Dr. Robert Heller

DR.ROBERT HELLER’S MIND-BODY NEWSLETTER

“Helping You to Feel and Perform at your Best”

March 2012

Quote of the Month

“Action is the antidote to despair”- Joan Baez

I didn’t know singer Joan Baez was also a behavioral psychologist. Often times in working with clients they are very good about doing assignments between sessions if it involves reading or writing assignments but fall short when they have to deliver on making a change in their behavior. In cognitive-behavioral therapy, we believe that by changing your thoughts AND behaviors, you are able to change your feelings. Today, think about what ACTION you can take to improve something in your life.

COUNSELING BY COMPUTER

I have been counseling people by phone for years and using video conferencing with SKYPE over the past several years. It’s convenient and has allowed me to help individuals who don’t live near my office in Boca Raton, Fl. In fact, I am currently working with someone from Spain. Now, according to Dr.Lynn Bufka of the American Psychological Association, long distance counseling via Skype is earning respectability and studies are underway in psychology and medicine to determine just how helpful this approach can be.

RITALIN GONE WRONG

This story in the Sunday New York Times tracks the history and highlights some recent study on the drugging of children who are alleged to have Attention Deficit Disorder. Rather than putting kids on drugs that do nothing to change the conditions that derail their development in the first place, the author sites studies that conclude “There has been clear evidence that the developing brain is shaped by experience”. As a former school psychologist for 8 years, I can tell you that teaching kids how to relax and concentrate and parents and teachers how to manage kids’ behaviors often work as well or better than drugs, have no negative side effects and tend to last.

TECHNIQUES FOR OVERCOMING PROCRASTINATION

One of my favorite techniques is the 5 minute plan. We can do almost anything for 5 minutes. Make a deal with yourself to work on anything you have been procrastinating about for 5 minutes. After that time you can stop if you like and you are “successful”. If you “choose’ to continue longer you may. Often times, folks find by overcoming the initial inertia they can keep things rolling more easily.

NEW ARTICLES ON SPORTS ISSUES

If you are Director of a sports facility or a sports coach, you may want to check out my new article which focuses on what business practices you can use to retain customers, members and students in tough economic times. It appears in the March issue of Racket Sports Industry and will soon be available on my website, www.cognitivetherapy.cc .

My most recent article on “Developing Confidence” will soon be coming out in FIT TENNIS newsletter.

UPCOMING EVENTS

In June , I will be presenting a workshop on Sports Psychology for the Florida Psychological Association. The next newsletter will feature an article on the CBS” 60 Minutes” segment that just aired on Depression and the Placebo Effect. The story generated an enormous amount of interest and controversy.

Until next time-

Dr.Robert Heller

www.cognitivetherapy.cc

info@robertheller.net

561 451-2731

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DR.ROBERT HELLER’S MIND BODY NEWSLETTER

“Performing Your Best in Sport and in Life”

December, 2011

Quote of the Month

“We either make ourselves miserable, or we make ourselves strong. The amount of work is the same.” –Carlos Castaneda

Carlos must have been a student of Albert Ellis because his quote is the essence of Rational-Emotive Behavioral Therapy (REBT) which is based of an ancient Greek philosopher who said, “Men are disturbed not by things but by the view they take of them”.

I love this philosophy because it is so empowering, knowing that we can control our feelings, largely by controlling our thoughts. Think about how your thoughts affect your emotions and behaviors and how changing them might help you feel and behavior better.

Book of the Month

“A Year of Living Your Yoga” by Dr. Judith Lasater. Dr. Lasater is a psychologist, physical therapist and advanced teacher of the Iyengar style of yoga. Her book provides a daily idea to focus on for each day of the year. As I sit down to write this newsletter, today’s selection is, “Schedule yourself a pajama day once a week. We are so busy, busy, busy. Every week, plan ahead for a day or part of a day when you can stay home and rest or do simple tasks. Resting is part of life, too.”

Reading an idea out loud at the beginning of each day helps set your course in the right direction: An excellent investment of a few seconds of time.

