MAP TRAININGYour guide to unlocking your true potential in life through scientifically proven mental and physical training practices

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MAP TRAINING OVERVIEW

Hi, and welcome to our free MAP teaser for YOU!

MAP training stands for Mental and Physical training - the training of the mind and body. It’s something Olympic Athletes practice on a daily basis - becoming both mentally and physically strong in order to optimise their performance and pursue their dreams. Now you get to do the same.

We started Fitsapp to merge the link between physical and mental training and the challenges faced in everyday life. Whilst getting slim legs or a six-pack may make people look better on the outside, we strongly believe that to achieve long-lasting behaviour change and happiness, it has to start with a development of the mind.

And that’s why we are excited for you to take the first step in learning how you can improve your mental and physical fitness and truly achieve your fitness and life

goals through MAP training.

This is a broad and diverse concept - but we’re here to break it down for you and guide you step by step through this life-changing adventure.

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ABOUT FITSAPP

We at Fitsapp believe that looking after your mind is just as important as taking care of your body. The two go hand in hand, because what the mind believes, the body can achieve.

In fact, one of our very own stars and team-mates, Sara Isakovic, a Silver Olympic Medalist, performance psychologist and TEDx speaker, knows the effect the mind can have over the body. Sara has hands-on experience as a published researcher in mental training from the University of California San Diego, working with NAVY Seals, Marines and Olympic athletes. The “Science” part of this Teaser goes into some detail on her work, so be sure to check it out!

We've made it our mission to improve people's self confidence and belief in themselves all around the world by combining mental training with exercise, known as MAP (mental and physical) training.

When the simple activity of starting and ending your workouts with visualisation and awareness meditation is considered no more strange than washing the dishes after eating, we'll have achieved our goal.

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Meditation - and the training of awareness - has gained a lot of attention in recent years. Studies have shown the impact of awareness meditation on stress reduction - acting as a coping mechanism to buffer physical and psychological reactions to stress. Attentional capacity, cognitive processing and emotion regulation, have all been shown to be positively affected by awareness practices.

With regards to performance, extensive research has been carried out on the U.S. military, who engage in awareness meditation training as a way to build resilience prior to deployment. The data shows improvements in body-based self-regulation, decision making

SCIENCE AND RESEARCH

AWARENESS MEDITATION

Mental training has recently become one of the most popular research topics, and, partly aided by improvements in technology, neuroscientists can now look at structural and functional changes in the brain as a result of mental practice.

skills, as well as enhanced stress recovery.

When considering benefits on physical fitness, a study by Dr. Ellen Langer, a Harvard psychologist, has shown that when participants increased their levels of awareness during workout routines, on average lost 2 pounds in weight, reduced body fat content, and reduced blood pressure.

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Sara in the lab doing brain research on NAVY seals

mind and body to carry it out more effortlessly - or more specifically increasing confidence, enhancing focus and decreasing anxiety once performing. When you imagine what you want, it strongly influences the prefrontal cortex in the brain - the executive centre - which takes action and finds resources and tools you will need to achieve your goals.

Interested in learning more? Or want to hear more personal stories on the effectiveness of mental training? When you join us, you’ll learn from some of the very best athletes in the world and give you a new toolbox to get inspired and motivated to try it out yourself.

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Neuroscientists have shown that when you visualise, or create an image in the mind (of what you want to happen, or how you want to feel), the brain cannot distinguish whether you are imagining it or whether it’s truly happening. This is because the same brain patterns are activated when you picture something, as when you are experiencing it in real life.

So when you mentally practice a situation/performance, the brain goes about creating the necessary new neural pathways, like a blueprint, to be followed in the actual performance. When re-visualising the same action, or physically carrying it out, the neural circuit gets stronger, allowing our

VISUALISATION

WHO TRAINS THEIR BRAIN?

Performers from various walks of life train their brain - with the intention to be at their best when it matters most. The entire world of sports engages in mental training - basketball players, american football players, soccer players, gymnasts, golfers, swimmers, skiers, and so on. Performers in other stressful contexts also take mental training very seriously - from pilots to firefighters, dancers to artists, surfers to doctors, business people to many more!

HOW CAN I BENEFIT FROM THIS?

The same way you will benefit from physical exercise - developing endurance, strength and flexibility, a fit mind will help you stay agile and adaptable, help you bounce back from failure and stay optimistic in time of hardship. You’ll profit from improved focus and concentration (something we ALL need these days!). You’ll be better able to handle your emotions, stay aware and practice willpower to pursue your goals.

Just the way physical fitness protects your body from injury, mental fitness will help protect your mind from psychological stress. So why not train both?

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MAP WORKOUTThe Fitsapp

Visualisation might sound complicated, but you’ll soon learn that it’s quite simple. All you need is a vivid imagination - and the good news is we all have one. When we are young, we start developing the skill during pretend play - one of the most crucial components of brain development. When we get older, we tend to get too busy with life and no longer tap into that creativity. So it’s time to bring it back. It’s time to daydream and visualise more than ever before.

