Fitness Training for Mental Mojo

Mental Fitness

For some time, scientists have known that the brain, like any muscle with fitness training,  grows stronger and more efficient with use. But researchers have recently learned that neural links develop and particularly strengthen when we do difficult tasks and basically screw up instead of having success with easier tasks. This can be something physically athletic like learning to cartwheel on the balance beam or a creative task such as learning to play the violin. This explains why our intelligence is not set in a certain way or fixed, and to improve our intelligence, or mental mojo, is by embracing tasks that we find particularly difficult and then experience failure.

Mindsets: Fixed or Growth

However, some care to differ. Stanford University’s Dr. Carol Dweck, an expert on mindsets, found that people usually adhere to 1 of 2 mindsets: fixed or growth. The fixed mindset is set by genes,  people are either highly intelligent or not. Growth mindsets claim that intelligence and capability can be developed through effort, struggle and experience failure.

Dweck claims that people with a fixed mindset are likely to drive their focus on tasks where they had a high success rate and stay clear from tasks where they have had to struggle and experience failure, which in turn limits their learning. People with a growth mindset, however, welcome challenges, and know that learning outcome and intellectual growth occurs when they push themselves with hard work,  and experience failure.

Fitness Training For Mental Mojo

Interestingly researchers have recently discovered that mindsets are malleable. For our ability to perform a creative or physically athletic task, that mental mojo can be developed and taught with so called “growth mindset interventions.”  Seemingly harmless comments can have long term implications for someone’s mindset.

The most effective recipe of praise for a personal trainer to give their clients or as a teacher to give their student is to focus on:

• Improving
• Strategies
• Learning
• Struggle
• Process
• Effort
• Choices
• Persistence despite tough setback
• Choosing difficult tasks instead of easy ones

In the realm of personal training certification, it’s crucial to distinguish between praising someone’s process versus their innate talents. For instance, recognizing the effort and perseverance in overcoming challenging fitness theory problems (“I truly admire your dedication to tackling that difficult fitness theory problem”) is more beneficial than solely praising someone’s natural athleticism (“You’re naturally so fit and muscular!”).

At Infofit, we’ve observed this mental resilience in our students’ fitness training journeys. Through rigorous quizzes, certification exams, personalized tutoring, and our one-on-one courses, students are exposed to challenges and setbacks. However, by receiving positive reinforcement for their hard work and determination, they develop mental fortitude and adaptability. This conditioning not only enhances their performance in current tasks but also primes their minds to learn new concepts more efficiently and effectively.

For those grappling with mastering fitness theory, remember this: Infofit offers unparalleled support and comprehensive resources to help you excel in the fitness industry. So, instead of berating yourself for struggling with a quiz or exam, embrace the challenge. With perseverance and practice, you’ll not only conquer that hurdle but also accelerate your learning journey, inching closer to becoming a certified personal trainer.