The exercises are ideally done in the following order, as this allows for opposing muscle groups to alternate between resting and working in each subsequent exercise.

Consult your physical therapist before starting so they can modify any of these to better fit your body but we will be talking more about HIIT programs as I believe this and stretching is a better way for people to exercise (especially the ones with very limited schedules or don’t like to exercise).

What Can MJ Teach about Mindset: How Do You Measure Up?

You may have your opinion about Michael Jordan as an NBA owner but many will concede that Michael Jordan is the greatest basketball player of all-time. In fact, he's arguably one of the greatest athletes of all-time. For over a decade, he was the face of the NBA.

And then he made THE decision: a career change. How could a man, at the pinnacle of his success, walk away from success? Not only did he walk away, but he did the unthinkable. He risked his athletic prowess by trying to play baseball, a sport he hadn't played since he was a teenager, knowing that millions of people will be watching his every swing, his every throw, and his every pop fly.

Was it ego? Was it boredom? No. It was psychological. It was the mindset he had since he was in high school; a mindset that was burned in his soul after being cut from his basketball team.

To understand why he risked everything, let's take a peek into the mindset of Michael Jordan, the competitor: Here are some of the quotes attributed to Michael Jordan when he was playing:

"I can accept failure, everyone fails at something. But I can't accept not trying."

"I've always believed that if you put in the work, the results will come."

"I've missed more than 9000 shots in my career. I've lost almost 300 games. 26 times, I've been trusted to take the game winning shot and missed. I've failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed."

"My attitude is that if you push me towards something that you think is a weakness, then I will turn that perceived weakness into a strength."

"If you're trying to achieve, there will be roadblocks. I've had them; everybody has had them. But obstacles don't have to stop you. If you run into a wall, don't turn around and give up. Figure out how to climb it, go through it, or work around it."

As Carol Dweck, author of Mindset, would say, Michael Jordan is a prime example of the growth mindset. It's the mindset that almost every successful athlete (long-term success) has. It says genetics may determine the starting line, but hard work determines the finish line.

Failure isn't just accepted; it's expected. When you stretch yourself past your current limits, failure is inevitable. It spawns growth. You only reach the top and stay at the top by continually improving. Winning isn't everything. Growing is.

The Result of Hard Work, Not Genetics

Jordan may have become bored with basketball. He may have craved another challenge. However, he wouldn't have risked everything if he honestly didn't believe hard work conquers all. MJ wasn't dumb. He didn't think just because he was successful at basketball that he'd be successful at baseball. He wasn't so egotistical that he thought he couldn't fail at anything. Not at all. What MJ believed is what every person who has the growth mindset believes: hard work conquers all.

Legendary coach John Wooden of UCLA felt the same way. He rarely discussed wins and losses in his pregame speech. Instead he focused on making sure his players were willing to give 100 percent and leave everything on the court.

Coach Wooden stated numerous times that some of his most proud moments were not after winning national championships, but were after losses when his much less talented team gave it their all and still came up short. He knew by focusing on the process, the results would come. 10 national championships later proved his theory.

Mindsets matter. Rarely will a coach discuss psychology. Yet how often do we hear a coach say sport is as much mental as it is physical? What are we doing to practice the physiological component of the sport we play? Are we instilling the growth mindset in our players? Or are we just yelling at them, and blaming them for the losses? If you want to breed success, you better start trying to find out its root cause.

Understanding why MJ switched from basketball to baseball is a good start! How do you measure up?

Foods that Help Your Immune System

You've heard it before: The best offense is good defense.

Nutrition plays a major role in how well your immune system can fight off sniffles, coughs, germs and viruses that come your way. The better you eat, the stronger your immune power. On the other hand, the more nutrient deficiencies you have, the more vulnerable you are to getting sick. Also the less lightly you will recover from your games and workouts.

To keep your immune system working at its best, increase your intake of these foods. You'll be glad you did.

