5 psychological factors that affect sports performance

By M.Farouk Radwan, MSc.

Where has my energy Gone?

If you exercise often or do any sport regularly then am sure it happened to you before that you found yourself lacking energy for no obvious reason. Ask any of your Gym-mates about the reason you aren't close to your peak performance on a certain day and you will always get the same answers "Did you eat well? Did you sleep well? Are you tried?"

While eating and sleeping are among that most important factors that affect sports performance still those factors never puzzle anyone as it becomes too obvious when any of them are absent.

But what puzzles athletes the most are the days where they eat well and sleep well yet find no energy to perform well! What's going on in here?

And are there some other factors that affect your sports performance apart from those guessable ones? Of course there are!


Old Pic For Me in the Gym

7 psychological factors that affect sports performance

  • 1) How's your nervous system today?: Before you move a certain muscle your nervous system has to send signals to the fibers constituting that muscle in order for them to be activated. If your nervous system is exhausted by any means (tough work day for example?) then you won't be able to allocate the needed muscle fibers to reach your peak performance
  • 2) Does your play list match your beliefs on that day?: Music can give a lot of energy but only in one case; when the music or songs you are listening to resonate with your beliefs on a certain day. In my previous article The connection between music and motivation i explained how listening to the right song on the wrong day can actually reduce your sports performance and make you feel worse
  • 3) Are you feeling down or depressed?: Your emotional state affects your sports performance greatly. Try going to the gym after you have a serious fight on the phone with someone and you will find yourself performing greatly. It all happens because anger fuels the body with hormones that promote strength. The opposite happens with emotions that steal energy such as depression, sadness or disappointment. If you tried to exercise on a day where you got disappointed then you will find yourself having lower energy than usual

  • 4) Did you deplete your serotonin levels?: Serotonin is the happiness hormone. Happiness is always associated with increased energy. When your mind finds that you are happy it gives you more energy and vice versa. Now the one fact you might not be aware of is that stress destroys the serotonin released in the body. In other words, a stressful day can steal your energy and prevent you from performing well
  • 5) Do you have unsolved problems?: I know we all have unsolved problems but i am talking about the ones you are ignoring, not dealing with or the ones you have no plans to solve. Such problems occupy the back of your mind and distract your nervous system thus preventing it from doing its job properly. (see also Why your emotions change so fast)

How to achieve my peak performance

In order to be able to achieve peak performance you need to put in mind that psychological factors are as important as physical factors if not more important.

Instead of just thinking about sleeping and eating well start to put your psychological state under monitor and give your mental health an extra priority.

How many hours per week do you read something that can help you have a healthier mind and a better mood? How many hours are you assigning to improving your psychological state?

The answer to these questions will tell you why you aren't performing well even though you are eating and sleeping well.

The book The ultimate guide to getting over depression was released by 2knowmself, the book provides a 100% guarantee for feeling better else you will be refunded.

2knowmysef is not a complicated medical website nor a boring online encyclopedia but rather a place where you will find simple, to the point and effective information that is backed by psychology and presented in a simple way that you can understand and apply. If you think that this is some kind of marketing hype then see what other visitors say about 2knowmyself.

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