Recognizing the people who’ve contributed to your accomplishments is good for your game.
We tend to wait until momentous occasions – say, Thanksgiving or a birthday – to look outward and acknowledge all that we’ve got and all that we should be thankful for. In other words, to cultivate an “attitude of gratitude.” This feeling, however, is often short-lived. Twelve days after our birthdays, we’re typically back into our habitual ways of thinking and acting, which, for many of us, doesn’t involve deliberately practicing gratitude repeatedly. After all, it’s difficult to sustain gratitude for something that we experience on a daily basis, such as a spouse’s dinnertime cooking, a workout buddy’s constant encouragement or the trail right behind the house that’s perfect for a morning run.
But there’s good reason to be thankful on a regular basis. Research has linked gratitude to better physical and mental health, sounder sleep, less anxiety and depression, healthier marriages, higher long-term satisfaction with life and kinder behavior toward others. And then, there’s the application to athletics: Sport psychology studies have shown that grateful young athletes are more satisfied with their teams, less likely to burn out and enjoy better well-being overall.
If a pill claimed such benefits, we’d all be clamoring to the nearest pharmacy to stockpile our shelves with the stuff. It’s less alluring when we learn that acquiring these benefits doesn’t come in a pill, but that you’ve got to exercise your gratitude muscles every day. Having to deviate from our regular life routines and find time and energy to dedicate to something new scares many of us away from making changes like exercising more, eating better and improving important relationships. The unfamiliar change can seem disruptive. The thought, “Hey, this might help me” is replaced by, “I don’t have time for this.”
If that sounds familiar to you, you wouldn’t be alone. First, we must understand what gratitude is before attempting to flex its muscles. Gratitude can be defined as “an estimate of gain coupled with the judgment that someone else is responsible for that gain.” That is, it’s when you notice you’ve gained in some aspect of your life – say, being promoted from bench player to starter, recognizing physical improvements in the gym or acing a work presentation – and identify that other people were involved in making it happen. Here are a few examples of how doing that can benefit your fitness:
- The gymgoer who finally manages to complete 20 burpees and thinks, “I did it! I’ve finally accomplished my goal!” will certainly get a mood boost. But the one who also chooses to share the news with – and thank – her partner for kicking her out of bed to go to HIIT Logic every morning, as well as the other athletes for pushing her for another rep, is showing gratitude. Doing so makes the accomplishment a more social and collaborative experience. Feeling like we’re part of a supportive team is fulfilling and motivates us to keep going back to the gym for more.
- The coach or other member who makes it a point to show his appreciation to other class members with something as simple as a “thank you” or a warm “hello” by the front entrance at the start of class is practicing gratitude. In reaction, the other class members will be more likely to seek an ongoing social relationship with him, and to continue showing up. Saying “thank you” shows people you’re worth getting to know.
- The Olympian who internally thanks his competitors for their presence prior to every race is showing gratitude. Without them, he knows he couldn’t be challenged to the same extent, nor could he achieve victory or gold. Thanking them shifts his mindset from competing against to competing with. For some athletes, acknowledging that great opponents are the ones who make sports exciting, enjoyable, worthwhile and challenged allows them to view opponents with more positive emotions, which can have a positive effect on athletic performance. Former Olympic track and field star Carl Lewis is a case in point. In his autobiography, he reports that he chose to embrace the presence of his competitors as required figures in his quest for performance excellence rather than as enemies meant to be squashed. This attitude shift seemed to serve him well: Lewis won 10 Olympic medals, nine of them gold.
Inspired? Here are four ways to enhance your ability to practice gratitude:
- List five things for which you feel grateful – such as the help of a friend, something new you learned today or the glimpse of a harvest moon – in a journal about once a week. Research has demonstrated that people who do this once a week for two months feel more optimistic and happy, have fewer physical problems and spend more time working out.
- Do one small thoughtful or generous thing for a member of your family, perhaps once a week to start. Make breakfast for someone you normally wouldn’t, leave a motivational quote beside your partner’s gym bag or write a short letter to someone who changed your life for the better. Be specific about what the person did and how it affected you, and deliver it in person.
- Enter the gym with a “hello” and leave with a “goodbye” to the staff – and say it like you really mean it. It’s stunning how often folks walk into a workout facility without acknowledging the person swiping their cards or handing them towels. A positive interaction is a fine way to begin the workout experience.
- After a successful game, practice or workout, think about who or what might have contributed to this happening. Was the presence of another HIIT Logic athlete working out beside you motivating? Did a coach or teammate give you helpful advice before your heroic play? Might the weather have been ideal for that morning run? Take a moment to personally thank – or at least thoughtfully acknowledge – that something or someone, when you may just normally take all the credit yourself.
Following this prescription pays off: Make a list, do a generous deed and write a letter – and better health and a heightened quality of life await. Granted, completing these tasks won’t guarantee a better life, but living your life purposefully – and with a bit more gratitude – is sure to at least make a difference.