From couch to ultra-marathon - mental imagery technique can aid running challenge completion

Date:
August 26, 2021
Source:
University of Plymouth
Summary:
A motivational intervention known as functional imagery training
(FIT) can help self-professed non-runners to complete an
ultra-marathon (50km plus), according to new research.



FULL STORY ==========================================================================
A motivational intervention known as functional imagery training (FIT)
can help self-professed non-runners to complete an ultra-marathon (50km
plus), according to new research.


==========================================================================
The study, led by the University of Plymouth, started by examining the motivation of 31 non-runners who wanted to get fitter, by giving them
a recognised behaviour change technique, often used by counsellors,
known as Motivational Interviewing (MI). Participants were then left
for five months to do whatever they presumed would benefit their fitness
and health. After this period all were contacted and asked if they would consider completing an ultra- marathon.

Fifteen participants went on to express an interest in attempting an
ultra- marathon as they continued to improve their fitness. Seven were
randomly assigned FIT, while eight continued with just MI.

MI is a technique that sees a counsellor support someone to develop,
highlight and verbalise their need or motivation for change, and their
reasons for wanting to change. Functional Imagery Training builds on MI,
as it teaches clients how to elicit and practice motivational imagery themselves, with participants encouraged to utilise all their senses to visualise how it would feel to achieve their goal.

Of the eight participants in the MI only group, four started the race,
and two finished. Meanwhile, all seven of the FIT group started, and
six finished - - showing that those assigned to the technique were five
times more likely to complete the challenge.

While researchers acknowledge the small population size, the study,
published in the Journal of Imagery Research in Sport and Physical
Activity, adds to the growing body of evidence that FIT can significantly reinforce a person's motivation to complete a challenging goal.



==========================================================================
FIT has also previously been shown to boost weight loss, with another
Plymouth- led study showing that overweight people who used it lost
an average of five times more weight than those using motivational
interviewing alone.

Developed at the University of Plymouth, FIT is a unique approach to
behaviour change that uses mental imagery to motivate change.

It teaches people new ways of thinking about their immediate future
to help them stay motivated as they achieve each small step towards
their goal -- with users describing it as a 'mindset shift', where they exercised because they wanted to, rather than feeling they had to.

For example, at difficult points in the race, a participant in the new
study - - a teacher -- pictured the conversation they would have at work
on Monday morning: visualising the staff room, holding a coffee in hand, imagining the smell and the taste, talking about the challenges with
a peer, then using this self-developed image to imagine the feeling at
the finish line, as they go from little exercise to ultra-athlete.

Lead author Dr Jon Rhodes, who has worked with professional athletes
to improve their resilience, said: "An ultra-marathon requires a huge
amount of mental, as well as physical, strength -- even from people who
run regularly. Trialling Functional Imagery Training on historically self-professed non-runners was a real test of its efficacy, and to see
that it made a difference was a promising finding.

"It shows that multi-sensory imagery is the key difference between those
who reach the starting line and then go on to finish, and those who do
not - - showing it is critical to maintaining changes and pushing the boundaries of physical and mental performance." Melissa King, aged
38 from Newquay in Cornwall, was allocated the FIT intervention as she
prepared for the Exmoor Ultra Marathon earlier this year.

Completing the event successfully, she said: "My honest reason for
starting running in the first place was just to see if I could do it.

"FIT has been a huge mindset shift, and I now use imagery as a way to
reset; to ground me and help me to focus on being present, appreciating
why I am here while also prompting me to cue my immediate, medium-
and long-term goals.

Having never run before, my ultimate aim is now a running trip in South
America which will take a couple of months. It's in three years' time,
so I'm starting training early and really embracing the challenge."
Professor Jon May is one of the co-creators of FIT, and co-author on
the paper.

He added: "FIT is based on two decades of research showing that
mental imagery is more strongly emotionally charged than other types of thought. It uses imagery to strengthen people's motivation and confidence
to achieve their goals, and teaches people how to do this for themselves,
so they can stay motivated even when faced with challenges. We were
very excited to see that the intervention helped people to complete
their ultra-marathon, and look forward to seeing further studies on the effectiveness of FIT as a motivational technique within sport and beyond." ========================================================================== Story Source: Materials provided by University_of_Plymouth. Note:
Content may be edited for style and length.


========================================================================== Journal Reference:
1. Jonathan Rhodes, Karol Nedza, Jon May, Thomas Jenkins, Tom
Stone. From
couch to ultra marathon: using functional imagery training to
enhance motivation. Journal of Imagery Research in Sport and
Physical Activity, 2021; 16 (1) DOI: 10.1515/jirspa-2021-0011 ==========================================================================

Link to news story: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2021/08/210826111656.htm

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