1. Mangoes

Mangoes include a broad spectrum of antioxidants, including vitamin A and zinc. Vitamin A enhances immunity by revving up the function of white blood cells, which fight infection. Zinc is one of the most important nutrients for maintaining an overall healthy immune system.

How to get it: Whip up some mango salsa or a mango smoothie, or top yogurt with fresh mango slices. Strive to consume about 1 cup a day for the best benefit.

2. Garlic

Sometimes referred to as the "poor man's antibiotic," garlic has been eaten for centuries for its broad spectrum of therapeutic benefits. It is believed to stimulate the immune system by increasing the number of lymphocytes (white blood cells). Even more, two compounds found in garlic, inulin and allicin, are thought to be responsible for effectively killing bacteria as well as intestinal parasites. How to get it: Add fresh garlic to sauces and dressings. Try to eat at least a clove every day during flu season.

3. Mushrooms

Chinese medicine and Eastern cultures have relied on mushrooms for their health benefits and immune-boosting properties for centuries. Beta-glucans, a type of sugar found in both raw and cooked mushrooms, is believed to be responsible for the immune-stimulating properties. In addition, mushrooms are the only vegetable that naturally contains vitamin D, and decreased blood levels of vitamin D have been correlated with an increased risk of catching the influenza virus. We all know this vitamin is critical in bone health especially for the female athlete How to get it: Add mushrooms to salads, sauces and omelets. Eat about 1 cup of white button, crimini, shitake, maitake, reishi or portobello mushrooms every day.

4. Salmon

During the winter months when the air is dry, mucous membranes dry out and crack, providing the perfect opportunity for viruses and other nasty bugs to enter the body. Eating more fish that are rich in omega-3 fats can help maintain healthy cell membranes. Salmon (and other seafood) is also a source of selenium, which has been shown to reduce the severity of a virus once a person is exposed.

How to get it: Broil a salmon fillet or salmon steak and serve with fresh mango salsa. Eat salmon twice a week. Also consider fish oil supplementation.

5. Green Tea

Drinking plenty of fluids during flu season is especially important for hydration as it helps the body maintain a strong defense against bad bugs. Green tea also contains epigallocatechin gallate ECG, which has been shown to decrease the chances of the common cold from spreading.

How to get it: Drink 2 to 3 cups of green tea each day to get immune-boosting benefits and stay hydrated.

6. Yogurt – Greek Yogurt (not the sugary kind )

Aside from being an excellent source of calcium, dairy products like yogurt provide immuneboosting vitamin D and probiotics (also referred to as"live active cultures"). Vitamin D's production of antimicrobial substances is believed to stop viruses from spreading in the body. Probiotics found in yogurt can help the body fight infections and boost immunity by fortifying the healthy bacteria found in the digestive tract. How to get it: Yogurt parfaits are the perfect breakfast or dessert. Make tangy salad dressings with plain yogurt or add to smoothies for an extra nutritional boost. Consume two servings of yogurt daily.

7. Almonds

Almonds contain vitamin E, which may help prevent colds and ward off upper respiratory infections. Vitamin E is a powerful antioxidant that works in combination with other nutrients found in almonds, including selenium and magnesium.

How to get it: Make your own granola with toasted almonds, rolled oats and cinnamon. Or use almond butter instead of peanut butter. Eat about 22 almonds (or its equivalent) a day.

8. Spinach

Spinach is a nutrition powerhouse offering several key nutrients that help to boost immune function and health. It is a rich source of vitamin A, vitamin E, vitamin K, magnesium, folate, iron, vitamin B-2, calcium, potassium, vitamin B-6, copper, protein, phosphorus, zinc, niacin, selenium and omega-3 fatty acids. With all these vitamins in one food, it's no wonder everyone should be consuming more of this leafy green.

How to get it: Sautee spinach with garlic and onions. Or make a spinach salad with pomegranate dressing, topped with toasted almonds. Don’t forget to add some chicken, turkey, or fish for some added protein.

These 8 foods and my favorite broccoli should be staples in all of our diets. Eat up for a better Immune System!!!

