Watch Michelle's interview with Dr JoAnn Dahlkoetter discussing Sport Psychology Coaching and the certification program.  www.sportspsychologycertification.com
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Michelle Newton is a contributor to North Shore News
Game-day nutrition planning can contribute to better results.


Spring training is well underway for many teams and athletes on the North Shore.

Having trained hard through the winter months, they're strong and their skills are developed, but have they considered their nutrition requirements and how these will affect their game? Too often I've seen athletes run out of steam or teams fade in the last minute of games due to improper hydration or nutrition, an occurrence that can 0be avoided. When followed, a game-day nutrition plan will elevate athletes' performance and provide them with enough fuel to finish the game strong. Whether you're an endurance athlete or a sprinter, the same rules apply: the muscles require proper fuel to fire properly and get the job done. Without the right balance, athletes can't perform at their peak level.

A few simple rules apply in sport nutrition, and when implemented will leave athletes energized, stronger than their competition and able to recover quickly for their next event.  Read the full article at: http://www.nsnews.com/living/health-wellness/power-your-performance-1.1800763#sthash.Jb7JRMjJ.dpuf 

Michelle Newton is a contributor in Impact Magazine
Turn performance anxiety into positive energy

Do you perform well during training or practice but choke in competition? Pre-race jitters are common among athletes. Whether you are a newcomer to your sport or a seasoned veteran, this phenomenon can get the better of you.

Sometimes referred to as choking, it will inevitably diminish your ability to perform at your best. Athletes choke on game day because they have an audience or they have extremely high expectations of their success. The way in which the athlete talks to them self and how they interpret their situation will either add to, or reduce, their anxiety.  Read the Full Article in Impact Magazine

by Michelle Newton

The skill of setting a positive image can boost surfing performance. Kelly Slater sees himself doing it right, before dropping in.  This is not just a skill for pro surfers but can be used for any sport and will very quickly up your game.


The process is simple; the athlete thinks about the move they want to do, they then break it down into chunks, see the sequence of events unfolding in their mind and once it comes time to perform the move, the body knows what to do.  The same process can be used to overcome fears and limiting beliefs.


The science behind visualisation is that it allows you to move from left brain to right brain thinking which is where infinite possibilities exist.  Our left brain  is our logical side, our inner critic and it is here where negative thoughts reside.  Our right brain is our creative side, free from limitations and barriers.  


Olympic Athletes have been studied as they were performing visualisations and they found that they were recruiting the same small muscle fibers during their visualisations as they would use while performing the physical  task. Looking for an extra advantage, incorporate visualisation and watch the benefits of positive sport performance.

Read my article in the North Shore News about how to avoid choking on game day.

Avoid Choking on Game Day
by Michelle Newton

Do you perform well during training or practice but choke in competition?

Pre-race jitters are a common complaint among competitive athletes. Whether you are a newcomer to your sport or a seasoned veteran, this phenomenon can get the better of you.

Sometimes referred to as choking, it will inevitably diminish your ability to perform at your best. Athletes can choke on game day because they have an audience or they have extremely high expectations of their success.
See more at: http://www.nsnews.com/living/avoid-choking-on-game-day-1.1414628#sthash.y6Kpda3q.dpuf

I had the pleasure of interviewing Morgan Quarry, the General Manager of both Canada's Olympic and Men's National Soccer teams which you can listen to here:

YUKI TSUBOTA
Canadian Freestyle Skiier, Sochi 2014

"The most important thing for me is to find a balance between my personal life and ski life. My community, friends and family are really important to me ant there's nothing better then spending time with them to bring myself together.  When it comes to skiing, I have a tendency to not put much pressure on myself and have no expectations, which I personally find helps me the most.  I mean every contest can't be perfect and we all make mistakes, that's why there's always a next one."

INTERVIEW WITH JOANNA QUARRY
Canadian Women’s National Ultimate Team, 
Gold, World Championships Germany, 2000, 
Sports Hall of Fame

We used mental training in our bid to win Gold at the World Championships.  Each day, our coach would give us an “intention” for that game.  I remember receiving a piece of paper with a word and its description and how to use it to the best of our ability.  For example, “focus” was used once and for me it was a very powerful and intense piece of information that I could use as a player, bring it to the table and ultimately it would become part of our team.  Everyone on our team received the same page with the same info, going into the game.  This way, we could take it into our own role as an individual and put it into the team.  Because of this, we played as a cohesive  team and  went on to become the first Canadian team to win gold at the World Championships.