RECOVERY FROM VIGOROUS EXERCISE WITH CHOCOLATE MILK

A series of recent studies and reviews concludes that good “old-fashioned” chocolate milk is an excellent post-exercise drink and is being increasingly used by high endurance athletes. Compared to plain milk, water or most sports drinks it has double the carbohydrates and protein content needed to replenish tired muscles. It has the bonus of providing added calcium, tastes good and is inexpensive. Where is my Hershey’s syrup?

THANKSGIVING

As the holidays are upon us, the idea of “An attitude of gratitude” has never been more important. Counting our blessings rather than our misfortunes is not new but actually DOING it may be. Do you take time to appreciate how fortunate you are? Do you acknowledge important people in your life? Do you give back when and wherever you can?

This year, I reflected on people who are important to me both near and far, and took time to make a brief phone call or to send an e-mail to let them know it. As a part of “giving back”, this year I am going to give something to our military personnel, many who have suffered tremendously as a result on our countries wars. Here it is:

FREE BOOKS TO MILITARY PERSONNEL, VETERANS AND THEIR FAMILIES

I am giving complimentary copies of the following books while supplies last to military personnel, veterans and families. My “self help” series includes pocket sized educational guides on the following topics: Anger, Marriage, Alcohol, Drugs. Visit the product section of my website, www.cognitivetherapy.cc to learn more about each publication. Then, e-mail your request with your mailing address. I will even pay the postage. Please only 1 book per household.

For non-military folks, the guidebooks make great presents to friends, families and colleagues. See the website for a listing of all 14 titles. Until Christmas, buy any 2 and get a third one for free!

Wishing you a warm holiday season with friends and family,

Dr. Bob

If you know someone else who’d be interested in receiving these mailings on mind-body skills and peak performance trainings, please encourage them to sign up through my websites, www.mentalskillstennis.com , www.cognitivetherapy.cc or send an e-mail to info@robertheller.net with the subject heading, “ATTN: add to e-mail list”. Thank you.

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Dr. Robert Heller’s Mind-Body Newsletter

“Helping You Perform at Your Best”

November 2011

Quote of the Month

“What’s important is to keep learning, to enjoy challenge, and to tolerate ambiguity. In the end there are no certain answers.”

What a wonderful set of ideas to embrace. Just imagine the possibilities of experiencing greater, joy, less stress, frustration and fear and improved performance. Of the three ideas, tolerating ambiguity seems to be the greatest challenge. Many individuals have developed a “need for certainty” and control. The challenge is to gradually reduce the control over situations and others and tolerate the initial discomfort. Then, by seeing that nothing awful happens you can become more comfortable with “letting go”. Ambiguity then becomes something to be curious about and not afraid of.

Using Surveys to Improve Performance

This past month I have written two articles which will be published over the next few months on the value and uses of surveys for businesses and organizations. I often use surveys with my own clients to evaluate how well they are doing and to get feedback as to how effective I am with them.

You can develop a “personal survey” to rate particular goals and evaluate your progress towards accomplishing them. For example, this past month as I was preparing to give a presentation on Mental Skills for Golf, I was reminded of the power of a pre-shot ritual and the use of imagery to see the results I wanted. I applied this to my first serve in tennis. I kept track of my progress and noticed that the percentage of first serves I was able to make increased from 60-80% over a 2-week period. As I reviewed more than 2 dozen books on Mental Skills for Golf, I found quotes by many of the top professional golfers describing how they successfully used imagery. The use of a written survey is a way to keep score of your “mental progress”.

Mental Skills for Golf- and Beyond

A two-year study by two sport psychologists and two PGA pros resulted in the development of a 146 question survey on Mental Skills in Golf. It was administered to a large sample of golfers and resulted in identifying 10 major attributes associated with golf performance. The items had very good predictability in determining the relative scores of the golfers based on their mental skills. It also found that three of these ten mental skills were associated with 99% of the mental problems golfers encountered. There were low levels of confidence, concentration and the ability to tolerate stress.

