1. What is the role of mental toughness in an elite athlete and how does it affect their sport performance?

Link to article:http://www.utexas.edu/features/2008/11/24/athletes_minds/

Summary of article:

Mental toughness in athletes is as important as physical toughness. When an athlete has the combination of these two factors, they will achieve optimal sport performance and witness astonishing results. According to sport psychologists at the University of Texas, mental toughness is a collection of attributes that allow a person to concentrate on the task at hand and persevere through difficult situations without losing self confidence. There are several strategies that athletes can adopt while training as well as during competition to improve their mentality and enter a "zone" where limitations are surpassed. Some of these strategies include having an overriding internal motivation, removing mental and situational distractions, not focussing on the outcome, pre-performance rituals, and visualizing success. The exhibition of consistent mental toughness is what separates the great athletes from the good athletes.

Questions that came to mind:

1. If an athlete exudes mental toughness, can it change their potential success in the future? What is the highest level of success that can be achieved?
2. Are there any other strategies that can be nurtured by athletes to help mental toughness?

Link to article:

http://ic.galegroup.com/ic/ovic/ViewpointsDetailsPage/ViewpointsDetailsWindow?failOver&query=&prodId=OVIC&windowstate=normal&contentModules=&mode=view&displayGroupName=Viewpoints&limiter=&currPage=&disableHighlighting=true&displayGroups=&sortBy=&source=&search_within_results=&zid=&action=e&catId=&activity&scanId=&documentId=GALE%7CEJ3010386209

1. What was the article about?

Being physically active has many benefits including better blood circulation, heart function, mood, lower blood pressure, reduced stress levels, and it helps you lose weight. This article discusses a recent study that suggests that exercise leads to better memory and may lower the risk of developing Alzheimer's disease. New discoveries show that exercising increases levels of a protein called brain-derived neurotrophic factor. This natural protein improves neuronal health and survival. Experiments conducted by scientists have shown that people who are more physically active had decreased their chances of having cognitive impairment or dementia. Although the exact number of hours of exercise that will protect the brain from memory loss has not yet been determined, data shows the more the better.

2. How might this be useful to your topic? Why is this not helpful to your topic?

This information presents one of the many ways of preventing the life altering disease of Alzheimer's . However, this is a very small piece of the big puzzle that I am trying to do my research one. The article does not confirm that exercise can definitely prevent Alzheimer's but it says that this may be a possible solution.