How “Getting In The Zone” Can Make Exercise Easier

What does it mean to be in The Zone? This article walks you through the connection between your body, exercise, your results and The Zone.

You’ve been in The Zone before. The Zone is a state of mind – although your experience with it probably felt very physically real. When you’re in The Zone you’re deeply absorbed in the present moment; completely engaged in the task at hand. Whatever that task was probably felt easier…right, even.

What Does It Mean to Be In The Zone?

In the zone.
On fire.
In a flow state.

Whatever you call it, The Zone is a mental state in which you feel completely in control and able to perform to the best of your abilities with no interference. Nothing can stop you.

Time might pass quickly without you noticing. The environment fades away until it’s just you and the task at hand. Whatever is going on, it feels so right. Almost spiritual.

Turns out, humans are happiest (and confident) in this state of mind.

(p.s. you can tell when you’re not in The Zone too. For instance when you’re trying to write a blog post and the words just aren’t coming. Or you go for a run and every pebble seems to make an indent in your foot and somehow your feet gained 10 pounds each overnight).

To be immersed in something meaningful makes humans happy. To feel connected to that activity, to be present and confident in it, is The Zone.

That doesn’t mean what whatever you are doing is easy. In fact, it might be just the opposite. Being in the zone comes from feeling up to the challenge of whatever is happening. A runner connecting to her tired but energized body in the last few miles of a challenging run. A writer feeling like the words are just spilling from her fingertips. That’s The Zone.

Too much challenge and the situation is stressful. Too little challenge and the situation is boring. There seems to be a fine balance of challenge and your confidence in your ability to persevere in the face of that challenge that matters the most.

Exercise and The Zone

Challenge and opportunity are two sides of the same coin.

When it comes to exercise, that balance is the crux. You want to set a goal that is challenging enough to keep you pushing forward, but not so challenging that you don’t believe you can ever get there.

Think about how you feel before a tough workout. One that you know you can do – maybe you’ve even done it before. But it’s tough. It takes a lot of energy and you know there will be moments that you’ll have to talk yourself into finishing it. Despite all of that, your confident that you can do it. And you LOVE that feeling when you’re done.

That’s you…getting in The Zone.

When I start class in the morning I tell my crew to “turn off real life”. I want them to connect with their bodies and pull their thoughts into the moment. I remind them that they are strong, and capable and that this workout is their time. This is my way of pumping them up – guiding them to The Zone.

Why do I do that?

Because I know that they will benefit physiologically and mentally from turning off everything else and focusing on this one workout. Getting in The Zone…

• Improves mind-muscle connection. This is a conscious and very deliberate focus on the muscles doing the work. It requires you to focus on the tension in your body, to focus purposefully on the movement. It is the difference between active and passive exercise and it makes a real, measurable difference in what your body gets from that lift.
  
  The best example I can give of this connection is a sit up – specifically on a stability ball. 85% of my clients come to me at the start with confidence in their ability to bang out 20 crunches on a stability ball. They get balance and then start crunching – using the ball and momentum to do most of the work. Then I ask them to slow down. I teach them to fully engage their core. And then I ask them for 10 crunches instead. It is far more difficult but also far more effective to engage the proper muscles and do fewer reps.
  
• Taps into strength and energy reserves you don’t realize you have. This is incredibly important, especially near the end of a workout when your body is fatigued. It’s at this point that the mind starts to convince you that you’ve done enough, we’re all set, thanks. But it’s at this exact point that you actually need to reel yourself all the way back in! Those last few reps – hard as they are – matter the most. And it’s those fatigued muscles that are more likely to get injured if you don’t pay attention.
  
• Allows them to prioritize themselves. No interruptions when you’re in The Zone. This is YOU time. Your body. Your strength. Your power. Forget the deadlines and the to dos. If you can do that, if you can really dedicate the workout to yourself, you walk away feeling more energized and more capable of conquering the day.

Tips for Getting In – and Staying In – The Zone

The Zone sounds awesome, amiright? So, how do you get their?

Ask yourself…

“When do I feel totally present?”
“In the past, where/what situations have given me that “completely lost myself” kind of vibe?”

If this feels a little counterintuitive to you, that’s okay. That’s normal. Most of us have this idea that we need to be giving something up, or denying ourselves some pleasure, to get health and fit. But the other side of that particular coin is that it’s just as effective (if not more effective), to find healthy things we love and focus on doing more of THAT.

Forget about…

Don’t worry about what other people are thinking. Focus entirely on the task at hand. Grip the dumbbell. Press your heels and toes into the ground. Feel the burn, so to speak. The only part of the equation that matters during your workout is YOU.

If you’re worried about what someone else thinks, or that someone else is watching or judging you, you’re detracting from the flow. I have a few tricks to improving your ability to tune out the rest of the world during a workout:

• Breath connection. Close your eyes. Take some deep breaths and focus on the air filling your lungs. Place your hands on your belly and feel your rib cage expand. Slowly exhale. Do it again. And again until you start to get the sense that it’s just you and your breathing here.
  
• Music. If you feel intimidated in a full gym, or simply can’t cut the thought-stream short, use music. It’s enough of a distraction but not too much. Plus, if you’ve got headphones in you really area creating your own little bubble of space to move within.
  
• Channel your strength. When that uphill stretch gets tough stop thinking about how hard it is. Forget about how much further you need to run, or how slow your turnover is. Instead, think about how strong your legs are. Focus on what it feels lie to overcome.

Set Goals That Support The Zone

I mentioned it before but it’s worth saying again: The Zone requires a balance between challenge and confidence. Your goals should challenge you enough to keep you hungry for more. But they should not be so challenging, or so distant, that they overwhelm you.

One way to do that is to set SMART goals. SMART goals are:

Specific. What exactly do you want? Don’t be vague. Get real and visualize this.

Measurable. What parameters can you measure or track to determine progress? How will you know when you’ve achieved your goal?

Attainable. Are you able to make this happen? Do you have the time, the support, the space?

Relevant. Why is this goal meaningful to you? Don’t stop at surface level. Keep asking yourself why until it gets personal.

Time Bound. When do you want to achieve this goal by?

Set “stepping stone” goals that are juuuuuuuust out of reach.

If you want to run a marathon but you’ve never run a mile, that’s fine! But a marathon is a ways off. There is a stretch of time and a lot of miles between you and your first marathon. What can you do between now and then that will keep you on track and excited? A 5k? 10k? Half marathon?

Setting up “stepping stone” goals in between is a great way to stay motivated and in The Zone.

Practice Moving with Confidence

Fake it until you make it. Controversial phrase but in this context, it works.

Confidence comes from doing. It comes from getting comfortable in the situation at hand. A public speaker who knows her subject matter inside and out speaks confidently and eloquently because she’s done this before – she knows what she’s talking about. A coach who has worked with 100s of clients is far more confident in her abilities than she was at the start – and it shows!

You can’t buy confidence. You earn it. You earn it by putting in the time and the reps. But until then, you can 100% hype yourself up by repeating:

I am worthy.
I deserve to be here.
This time is mine.

Because you are. And you do. And it is.