In my Mental Skills for Golf presentation, NONE of the 24 participants were able to correctly identify these top 3 factors.

Another study on mental skills training found that 75% of participants felt mental skills was a very important component of performing well in a sport, yet, on average, the group practiced learning or training their mental skills 5% of the time or less.

Anecdotal feedback from my clients who use my TENNISMIND, CD-Rom mental conditioning program report learning useful mental skills that transferred to their performance in as little as 2 weeks of daily 10-minute training sessions. This is similar to results reported to me in the informal study I conducted with the women’s golf team at Lynn University. Here, putting skills were measured and found to improve by 80% of the team members who trained with golf-specific mental conditioning tapes.

Thanksgiving Special (offer good until November 24, 2011)

Order 1 TENNISMIND CD-Rom program at the regular price and get a second copy for FREE! www.mentalskillstennis.com

Best to all-

Dr. Bob

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MIND-BODY NEWSLETTER

“PEAK PERFORMANCE IN SPORTS AND IN LIFE”

October 2011

Quote of the Month

“I can’t give you a sure-fire formula for success, but I can give you a formula for failure: Try to please everybody all the time”- Herbert Bayard Swope

Getting along with others is a great goal to live harmoniously in society. When carried to an extreme, it makes us overly anxious and limits us in getting what we want. “People pleasing” or caring too much what other’s think about us, fearing their disapproval and/or rejection is based on the mistaken notion that we “need” other’s approval in order to feel good about ourselves and worthwhile. In essence, it is basing our self-worth on getting the stamp of approval from someone else. The late great psychologist, Dr. Albert Ellis termed this “love slobism”. In sports, it is played out all the time by those who get “nervous” when other’s are watching them perform; your team on the tennis court, your foursome on the golf course, or taking a foul shot during a basketball game. By learning to cultivate, “unconditional self-worth”, you can eventually strike a healthy balance between caring about what others think of you and what you think of yourself.

Yoga and You

My friend, former tennis partner, and medical doctor turned yoga guru, Dr. Tim McCall is working on his second book related to Yoga Therapy. He has identified over 50 different medical conditions that document yoga’s usefulness in and many of the mechanisms by which yoga can improve aerobic fitness, blood pressure and respiratory function. He also reported on how yoga is being used in the rehabilitating sports-related injuries like those that impact the rotator cuff.

Jewish High Holidays and Sports Performance

This month is the start of Rosh Hashanah a period of self-reflection ending 10 days later with Yom Kippur and a renewed commitment to living in a purposeful and meaningful way. When applied more narrowly to sports, reflection leads to awareness and awareness leads to opportunities to re-evaluate current practices and the choice to do things in a way that allows us to continue to grow and develop in our chosen sports and as people. You don’t need to be Jewish to benefit by this ancient ritual of self-reflection not does in have to be done only in October. Awareness Training can be an effective component of mental skills for athletes of all sports.

Fit Tennis

Fit Tennis is a newsletter recently started by my colleague, tennis teaching professional, Chris Hagman. I have agreed to write occasional articles for it. My first one appeared on September 18 and was on “Cardio Tennis”. Upcoming articles will address the issue of how to maintain your commitment to physical health and training and ways the fitness industry can inspire and provide incentives to remain actively involved in health and wellness practices.

Mental Skills for Golf

On Thursday, October 27^th, I will be presenting a talk on “Mental Skills for Golf: How to Win the ‘Inner Game’”. This will be followed by a 6 week course where participants will learn to assess their mental strengths and weaknesses, manage their emotions, use imagery and self talk for improved performance and develop concentration and focusing skills to help players lower their scores. The program is sponsored by the Center for Group Counseling located on Boca Rio Road in Boca Raton, FL. For details, call them at 561 483-5300.