Vitamin D – Sources other than Sunlight

Are you getting enough Vitamin D? Many people are worried about Vitamin D deficiency. Unlike other nutrients, Vitamin D isn't really a vitamin at all: It's a hormone, made by your body as you are exposed to sunlight. Whatever it is, it has an important role in maintaining bone strength (more research is coming out monthly on other diseases Vitamin D may help.).

Bottom Line – If you don’t know you level (should be 50+) then find out and start taking some of these steps below.

If you eat a varied diet and get some sun (about 20 minutes a day, unfiltered by sunscreen) then you are probably getting all the Vitamin D you need from these sources. It is helpful however to be aware of foods that are higher in Vitamin D to help up your levels or keep them high. A good goal is to strive to achieve 600 IU of Vitamin D daily from the food you eat. Combine this with some sun and a small supplement and you can be a Vitamin D superstar!

This list includes the foods with the most Vitamin D, according to the USDA. Enjoy!

Salmon

Salmon has by far the most Vitamin D of any food (and wild salmon has much more than farmed salmon, which unfortunately is cheaper and easier to find). Half a fillet of sockeye salmon has more than 1,400 IU of Vitamin D. The next-highest Vitamin D food, Pacific rockfish, has about one-third as much as salmon.

Tuna

A serving of tuna has a healthy dose of Vitamin D - more than one-third of a daily dose. Light tuna in oil has the most Vitamin D. (Light tuna in water has about one-fourth of a daily dose, while white tuna has about one-tenth. Light tuna also has less mercury than white tuna, making it a safer choice.) The other fish-in-a-can, sardines, also have a lot of Vitamin D - about one-fourth of a daily dose (along with a healthy dose of calcium), and pickled herring have about one-sixth of a daily dose. I would stick with the tuna (not sure I have many athletes who are eating pickled herring )

Sole or Flounder

Flatfish like sole and flounder have about one-fourth a day's worth of Vitamin D. (The other white fish, cod, has less than one-tenth.) Look for Pacific flounder, sole or cod at the fish market, because Atlantic stocks are depleted.

Milk

Sometimes dairy gets a bad rap but if you don’t have any lactose sensitivities Fortified milk has about onefifth a day's worth of Vitamin D (whole milk has more than skim).

Cereal

Like fortified milk, fortified cereal provides additional Vitamin D and it is quick and easy in the AM rush. The amount of Vitamin D in cereals varies widely by brand and type, though, so read the label carefully. The USDA found a range of Vitamin D levels in fortified cereals from 34 IU (about one-seventeenth of a daily dose) in corn flakes to 104 IU (about one-sixth a daily dose) in raisin bran.

Pork

Three little ounces of pork can provide as much as 88 iu of Vitamin D – almost one-seventh of a daily dose. The most can be found in ribs, and the amount of Vitamin D in pork varies greatly by cut and preparation. You'll barely get any Vitamin D from a slice of ham.

Eggs

Two large eggs have about one-tenth of a daily dose of Vitamin D. Eggs from truly free-range chickens, like those many are raising in backyards these days, are often more tasty and nutritious than the factory farmed kind so you can try these. If you are worried about cholesterol (mom and dads) then eat the two eggs and add in a couple extra egg whites for more protein.

Mushrooms

Mushrooms can have a significant amount of Vitamin D, but the amount varies widely by type. Shiitake mushrooms (pictured) have 45 iu – about one-thirteenth of a daily serving of Vitamin D. White mushrooms, on the other hand, have just 5 iu.

Beef Liver

A 3-ounce portion of beef liver has more than 42 iu of Vitamin D – about one-fourteenth of a daily dose needed for someone who doesn't get much exposure to the sun. Beef is also one of the best sources of Vitamin B-12 and organ meats are one of the top sources of iron. If you're heading to the store for meat, look for grassfed beef to take advantage of additional nutrition, and more sustainable farming practices. We don’t advocate eating a lot of organ meet but we threw it in for completeness sake. Grassfed beef in general again is good for iron and needed for most female athletes.

