The Benefits of Adopting an Athlete Mindset

Multiesporte

October 10, 2024

There are remarkable benefits to thinking of yourself as an athlete, even if you never compete.

Maybe you don’t race; maybe you don’t ever want to pin on a number. And, yet, you are an athlete. Or, at least, you’d benefit from thinking like one, no matter your level of fitness or your predilection for competition.

There is plentiful evidence to suggest that adopting an athletic mindset invigorates your motivation, enhances your mood and work ethic, and, therefore, greatly improves your chances of achieving progress.

The rewards are many: successful athletes utilize a task-oriented mindset, intrinsic motivation, and a long-term growth outlook, among other psychological tools, to improve confidence and mood, focus and commitment. These mental strengths have countless benefits in sport and life.

You don’t have to race to be an athlete. If you are generally into fitness, it’s so beneficial to approach it with the same mentality of wanting to get better. It drives you, it’s what motivates you.

Of course, beyond the psychological realm, athletes develop routines, which improve sleep and recovery, discipline and efficiency, all of which lead to better performance—and health.

“I think a lot of people believe that there’s this exclusivity to athleticism, and that it’s tied to racing. And that is definitely not the case,” says physiologist and coach Rob Pickels. “You don’t have to race to be an athlete. If you are generally into fitness, it’s so beneficial to approach it with the same mentality of wanting to get better. It drives you, it’s what motivates you. In my mind, that’s where the athlete comes out.”

In the most basic terms, the more you get out of the activities you do, the better prepared you will be for life. It really has nothing to do with competition or race performance, it is purely the efficient and effective pursuit of health. Performance gains are merely a bonus, and for those who choose to harness them.

Taking an athlete mindset, therefore, helps you get the most out of every workout so you optimize your preparedness for the tasks of daily living. Maybe you want to hike with your dog, or keep up with your kids at the playground. Yes, the athlete mindset will make you a better-prepared parent, for your pet or the people in your life.

The side perk is that if you someday decide to run a 10K, you could do that too.

The scales of time

By tweaking your mentality—from “I'm not good enough to be an athlete” to “I’m going to take advantage of an athletic mindset”—you immediately gain significant tools toward improving daily living, general health, mood, and mental strength.

These include the art of goal setting. Athletes think in terms of big commitments. They ask themselves: What do I want to achieve this year? What’s my next big competition priority? (And maybe for them that’s the L.A. Olympics in 2028).

The athlete mindset isn’t something that you just bring in when you’re on the bike or out for a run. It is a mindset that [is present] throughout life.

There are two layers to this outlook: the present and the future. (And it is informed by the past—what they’ve done to get to where they are now.) They then facilitate their goal attainment with a growth mindset, one that is always forward-looking, upward-looking, and built from process and preparation.

“That’s what defines us as athletes—that forward-looking mentality. It’s not about right now; it’s about down the road, and what we do to prepare for that,” says Forever Endurance coach Grant Holicky, who is also a sports psychologist.

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Most people who feel like they only dabble in fitness or training tend to think in far more simplistic and shorter terms. We do 30-day fitness challenges, and 30-day weight loss goals. But powerful health and performance goals play out over years, not months (and especially not over days).

Photography by: katyapulka / Shutterstock

So, ask yourself:

Where do I want to be at the end of this year?
Where do I want to be in five years?
How can I work towards that today?
How can I stay motivated to stick to this plan for years to come?

Now you’re starting to think like an athlete. One of the most advantageous skills an athlete has is the ability to trust the plan. Most people focus on the end-goal, and they ignore the plan that gets them there.

An athlete has the ability to focus on showing up today, while sticking to a plan they’ve set out for themselves. Any plan is, of course, developed with much thought and understanding of basic physiological principles, and often created in consultation with a coach. For the average recreationalist, what’s most important is to focus on making exercise a part of your routine and allowing the time to develop the appropriate mental framework for sustained progression.

The mentality of waking up in the morning with purpose, trying to take care of our bodies, thinking about our sleep, thinking about how we eat... I don’t think you’ll ever get rid of that

“The athlete mindset isn’t something that you just bring in when you’re on the bike or out for a run. It is a mindset that [is present] throughout life. Everything I do is held in the athlete mindset,” says physiologist and nutritionist Trevor Connor, who co-founded Fast Talk Labs, an endurance sports community and knowledgebase.

Resiliency erases fragility

Embracing an athlete mindset also accelerates the development of a psychological toolbox that can carry you toward lifelong self-improvement and joy.

These tools take shape over time. Every athlete experiences setbacks at some point in their career, whether that’s injury, burnout, a loss of confidence, a difficult defeat, or simply facing the realities of time.

Sport is hard, and failure is always lurking. If you focus solely on results—on winning—then sport will surely turn out to be about failure more often than not. There are only a few who dominate in their discipline—and even they face setbacks regularly.

So, with all these barriers to overcome, what’s an athlete to do? In simple terms, build resilience—the ability to see obstacles as an opportunity for growth rather than as a reason to stumble or stop.

In other words, resilience is the capacity to withstand or to recover quickly from difficulties—toughness, durability, “bouncebackability.” Furthermore, those who hone resilience have an instinctual reaction to reframe a setback in a positive way and make it a moment of learning, or a moment from which to take satisfaction from the development process.

So, ask yourself:

How can I enjoy the process of improving my fitness and health?
How can I adopt a growth mindset and learn from my experiences?
Who can support me on this journey?

Asking these questions will lead you to feel less stressed, less overwhelmed, and more optimistic about your health. It comes from having a vision, a plan, and S.M.A.R.T. goals that provide a road map for years of advancement.

Create a plan; respect yourself and show up for that process; practice everyday.
Expect setbacks; pivot and create opportunities to move forward.

That’s good advice for sport, and good advice for life.

“The mentality of waking up in the morning with purpose, trying to take care of our bodies, thinking about our sleep, thinking about how we eat, and just saying, ‘Hey, it’s all part of who I am, because I do want to be able to perform in my daily life.’ I don’t think you’ll ever get rid of that if you’ve been utilizing an athlete mindset or living as an athlete for a long time,” says world-renowned physiologist Dr. Stephen Seiler.

Written by

Chris Case

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