Best to all-

Dr. Bob

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Vol. 15, FEBRUARY 2010

THE SCIENCE OF MENTAL TOUGHNESS

A recent NBC newscast looked at the science of mental toughness by examining the training of U.S. Navy Seals. These individuals need to make instant life/death decisions and keep their cool under the most extreme and harsh conditions. They need to cope with severe adversity, deal with loss of control and remain confident and optimistic for extended periods of time. These young men volunteer for this training and according to their trainer’s, struggle more with the mental aspects of the training and the work than the grueling physical conditioning.

The essential training they receive can be called, “simulation training”. Using this method, they are exposed, as closely as possibly to the real life challenges they will face in the field, both physical and mental. Their performance is regularly critiqued and rehearsed until they respond in optimal ways to the stressors.

Navy psychologists are sharing what they learn with U.S. Olympic Psychologists and some Olympic athletes participate in parts of the Navy Seal training.

The lessons are clear, confidence and success are built upon “inspiration, motivation and perspiration” coupled with expert training and continued practice and refinement of ones’ skills in “real life” settings.

IT AIN’T OVER TILL IT’S OVER

The great New York Yankee baseball catcher was a master of understatement. The point is, never give up in sports or in life. As of this writing, the Australian Open, a major world tennis event is underway. Two of the sports greatest champions remind us of just how to put this belief into practice. Serena Williams, after losing badly in the first set and down 0-4 in the second set fought back to win the second set tie breaker and win the deciding third set. Rodger Federer at tied at 4 all and down 40 love on his serve, stepped up to serve 5 consecutive big serves, winning the game and turning the match around.

Here is the takeaway, champions don’t dwell on the past or fear the future. In the heat of battle they intensify their focus, believe they “can” do it and in the process, raise their performance to a higher level. While most of us aren’t world-class athletes, we can adopt world-class attitudes, which can help us to experience greater success and less stress in our lives.

WHAT “BUGS” US

In a nationwide study reported in Consumer Reports the top 5 complaints of Americans were:

Hidden fees
Not getting a human on the phone
Tailgating
Cell phone use by drivers
Incomprehensible bills

The everyday annoyances we experience can accumulate causing us excess and unwanted stress which negatively affects our interactions with others, health and performance. Learning to effectively cope with stress should be everyone’s top priority. For lots of useful strategies, check out “Managing Your Stress,” available at www.robertheller.net.

RECENT AND UPCOMING EVENTS

Over 75 tennis and gold members attended the “Mental Toughness” program I presented at the Broken Sound Country Club. The 90-minute presentation included topics on assessing mental strengths and weaknesses, dealing with performance anxiety, managing pressure situations and the use of effective “self-talk.”

In March, I will be heading to Spain to do a mental toughness program at the world famous, La Manga Resort, working with both the adult and children tennis academies.

Remember to send your questions and comments to me at info@robertheller.net and to invite your friends to sign up for this free newsletter.

Until next time.

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Mind-Body Newsletter

Vol.13-December 2009

THANKSGIVING OFFER OPPORTUNITY FOR SELF-IMPROVEMENT

There are many important life messages we can learn by reflecting on this holiday. By giving thanks for what we have and not what we lack, we create a positive energy and focus to move forward in our lives. By caring for others more than we care for and about ourselves, we learn about the joy of acting in self-less ways.

The new movie, “The Blind Side” provides a dramatic example of this as it focuses on what happens when you give unconditional love and respect to another person. It brings to life the meaning of the statement, “The more you give, the more you get”.

Did you take time around the Thanksgiving dinner table to say or reflect what you are thankful for? If you haven’t, don’t wait for the next holiday; take out pen and paper and write out all the gifts and opportunities you have been afforded in your life, from the smallest to the largest. By making this a regular practice, you will find yourself becoming more patient and tolerant with yourself and others. You will learn to keep a healthier perspective and find it far easier not to sweat the small stuff.