Ricotta Cheese

Ricotta cheese stands out among cheeses for its relatively high Vitamin D content. With 25 iu of Vitamin D, it would still take about 24 servings to get your daily dose solely from ricotta cheese (not recommended). That said, ricotta has about five times as much Vitamin D as most other cheeses.

Summary : Some fish, some grass-fed beef, and a little dairy will go a long way in helping you achieve your Vitamin D goals.

Two Key Elements for Every Practice

Build One Perfect Chunk

In our busy lives, it’s sometimes tempting to regard merely practicing as a success. We complete the hour and we are happy…. “Mission Accomplished”. But the real goal isn’t practice it is progress. As the legendary basketball coach from UCLA John Wooden said “Never mistake mere activity for accomplishment”.

One useful method is to set a daily SAP – “Smallest Achievable Perfection”. In this technique you pick a single chunk that you can perfect – not just improve, not just work on but get 100 percent consistently correct. A tennis player may work on the toss, a business person may work on the 20 second pitch he would make to a client. The point is to take the time to aim at a small, defined target, and then put all your effort towards hitting it. For our athletes, we ask them to involve their coach in helping to pick out a few of these “SAPs”.

Remember, we are not built to be transformed in a single day. You improve little by little, connection by connection, rep by rep. As John Wooden also said, “Don’t look for the big, quick improvement. See the small improvement one day at a time. That’s the only way it happens and when it happens, it lasts”.

Embrace the Struggle

When you visit talent hotbeds around the world – whether it be sports or music you will see the same facial expressions. You will see the ultra-talented with eyes narrowed, jaws tight, nostrils flared intently reaching for something, falling short, and reaching again. Deep practice has a telltale sign…a feeling that can be summed up in one word: “Struggle”.

Most of us instinctively avoid struggle, because it uncomfortable. It feels like failure. However, when it comes to developing your talent, struggle isn’t an option – it is a necessity. This might sound strange but it’s the way evolution has built us. The struggle and frustration you feel means you are the edge of your abilities and in order to improve you must be there….on the edge. That uncomfortable burn of “almost, almost” is the sensation of constructing new neural connections. You need a level of difficulty to help your brain improve. Next time you can’t quite “get it right” remember to embrace the struggle and the find that SAP (smallest achievable perfection).

7 Bedtime Habits Ruining Your Sleep

"Getting enough sleep is crucial for athletic performance," says David Geier, MD, director of Sports Medicine at the Medical University of South Carolina. Studies have found that good sleep can improve speed, accuracy, and reaction time in athletes. According to the National Sleep Foundation, most people need about seven to nine hours of sleep a night. If you're an athlete in training, that may not be enough. "Just as athletes need more calories than most people when they're in training, they need more sleep, too," says Geier. All the stress and grueling practices require more time to recover.

If you’re having trouble falling asleep, you’re in good company. An estimated 65 percent of Americans said they encounter sleep problems a few nights each week, according to a recent study by the National Sleep Foundation. Sleeping too little is also linked with an increased risk for obesity and depression.

But before you reach for a sleep aid from the nearest pharmacy, it’s worth re-examining your nighttime routine. Some of your favorite evening rituals could be responsible for that tossing and turning.

Going from Night Owl to Early Bird

Who says bedtime is just for kids? Take extra care to maintain your sleep schedule, especially on the weekends. The body responds to routine. If your bedtime is sporadic—11 p.m. some nights, 1 a.m. others—your mind won't be properly prepared to snooze on the weekdays.

Bringing Books to Bed

Reading before bed is a habit for many. Problem is, your body has likely adapted to that routine—it won't go to sleep until you've logged a couple chapters. Retreat to a comfy couch or window nook instead for your literary fix. The bed should be off limits for anything other than sleep.

Facebooking into the Wee Hours

The brightness of your computer screen stimulates the brain. Plus, it's difficult for your mind to stop fretting about your digital to-do list, even after you've logged off. Avoid late-night surfing and shut down your computer. Give yourself time to wind down without any electronics.