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LET’S VISUALISE

VISUALISATION EXERCISE

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1. WHEN

There is no rule to when you visualise. Most performers do it right before their actual performance, mentally rehearsing their plans and strategies to bring about focus. The best time to visualise is at bedtime but you can visualise while commuting, while exercising, showering or washing dishes.

SImply, bringing images to mind that make you happy and keep you motivated to pursue your goals on a daily basis.

2. WHAT

Well, the first question you have to ask yourself is ‘What do I want?’ It’s your choice. You get to be the creator of your own vision. As long as you wholeheartedly believe in it, set your mind to it, and not let any doubts, fears, expectations and pressure creep in, it will come true.

Part 1

Follow the steps above and spend the next 5-10 minutes visualising a successful you. If you would like a guided-visualisation session, feel free to make use of the resources below:

Paint a successful pictureLet your creativity flow, and visualise whatever goal or dream you want to achieve. As an example, to prepare yourself for the workout that’s about to come, paint a picture of yourself, going through your workout successfully - determined and confident, like nothing can stop you. Make use of the tools below to make your visualisation even more powerful.

■ Choice of perspective: Your own or from a bird’s eye view

■ Colour: Include vivid colours

■ Feelings & emotions: Experience it as if it was real

■ Smell, touch, taste, sound: Include all your senses

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3. HOW

Get set upYou can either stretch or find a place to sit comfortably, or lie down on the ground if you wish..

Focus on the breathClose your eyes and start off by taking 3 deep breaths, in through the nose and out through the mouth. Loud enough so that if someone were next to you, they’d hear you. Then gently shift focus to the natural rhythm of your breath.

Youtube.com/watch?v=1-XnXOHZo3I

YOUR TURN!

Download Fitsapp in the App Store

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LET’S SWEAT!

The Fitsapp training programmes have been developed in collaboration with Olympic athletes and sports coaches. They vary in volume and variety week by week in order to shock your body and to keep it guessing. This leads to better results than doing the same workouts day in and day out, where the body will stagnate.

We focus on three core pillars of fitness:

■ Resistance training (weight and body weight)

■ Cardiovascular training (cardio/endurance)

■ Rehabilitation (stretching)

When it comes to resistance training, you will be training by strength and bodybuilding principles, with the goal of building lean, strong muscles. For cardio, you’ll be doing a mix of HIIT and LISS.

For stretching, you’ll be doing this at the start and end of your workouts to prevent injuries and

to make you able to do all exercises in this programme.

For the workouts you do, you’ll be using a method known as “progressive overload”, meaning that you will always be pushed to try to increase your training resistance or frequency.

For example if you lifted 15kg weights last week for an exercise, you should aim to lift 16kg for the same exercise this week. This leads to overall muscle growth and progress towards your goal.

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Part 2

SUGGESTED REPS

COMPLETED REPS

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3 x Butt-ups 20

Walking Lunges 403 x

Climbers

18Pushup 2 Side Plank

4 x Cross-Body Crunch 30

ABS & LEGS

3 x

3 x

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30

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START5 MIN VISUALISATION

END10 MIN MEDITATION

OUTDOORS / HOME

Let’s face it. Our minds are ALWAYS at work! Constantly reminiscing, thinking about past or being worried about the future.

Being mindful or meditating however, means being right here, right now, fully engaged and free from distractions. Training your mind to stay away from instinctual, emotional, stress-wired reactions. It helps you step back, breathe and not allow a situation or person take over you, your thoughts, feelings and physical well being.

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LET’S MEDITATE

MEDITATION EXERCISE

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1. WHEN

Most people think you have to sit quietly and practice awareness. Sure, to some extent this is true, meditation practices can require from 5 to even 40 minutes of practice. BUT! Training awareness can occur throughout the day- paying attention to your posture, brushing teeth, eating - simply bringing full attention to whatever you are doing.

2. WHAT

You can train awareness in many ways. By purposefully paying attention to your:

● Thoughts ● Body ● Breath ● Environment

And as mentioned earlier, bringing attention to whatever it is that you are doing.

Part 3

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3. HOW

Get set upPreferably lay down and get comfortable wherever you find some space.

Focus on the breathStart off by taking 3 deep breaths, inhaling in through your nose and exhaling loudly through your mouth. Then shift awareness to the natural rhythm of your breath. Bringing about stillness and focus to the present moment.

Tapping into your bodyAs you are focusing on your breath, bring attention to the muscles you were using today.

With every inhale, feel the muscles fill with air and imagine them recovering. With every exhale, mentally relax the muscles. Let go of tension, or pain that build up throughout the workout.

Simply using the breath to stay present and relax your body. Whenever your mind wanders, notice it, and bring attention back to the breath or the part of the body you are mentally relaxing.

Stay present and enjoy a moment of mind-body connection.

Follow the steps above and spend the next 5-10 minutes meditating and connecting the mind with the body. If you would like a guided meditation session, feel free to download our app below:

YOUR TURN!

Download Fitsapp in the App Store

WWW.FITSAPP.COM

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WHAT’S INCLUDED IN FITSAPP COACH

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