THE POWER OF POSITIVE THINKING

The book title by the same name, was written by Norman Vincent Peale more than 50 years ago and its message has never been more relevant. In an era of negativity, self-criticism and perfectionism, the impact of what we think and feed our brain has far reaching effects for how we feel about ourselves and how we behave. In my own books, work with clients and personal life, I make extensive use of “affirmations”, positive ideas and expressions. Here is a sample of some of my favorites:

“Accentuate the positive, eliminate the negative.”

“Nobody can make you feel inferior without your consent.”

“Life is a terminal illness-enjoy today.”

“Every minute you are angry, you lose 60 seconds of happiness.”

“When the going gets tough, the tough get going.”

“You can’t afford the luxury of a negative thought.”

“Self-esteem is trying to do the best you can and being satisfied with the result.”

“I don’t know the key to success, but the key to failure is trying to please everybody.”

There are books on affirmations where you can choose a “thought” for the day to read and reflect on. Not a bad way to start your day!

THE SCIENCE OF EXERCISE AND MOOD

A recent article in U.S. News and World Report found that aerobic activities such as running, biking and walking for 30 minutes a day had positive psychological and physical effects on mood. In addition, the use of an “exercise log” helps people to maintain their exercise routines. While “strength training” may provide similar benefits to mood, there is not yet enough evidence to support this recommendation.

Another report out of Princeton University on “Why Exercise Makes you Less Anxious” suggests that it may take between 3-6 weeks for you to notice a change in anxiety levels following an exercise routine.

My take: stretching, strengthening and moderate aerobic type exercise should be combined in a daily routine or sport and/ or exercise.

QUOTE OF THE MONTH

“When one gets beaten by somebody better, one has to know how to lose with humility.”

Rafael Nadal – Top Professional Tennis Player

BETTER IN THE BAHAMAS

My 3-day trip to provide mental skills training to elite junior tennis players in the Bahamas shows the growing international interest in providing youth with tools they can use in sports and in life to be better competitors and cope with pressure both on and off the tennis courts. Special thanks to owner/director Bradley Bain for sponsoring the program.

GIVE THE GIFT OF KNOWLEDGE

The newest edition to the pocket-sized self-help series I have authored for Luxart Communications is on the topic of “Depression” and should be out by the end of the year. The guides are practical, up-to-date and combine my many years of working with clients with the best strategies reported in the field. They are available on the products section of my website, www.robertheller.net.

See you next month!

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Mind-Body Newsletter

Vol.12-November 2009

Wisdom comes from varied people and places. I enjoyed reading a small piece written by Wally Amos, the founder of Wally’s Muffin Company. The title is “Be positive regardless”. Here is a brief part of it: “ We have been conditioned to believe that adversity is negative. Overcoming adverse situations is how we gain strength and character. It focuses us to get on top of the circumstances and not lie down under them. Adversity reminds us that we are stronger than we could ever imagine.”

Every day, the financial publication, Investor’s Business Daily prints “10” Secrets to Success and highlights one for readers to focus on that day. I think they are all worthy behaviors and attitudes to strive towards.

HOW YOU THINK IS EVERYTHING. Always be positive. Think success, not failure. Beware of a negative environment.
DECIDE UPON YOUR TRUE DREAMS AND GOALS. Write down your specific goals and develop a plan to reach them.
TAKE ACTION. Goals are nothing without action. Don’t be afraid to get started. Just do it.
NEVER STOP LEARNING. Go back to school or read books. Get training and acquire new skills.
BE PERSISTENT AND WORK HARD. Success is a marathon, not a sprint. Never give up.
LEARN TO ANALYZE DETAILS. Get all the facts, all the input. Learn from your mistakes.
FOCUS YOUR TIME AND MONEY. Don’t let other people or things distract you.
DON’T BE AFRAID TO INNOVATE: BE DIFFERENT. Following the herd is a sure way to mediocrity.
DEAL AND COMMUNICATE WITH PEOPLE EFFECTIVELY: No person is an island. Learn to understand and motivate others.
BE HONEST AND DEPENDABLE:TAKE RESPONSIBILITY:Otherwise, numbers 1-9 won’t matter.

