[Darius Marsh is a student at ECU and an Athletic Development Intern at Athletic Lab] Many people today struggle to get focused for the gym or pumped up for the workout ahead planned at the gym. Some feel they might need caffeine, pre-workout, or energy drinks. This is a flaw in the population today; not having multiple ways to get mentally prepared for the gym and having a successful workout. There are many ways to prepare for the gym that can be more cost efficient or less time consuming. Some of these ways to mentally prepare for the gym include music, visualization, and motivational speeches. The first option of mental preparation can be to create a music playlist specifically for the gym. Also, making sure that the playlist builds up your motivation for the gym and a successful workout. Think outside of the box for your music, ranging from different varieties of your all-tie favorite songs to pump yourself up for the gym. Have different playlist for different days at the gym, such as: strength, cardio or power focused. The second option for your mental preparation can include visualization of your workout at the gym. Many athletes use this method such as track athletes for pre-race visualization. This method has been proven to increase an athlete's performance. It only takes up to five minutes to visual your workout or positive vibes for the gym. You want to have silence whenever you take time out of your day for visualization. Finally, the last option for mental preparation for the gym is motivational speeches. There are many motivational speeches out there on the internet that touch on different topics. These speeches can be used to pick you [...]

[Aminee Alexander is a Masters Student at NCSU and an Athletic Development Intern at Athletic Lab] We're now beginning the second month of a New Year and I bet someone, somewhere, is working on their New Year's resolution of losing weight. That's a great resolution to make as it means that you've realized there is a problem and you're willing to work to fix it. The problem with making resolutions is nine times out of ten no one actually sticks to them long term. Gym memberships skyrocket in January and by March or April no one is using them anymore. I can admit that I've never fully committed to my resolutions either. But maybe instead of making New Year's resolutions, we need to be making New Year's goals. What's the difference between a resolution and a goal you may ask? A resolution is usually very general and half-hearted while a goal, on the other hand, is usually specific and thoughtfully planned out. Tips for setting goals Be specific One of the main problems with following through on goals is being too general. For example, your goal may be to run a half-marathon next year. While that's a great goal, you should be more specific, add a time you want to complete the marathon in or choose which specific marathon you want to run. Studies show that specific goals are more effective than vague/general goals (Locke,1985). Use short-term goals to achieve long-term goals Short term goals can be the building blocks for long term goals. If you start your journey to achieving your big goal by setting and accomplishing small goals, the journey won't seem so overwhelming or impossible. Going back to the goal of a [...]