One approach to understanding the effects of exercise on the brain and the cortical processes underlying peak performance is to measure brain activity using electroencephalography. Electroencephalography is a noninvasive technique that uses highly conductive silver or silver chlochloride (Ag/AgCl) electrodes to record brain activity, which is also referred to as electroencephalographic (EEG) activity. The EEG
Electromyography (EMG) is an electrical record of muscle activation. It is a measure that is recorded by placing sensors on the skin of a participant and monitoring changes in the electrical activity of the underlying musculature relative to movement. Greater levels of activation occur as motor unit recruitment increases in order to perform movements successfully.
The World Health Organization defines obesity and overweight as the excessive accumulation of body fat and warns that both conditions pose serious threats to health by increasing the risk for chronic diseases like diabetes, cancer, and cardiovascular diseases. Effective methods to counter obesity include changes in lifestyle, such as engagement in physical activity and exercise,
Drugs are used for performance enhancement purposes in elite, competitive, and amateur sports. Unlike heroin, barbiturates, hallucinogens, and substances used for recreational purposes in other subcultures, athletes use and abuse drugs presumed to enhance athletic ability and performance, known as ergogenic substances. The most common performance-enhancing drugs include amphetamines and a range of substances thought
Psychophysiology is the scientific study of the connection between the mind (psychology) and the body (physiology). Psychophysiology is based on the premise that there is two-way communication between the mind and the body. Thus, physical changes in the body can affect psychological responses in the mind and psychological experiences may be reflected in physiological measures.
Mindfulness is a state of non-judging awareness and acceptance of internal experiences. This state has been achieved through evidence-driven mindfulness-based interventions that are useful for the treatment of psychological concerns and for the enhancement of performance among athletes and other performers. This entry describes the basic processes associated with mindfulness, the intervention components that enhance
Rest is the cessation of activity. Rest is of interest within sport and exercise psychology because performance and learning in sport and exercise domains are affected positively by appropriate use of rest and negatively by inappropriate use of rest. The specific effects of rest depend on the length of the rest period and the length and
Self-talk refers to statements that athletes and exercisers address to themselves; these might represent automatic verbalizations or more deliberate forms of speech. Although such statements can be said aloud, most self-talk is said covertly as a silent voice in one’s mind. The nature of self-talk can also reflect positive (e.g., I can do this) or
A goal is simply something you are trying to accomplish; it is the object or aim of an action. Although goals can function at an unconscious level, the process of goal setting represents the deliberate establishment and refinement of goals and the evaluation of goal progress. The concept of goals and the practice of goal
In the year 2000, psychologists Martin Seligman and Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi were authors of an influential article proposing a new focus in the field of psychology: the positive psychology movement. Since that time, researchers have begun to explore the positive aspects or strengths of life such as satisfaction, optimism, happiness, and other positive emotions. Included in