Three reasons we love sports

Nearly everyone is connected to sport in some way; whether you’re an elite athlete, a casual hiker, or someone who enjoys spectator sports.  We all know that sports, exercise and physical activity are good for the body, as well as the brain. But most people overlook the ‘hidden’ benefits of sport.  

Here we share our top 3 reasons for loving sports. 

1. It gets to the unconscious mind.

Sport can be an opportunity for social interaction but it’s also a great way to get to know how someone reacts under pressure. That’s because it allows access to the unconscious mind and brings our unconscious patterns of behaviour to the surface.  

For example, the way people act when under pressure in a game can tell you something about their character, limiting beliefs, or automatic habits.  

This means that physical challenges designed to stimulate a stress response can show much more about a person’s character, or the dynamics of a team, than a team-building or feedback exercise. 

2. It can be used as a metaphor to make things lighter. 

What do we mean by this? Well, some conversations can be tricky. Telling something that they respond irrationally when under pressure is not an easy thing to do. The good news is that you can use sport as a way to demonstrate what is going on and talk about the situation …without actually talking about it.  

The sporting context creates distance from the actual situation and shifts the context. It’s easier to talk about team dynamic in a game of football than it is to talk about team dynamics in the office. The metaphor makes the conversation easier and prevents any hurt feelings. Afterall, ‘it’s just a game’. 

3. It helps with processing emotion. 

Finally, sport and physical activity allow the brain to process information and equip us to cope with negative emotions.

Sport is a great way to simulate stress and to train bodily and interoceptive awareness. When you experience stress you can feel it in your body. Over time you can train this awareness and understand how you feel and how your body responds in different situations. 

For example, some people go for a walk in the evening to relax before bed. This is when the mind has chance to process the experiences of the day and is a perfect opportunity to develop your self awareness and experience the subtle changes in your body. 

How do we use sport at Mind5? 

At Mind5 sport, bodily awareness and experiential learning are used as tools within all of our programs.  

It is scientifically proven that physical exercise helps people to be more in the present moment, improves cognitive and strategic thinking, and has a positive effect on decision making. Physical training can also help increase bodily awareness and help people better understand how much stress they need in order to perform a certain task well.

But there’s more... Mind5 uses sports and physical training to create experiences. With our special exercises we help people get access to the unconscious mind, reflect on their own behavior and create new behavioral patterns . Mind5 training is fun, accessible to everyone and non-competitive. Everyone will be challenged on their own performance level. Sports exercises are part of our digital learning program. 

 Do you want to use sport to access your unconscious mind? Feel free to schedule a video call with one of the Mind5® team members. This personal call will take 30 minutes and you will be speaking with a senior member of the Mind5® team. We will help you to identify what your goals are and whether the Optimal Performance Leader program is for you.