Amy Purdy experienced what some people would call a disadvantage, but she does not use that word to describe her situation. A better word in her vocabulary would simply be a change. A change that forced her to use creativity to continue participating in the sport that she loved. This change not only impacted her life, but also inspired her to ease experiences of other athletes going through a similar transition.

Amy loved to snowboard, but when she lost both of her legs below the knee at the age of 19 to a rare form of bacterial meningitis, she had difficulty even walking. She was lucky to survive, but her determination to adjust to the drastic change of riding on two prosthetic legs, and ability to flourish after her recovery is what makes her story incredible. She could have given up snowboarding after experiencing the pain and difficulty of riding for the first time with her new legs, but she decided to get back on the mountain and find a way to compete all the way up to the 2014 Sochi Olympic Games. Although she would be the only competitor with two prosthetic legs, she knew that she would need to focus on her own snowboarding trials and not be intimidated by the other riders with at least one of their original good legs. Instead of dwelling over the fact that she did not have the advantage of at least one of her own ankles to assist her stance and performance, she looked to technology for a prosthetic solution that could compensate for the restraints of feet that are designed for walking and not the complex movements of snowboarding.

Amy Purdy continually went through changes during the search to find the most suitable prosthetic feet to strap into her boot. However, she did not view the different confinements of her artificial ankle as boundaries that could hold her back. Unlike sports that involve running that have provoked opinions about prosthetics potentially providing their athletes with an advantage, there is no pair of feet yet designed to accommodate the range of ankle movements needed to carve through challenging snowcross courses such as in Sochi. Amy still refused to be restricted between the walls of limited eversion and inversion, but decided to push off of these walls and propel into influencing other adaptive riders through organized camps and developing a plan to include snowboarding in the Paralympic program.

As Amy was adjusting to a new way of snowboarding, she did not have many resources to assist her in still pursuing her passion after the drastic change at the age of 19. She wanted to ensure that she could make and impact on others who shared the same passion of snowboarding by encouraging them to not let their impairments define their performances. Amy demonstrates the ways that we can allow changes to enable us, despite how difficult the transition may seem. She used her imagination to come up with her own outcomes to changes instead of letting a major change inhibit her as an athlete. Inspiring athletes who have gone through changes and came out on top remind us that if something does not seem possible or within reach, we can use the “boundaries” in the same way as Amy Purdy, and not be confined by them, but use them to drive us into places that we never imagined.

Check out her TED talk here.

References: 

http://xgames.espn.go.com/article/10590582/women-action-amy-purdy-debut-paralympic-snowboard-cross

A recent study conducted on Elite Volleyball players found athletes had increased cognitive abilities compared to non-athletes. The findings revealed athletes had increased speed identifying things in their peripheral vision, enhanced memory recall, and were better able to ignore irrelevant information from distracting them from the task at hand. One particular finding showed a significant advantage women athletes had over non-athlete women at being able to detect changes in background scenes.

This study sheds light that athletes may have a distinct benefit of being able to manipulate their cognitive abilities to either aid or deter their behavior based on what is advantageous in the moment. Identifying your skill set and applying how to take advantage of it as an athlete is key to reaching peak performance. Contact Premier Sport Psychology to let us assist you in doing just that!

Is performance anxiety getting the best of you? Are you overwhelmed with panic at the thought of competing in front of others? Do your limbs become a bundle of nerves and your stomach a knot of butterflies come game time? We know the feeling. And we’re here to help! In this three-part series, we’re sharing our best tips to help you navigate those meddlesome feelings of self-doubt and fear, and reduce your anxiety when you’re under pressure.

Follow us here on the blog or on Facebook / Twitter for three tips on managing anxiety during the month of April. In case you missed our first two tips, find Tip #1 (Focus on What You Can Control) here and Tip #2 (Embrace Anxiety) here.

Now for the third and final one this month, Tip #3!

Tip #3: When In Fight or Flight Mode, Take a Few Deep Breaths

As humans, our brains are hard-wired to prepare us for unexpected threats or dangers in the surrounding environment. This evolutionary instinct is known as the “fight or flight” response, which dictates your body’s immediate reaction to a perceived threat or stressor. As a result, our brains are constantly scanning our surroundings for these dangers in order to protect us and help us. Thousands of years ago, when a fight or flight response was necessary during, let’s say, an encounter with a predatory animal or a true, serious threat to our survival–not having to wait for the body to prepare to run away or fight the animal was a huge advantage to our species! These days, though, we very rarely encounter true threats to our survival like we might have in ancient times. However, our brains have yet to adjust to twenty-first century living.

Despite the drastically-changed environment we live in now, the brain still relies on the fight or flight response as a survival instinct. Consequently, when the brain perceives a situation as threatening, whether or not it actually is, our automatic emergency response is triggered, leading to a series of physical reactions, such as accelerated heart rate, increased and more shallow breathing, nausea, high blood pressure, sweating, adrenaline and cortisol secretion, tunnel vision, increased muscle tension, and a host of other physical reactions. For instance, if you’re just feeling extra nervous before an important speech in front of a large audience, your brain will likely detect this as a “threat” and engage your fight or flight response automatically. It’s important to understand this reaction when we are anxious because it can help us better manage our nerves.

To help, first recognize your body’s natural response, and then do your best to slow down your breathing and take deep inhales. In doing this, you’re effectively telling your body to turn OFF the fight or flight response, to slow your heart rate and communicate that the perceived “threat” is not actually a life or death situation. That upcoming final exam you’re dreading? The pressure-filled, high-stakes competition coming up? Take a moment to calm your mind and body with deep, slow breathing and tell yourself: “This game is not a threat. I’m going to be ok. Calm down.” Recognizing your body’s response to an immediate stressor or threat can help you react accordingly. Maintaining steady breathing is the most powerful way for you to manage the fight or flight aspect of performance anxiety.