Skimping on a Good

Bed A good mattress will cost you anywhere from $500 to more than $3,000. Consider it money well spent. A decent mattress—do your homework!—will give you a more restful sleep. The same is true for quality bedding and pillows. Opt for a soft pillow if you're a back or stomach sleeper. Buy a firmer pillow if you sleep on your side.

Setting a Bright Alarm Clock

The looming glare of your alarm clock can be distracting when trying to sleep. The goal is to have as dark a room as possible. Block the bright numbers with a book or consider buying a small travel clock. Your cell phone alarm may also do the trick.

Counting Sheep

When you just can't fall asleep, it's useless to stay in bed. If you've been trying to fall asleep for more than 30 minutes, the National Sleep Foundation suggests doing something mundane, like balancing a checkbook, reading or watching TV. An activity that demands marginal brainpower will lull your mind. Before you know it, you'll be crawling back into bed genuinely tired.

Exercising Late at Night

Daytime workouts will keep you invigorated for hours. That's why you don't want to exercise within three hours of hitting the sack. Intense physical activity raises your body temperature and pumps your energy level—both interrupt a calm transition into sleep.

Sleep is often overlooked in ways to improve your performance. Look at these 7 areas and address any deficits or “bad habits” you have so you can get some much needed rest.

Why Athletes Choke….

One second left on the clock, and the basketball star who seems to be able to make any shot from anywhere on the court has just been fouled. His team is two points behind, but no worry. All he has to do is make two free throws, a piece of cake for someone of his talents. The fierce action on the floor freezes as players on both sides take a mandatory breather. There's nothing the defense can do.

The first shot is perfect, nothing but net. The second, however, with the game on the line hits the front of the rim, rolls along the outside edge and drops pitifully to the floor. Game over.

It's happened to all of us, although not necessarily on a basketball court. The big moment arrives, and we've done it so many times before that we don't even have to think about it. But sometimes we do think. And that's the wrong time to do it. We miss that critical shot, or we flubbed an important line, or we forgot the boss' name just as we were supposed to introduce her.

The one time we really needed to pull it off, and we choked. Why? A growing body of evidence shows the answer may be incredibly simple. Thinking too much at the wrong time can be a bad thing because your brain tries to take charge at the precise moment when your body doesn't need any help.

Your muscles, for anything from shooting a basketball, striking a soccer ball, starting off the blocks in swimming, etc. down to simply breathing, have their own memories. You don't have to tell your heart when to beat. And if the "executive" part of your brain butts in, it's probably going to hurt, not help.

"We call it overthinking," neuroscientist Taraz Lee of the University of California, Santa Barbara, said in a telephone interview. Lee, lead author of a study in the Journal of Neuroscience, said our bodies learn to do some things so well that if we think about what we are doing while under intense pressure it may actually hurt our chances of succeeding.

"The part of the brain [responsible for planning, executive function and working memory] may be telling parts of the brain that control muscles to do something they are not supposed to be doing," said Lee, a former basketball player. "So it can wrestle control from the automatic plan and try to pay attention to the step-by-step control of a free throw or something like that."

In other words, a skilled player's body already knows how to make the shot. Too much info can mess it up.

Psychologist Sian Beilock of the University of Chicago calls it "paralysis by analysis." Beilock, author of the book, "Choke: What the Secrets of the Brain Reveal About Getting It Right When You Have To," contends that too much thinking at the wrong time can lead to "logjams in the brain."

Lee, one of many scientists these days trying to understand why we fail under pressure, is particularly interested in why superstars in sports can choke while trying something that, to them, should be easy.

We've seen it over and over. Shaquille O'Neal, who dominated so many games during 19 years in the National Basketball Association, was so notoriously bad at free throws that he became a popular target among defenders. Why risk getting clobbered by Shaquille O’Neal’s elbows under the basket if they could send him to the line, where he would more likely fail? (He missed nearly half of his free throws over his career.)