NEW ARTICLE

My article, “Are your players good sports?” was just published in “Racquet Sports Industry” and features a sportsmanship quiz I developed for coaches and parents to use with players in helping to foster good character. I remember an important phrase I came upon some time ago: “Sports doesn’t teach character, it reflects it”. Let’s hope more parents and coaches take the lead in emphasizing “sportsmanship” as much as they do “winning”.

UPCOMING WORKSHOP

I am delighted to have been invited to put on a 3 day Mental Toughness Training Course, November 6-8 for the elite junior athletes and their parents at the National Training Center in Nassau, Bahamas.

RETHINKING ANTI-DEPRESSANT MEDICATIONS

The October 09 edition of Consumer Reports On Health reported a study that found 90% of people who took anti-depressant medication experienced at least one side effect including sexual problems, weight gain and in rare cases, suicidal thinking. Up to 30% found the side effects to be so bad that they stopped taking the drug.

LIFESTYLE CHANGES CAN SAVE YOUR LIFE

According to an article by Dr. Edward Rosick for Life Extension, high blood pressure or hypertension, affects over 50 million people in the United States and contributes to the death of almost 250,000 people a year. The DASH diet, which restricts salt intake, along with losing weight and quitting smoking can make a big difference in improving your health and well being.

To encourage you and your friends to make a positive lifestyle change, I am offering 1 free pocket-sized self-help guide for every 2 you purchase. You can choose from books on Stress, Weight, Smoking and Alcohol. Go to www.robertheller.net and click on the products page. Order 2, and e-mail the 3^rd title you would like to receive for free to info@robertheller.net.

GETTING RID OF BACK PAIN

The November issue of “Natural Solutions” magazine featured an article of “How Integrative Therapies Can Heal Back Pain”. It looked at a case study of a woman suffering with debilitating back pain and her experiences with different types of care and modalities including: herbs, psychotherapy, chiropractic, physical therapy, Rolfing, acupuncture, massage therapy and yoga.

Cutting to the chase, she gets better. In fact, approximately 80% of people with back pain get better with or without treatment. However, the 20% who don’t need to play around with the mix of traditional and non-traditional approaches to see what combinations work best for them.

Remember, worry and stress in one’s life can be reflected in muscular tension and tightness. As the tension is held for longer periods of time, the muscles eventually go into spasm and then pain. Learning to balance your life and reduce its many pressures can help in eliminating some of the most common causes of back pain.

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Mind-Body Newsletter

Vol. 10, September 2009

TEXTING TROUBLES

A series of reports suggests that texting and the use of cell phones while driving increases the risk of accidents to that of someone who is legally drunk behind the wheel. As a driver, you need to eliminate this practice. As a passenger, you need to be vigilant of those who are driving and protect your own safety by insisting they not make or receive calls or texts while driving.

SMART RECOVERY

Self Management and Recovery Training is a national FREE non-profit alcohol and substance abuse program with groups around the country and on-line. It is an alternative to AA and based on cognitive-behavioral therapy principles of recovery and relapse prevention. For more information check out www.SMARTRECOVERY.org.

ON-LINE THERAPY AND DEPRESSION

According to a study in Australia reported Consumer Reports Health (Sept. ‘09), an 8-week program of on-line counseling consisting of e-mails, group chat and homework assignments was just as effective as traditional face-to-face treatment.

THE ‘LINGERING’ POSITIVE FEELINGS OF EXERCISE

According to a researcher at the University of Vermont, in a comparison between two groups, one that rested for 20 minutes and one that performed aerobic exercise for 20 minutes, the exercise group reported better moods for up to 12 hours post exercise.

BI-POLAR VS. DEPRESSION

In a recent study, 40% of patients coming in for an evaluation were not correctly diagnosed for bi-polar syndrome. While they reported symptoms of depression they failed to recognize and report symptoms such as persistent irritability, and elevated mood just before or after periods of depression. As a result, medication treatment was only given for depression. One suggestion is to bring a close friend or relative in as part of an evaluation to get a more accurate diagnosis and better treatment.

