This time of COVID-19 has thrown us all for a loop. Parents have become home-schooling teachers. Day-to-day norms have all radically changed. And so, we have to strive to accomplish a “new normal.” Routines provide stability and continuity in family life during times of stress, because: they facilitate a sense of control, protect well-being, help with work-life balance, and [...]
UNC Tarheel Women’s Lacrosse player, Katie Hoeg, put it perfectly. "We wanted to be angry at a specific person, or anything," Hoeg said, "But we knew there was nothing to be angry about. Like, this was completely out of our control. We have to do our part." Anger often provides the illusion of control in a situation that is [...]
In our lifetimes, we’ve never experienced anything quite like the current pandemic, its toll on health/lives, mental-emotional well-being, social ramifications, and economic impact. Rather than pretending that everything is “fine,” it’s more useful to be honest (with boundaries, determined by what feels right to you) and to model feeling, expressing, and managing emotions. Another way of putting this is [...]
I first published this on 3/12/20, but will continue adding links, particularly regarding mental health and coping in the face of COVID-19... First off, let me share some useful (and reliable) links about Coronavirus, so that you can learn more about what it is, how it is spread, and how it can be contained. This article and video from [...]
Like it or not, all sport careers eventually end. Age, injury, family decisions, or other factors will determine how your competitive athletic career will end or be adapted. Like many athletes, especially elites, you may feel that the transition is abrupt. Your life and identity may revolve around sport. Your loss may cause emotional, financial, or personal challenges that [...]
“Who am I?” “Who do I want to be?” These are questions commonly asked by adolescents as they work to form their self-identity. Between pre-teen and young adulthood, life is riddled with decisions regarding paths and roles. Young people may find themselves identifying as a “kid”, “a student”, and a “friend” during this time. Some pursue sports, music, or [...]
Dr. Herzog will be presenting a few exciting workshops this fall for professional development! Be sure to check them out: What: AASP Continuing Education Workshop: Psychophysiology, Biofeedback, and Mindfulness Applications in Optimal Performance. When: October 23rd, 9:00am-12:00pmWhere: AASP Annual Conference, Portland, OR. Presenters: Tim Herzog, Reaching Ahead Counseling and Mental Performance, USA; Inna Khazan, Harvard Medical School, USA; Margaret [...]
Athletic injuries can take a toll, not just on the body, but also on the psyche. For some athletes, their identity revolves around their sport; being injured can lead to feeling lost and big questions such as “Who am I?” Why are your emotional reactions to injury important? The body is attached to the brain and the heart. In [...]
Mindfulness and meditation are techniques often interwoven in mental performance training for athletes. Athletes tend to be kinesthetic learners. Because sport is all about movement, training techniques don’t just happen in the office; ideally, they’re integrated directly into physical training. In line with the Reaching Ahead Mental Performance emphasis on self-attunement, martial arts have long been a physical means [...]
Heading Towards Accomplishment? Let’s say you want to drive to Rehoboth Beach or somewhere else for a fun weekend get-away. Without finding Rehoboth on a map or with GPS, most of us would not know the best route. The sheer desire to go to the beach will not take us there; but the map or GPS that helps us [...]
“Baseball is 90% mental and 10% physical.” Most athletes, and even casual sports fans, have heard this famous Yogi Berra quote at one point or another. As a former swimmer, somebody who competed in an individual sport for the entirety of their athletic career, I think the numbers are closer to 99.9% mental and 0.1% physical. My swimming [...]
Recently, I asked Tory Tolson for a quick breakdown of the phases of training so I could better understand our both out process and our desired outcomes and goals. Here's what he had to say... Phase 1 He said that typically "Phase 1" would be ‘Corrective Exercise’ where we work to improve individual-specific muscular imbalances that are evaluated in [...]
When you set a goal, and the stakes feel high, it can be easy to make excuses after failures to avoid negative feelings such as regret, shame or guilt. Without thinking about why they do it, people sometimes make tasks harder than they need to be so that ready-made excuses “protect” them from feeling badly. The downside is missing [...]
When I moved my practice in with PEAK, I knew we'd have some folks who'd see me after working out and/or meeting with PT's, but I never predicted a recent trend... Some of the parents of my adolescent clients have started working out with Ruthie and other PEAK trainers. Or they manage to take advantage of the opportunity to [...]
Working out with Tory Tolson is fun. He will joke with you that it is “Woozy Wednesday…” (How is that motivating???) He seems generally serious but will quietly rock out to whatever pop song (old or new), or show you pictures of his latest giant snowman creation (see picture above). You won’t catch him ever being boastful, but this [...]