Choking under pressure is even more conspicuous in professional golf. It's not uncommon to see a pro drive the ball around 300 yards and then miss a one-foot putt. Did you realize that since Tiger Woods fell from grace 5 years ago, only two of the same golfers have one more than one major. Meaning that once a golfer won a major golf tournament (Master, US Open, British Open, PGA) they never won another major. Why can a golfer when one major and then never win one again.

Just two years ago, golfer Jason Dufner blew a four-stroke lead with four holes to play, losing the prestigious PGA Championship in a devastating demonstration of choking under pressure.

But this year, he won it – which hopefully means he can rise to the occasion at another moment in time but we will need to wait and see.

Researchers generally concentrate on two different

Explanations for why experts choke.

Chicago's Beilock believes it boils down to two opposing theories: Either the person worries so much even a well-practiced talent can fail, or he or she concentrates so much on the task at hand (the magnitude of the moment)that the brain overrides the well-trained muscles.

UCSB's Lee, in the first of a series of experiments, is searching for neurological clues about what, exactly, is going on in the brain. He and his colleagues used a valuable new technique, called transcranial magnetic stimulation, to briefly manipulate two areas of the prefrontal cortex -- the relatively young part of the brain often cited as the reason we humans are different from other animals.

The scientists stimulated the part of the prefrontal cortex that performs executive functions -- the "take charge" part of the brain -- to see if that had any effect on the part of the cortex responsible for muscle memory. They found that if they "turned up" activity in the executive region, then activity in the muscle memory area decreased. If they turned down the activity in the executive area, the muscle memory region became more active.

That suggests to the researchers that thinking too much may indeed have a bad impact on our ability to repeat a task that we've mastered over the years, whether it be hitting a golf ball or giving a speech.

The take-charge part of the brain "is exerting its control when it's not really necessary," Lee said.

So what's a body to do?

What we advocate is practicing pressure situations… be it free throws with some consequences each practice, that penalty kick with everyone yelling at you and if you miss the whole team runs, taking times tests for practice, etc. All of this to get a feel of pressure each day. We feel each practice needs to have games, races, or drills that make each time competitive.

We also talk with the athletes to make sure they practice staying process oriented (on the free throw line, two dribbles, spin the ball, deep breathe, and shoot for example). The next time you watch an NFL game watch how the field goal kicker does the same thing each point after that he does with a 20, 30 or 40 yard field goal.

This attention to process will allow the athlete to not think about the situation. The free throw is the same in the first half as the second. The penalty kick is the same in practice as it is the game (same distance, same goal width, etc). Have a process to go through will help stay focused and not become distracted which is when the brain makes you “think too much”.

Hope this helps!!!

True or False – Lifting Heavy Makes You Big and Bulky?

Lifting heavy weights makes you big and bulky — or at least that’s the conventional wisdom. It’s the reason many women (and some men) who want slim and “toned” physiques opt for lighter weights, lifted more times.

But the notion is not supported by science. Producing bulky muscles requires not just heavy weights but heavy calorie consumption as well, typically far above the 2,200 daily calories recommended for many adults. Also, bulky to some means big and tight and the tight simply comes from not stretching (often neglected in athletes).

For people who lift weights to tone up and slim down, experts say, a regimen that includes a combination of challenging weights and fewer repetitions can help significantly. In a 2002 study, for example, scientists looked at what happened when women performed various resistance exercises at different weights and repetitions (85 percent of their maximum ability for 8 reps, versus 45 percent for 15). Subjects lifting more weight fewer times burned more energy and had a greater metabolic boost after exercise.

In another study published last year (2012), scientists followed 122 women for six years. They found that those who were assigned to do resistance exercises three times a week — sets of 8 reps at 70 to 80 percent of their maximal ability — lost the most weight and body fat. A similar two-year study of women who did strength training with challenging weight twice weekly found similar effects on body and “intra-abdominal” fat.

THE BOTTOM LINE

For better tone, try fewer reps and more challenging weights. Challenging means a weight you can can only do 8-10 reps (If you do the weight 15 reps then go up in weight) In order to not lose flexibility, make sure you stretch daily (after the workout is best but if you are short on time then at least later that evening).