ASSESSING A SLEEP PROBLEM

Do you have trouble falling or staying asleep? Do you have episodes of disturbed sleep? Are you tired or sleepy during the day?

If you answered yes to any of these questions you may have a sleep problem or disorder that can not only affect your performance at school or work but your health and safety (driving, accidents, etc.) Don’t medicate yourself with alcohol or over the counter medications or look for a quick fix by the commercials hawking prescription meds (remember Michael Jackson!). Get a competent evaluation by your medical doctor, mental health professional or sleep specialist to learn what your treatment needs and what the best options are.

CAN I BE HYPNOTIZED?

According to hypnosis expert, Dr. David Spiegal, about two-thirds of adults are at least somewhat hypnotizable. Good signs are: having a good imagination, getting easily absorbed in a movie or novel and having a sense of trust. I often use hypnosis with clients with a wide range of issues including pain management, performance enhancement, irritable bowel and smoking!

SEPTEMBER APPEARANCES

I will be at the Florida Tennis Smash on Friday, Sept. 4 at the Marriott Hotel in Boca Raton, FL from 3:30-5:00pm providing information and brief consultations to junior players, their coaches and parents.

On September 22, I will be presenting a specialty workshop in Marco Island, FL on “Bringing Sports Psychology Skills to the Courts” for coaches attending the World Conference of the United States Professional Tennis Teaches Association.

Please share this newsletter with friends and send your comments, questions and suggestions to me at info@robertheller.net.

Until next month…

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Mind-Body Newsletter

Vol. 9, August 2009

FAT BURNING ADVICE

According to fitness expert and sports nutritionist, Donna Mertl, for healthy individuals, the best way to burn fat is to exercise the first thing in the morning BEFORE eating. You should perform some form of cardio exercise for 20-45 minutes 3-4 times a week at 75% of your maximum heartrate.

THE POWER OF THE MIND

On a recent segment of the SPORTS SCIENCE show, the power of the mind was clearly demonstrated on camera. A professional boxer’s “punching power” was measured while hitting a training dummy. He was told to hit the dummy as hard as he can to establish a baseline. He then spent 30 seconds getting himself as “psyched” as he could by thinking of something very upsetting (with his trainer adding verbal motivation). He then punched the dummy again and increased the power of his punch by a whopping 60%! In the last experiment he was injected by a doctor with a shot of epinephrine equivalent to the amount that might be given to someone whose heart had stopped. His punching power following the injection was greater than the baseline punch but LESS than the punching power under the “mental” stimulation condition. Bottom line: training your mind can get you “whopping” results!

SLEEPLESSNESS

ABC news reported a study by the National Sleep Foundation that estimated a third of all Americans are losing sleep due to worries about finances, the economy and jobs. Rather than pop pills, a power nap during the day may allow you to recoup some of your lost sleep and reduce some of the ill effects of sleep deprivation. Better still, learning and using simple relaxation methods and sleep “hygiene” that provide natural methods to reduce worry and allow you to get your ZZZ’s. You can find additional useful methods in “Manage Your Stress” is available on the products page of www.robertheller.net.

MENTAL SKILLS ACROSS AGE AND ABILITY LEVELS

That’s the title of my newest article, a version of which was just published in “Tennis Life” magazine. Visit my website and check out that and a number of other free articles.

“L” IS FOR “LONGEVITY”

LIFESTYLE: Out with junk food, tobacco and excessive alcohol, in with small amounts of healthy food and quality sleep, exercise, relaxation, etc. You get the picture.

LAUGHTER: A little goes a long way. Smiling and laughing makes us feel good and is good for the immune system.

LOVE: The Beatles had it mostly right, “All You Need Is Love”. Loving yourself and others provides meaning and satisfaction in life. As a friend of mine once said, “Relationships are the currency of life.”

Your comments and questions and contributions to the newsletter are welcome.

Until next month…

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MIND-BODY NEWSLETTER

Volume 8, July 2009