In the usual usage of the words, we tend to want to avoid altered states of consciousness while working out. Alcohol and weights should not mix. Other drugs, too, seem counterproductive to the enterprise. However, there is one altered state of consciousness that actually helps our workouts: the flow state.
Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi (no, I have no idea how to say his name, nor spell it without looking very carefully) wrote the book on the flow state, Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience. When we are in flow, things seem like they’re just working, like we can do our best without undue effort. It’s a kind of peak experience in which all the things we’re not doing fall away. We are doing what we’re doing, and nothing but what we’re doing.
In a fitness context, this is related to the runner’s high. When we’re in flow, we feel like we could work out all day long, or run for hours, or swim for days. We feel fabulous. All the things that we struggle with most days are not a problem when we hit flow. Of course we want flow. It feels fabulous in the moment and it helps us want to work out again in the future.
So how do we get there? Good question! And I will give my favorite answer: we experiment. Different people find that different things trigger the flow state, so what works for me may not work for you.
On a basic level, we want to do all the things we normally do to make working out simple for us. Rolling out of bed to find our gear right there and ready is a good start. Plugging in our devices before bed so they are charged when we really need those workout tunes is another one of those things. Those of us who like to hit the gym after work would want to make sure the bag is stocked with clean clothes, appropriate snacks, and all that good stuff before we leave home.
For most of us, flow comes when the workout is not too easy or too difficult. If it’s too easy, we zone out and start making shopping lists or wondering what possessed that person at work to say that terrible thing or fixating on burritos. If it’s too hard, the feedback from our bodies overwhelms us with please-stop-now messages.
There is some evidence that the mindset we go in with can contribute to flow. When we bring our curiosity with us, we take an attitude of “I wonder how far I can go?” instead of “when the heck is this going to be over?” Leaning into the sensations we get during the workout can also help us develop flow—what happens when we try to do the movement this way instead? What if I concentrate on the alignment of my knees? That mind/body connection thing is real!
Some people find that the right music helps them flow; others find it distracts. Interruptions from texts and calls are almost always flow-busters. I recently read something that suggested that rewarding ourselves before the workout can potentially help us hit flow (haven’t tried this one myself, and I suspect it depends on the reward, among other things).
One note of caution: while flow makes us feel like we can keep going forever, we do actually need to use good judgment about when to stop. We want to quit before we are totally exhausted and ensure that we get plenty of rest.
Go play.
