by Porter Sprigg
A study at Bishop’s University measured the muscle gain of three different groups. One group didn’t work out at all. The second group worked out a specific muscle three times a week for hours at a time. The third group listened to CDs, guiding them through a process of imagining themselves performing the same exercises as the second group. The control group showed no increase in muscle mass. The group that actually performed the exercises showed a 28% increase in muscle mass. The group that merely imagined themselves doing the exercises showed a 24% increase in muscle mass. That’s right. Imagining yourself doing squats or bicep curls is nearly as effective as actually going to the gym and doing it. As I write this, I am also doing pushups in my brain, and thus I thank you for reading this and participating in the process of me becoming ripped.
I was going to ask this girl to Prom and she was going to say yes. How did I know? I’d played the scenario out in my mind hundreds of times and around 80% of the trial runs resulted in success. Usually she’d just blush and nod but in 10% of the cases she’d exclaim, “I would absolutely love to go to Prom with a man like you!!” rushing into my warm embrace. The 20% where I received a negative response were usually because of my own awkwardness. I’d stuttered a bit too much or used the word “really” too many times when expressing how much I’d like to go to the dance with her. I wish I could say my imagined self was a suave and confident individual, but sometimes he was even more helpless than the real me.
I think there was another reason why my imagined scenarios sometimes ended in defeat. I was preparing myself. If I had my expectations too high, I’d be crushed if she pulled the “I’m sorry but…” card. Imagining what it would be like when she said no, if she said no, would help me if it that awful scenario became a reality.
Reading studies about the power of visualization are a lazy man’s dream, although we lazy men tend to be too busy having dreams to end up reading any studies. We can literally fool our own brains into thinking our muscles are being pushed even when they aren’t. Then the next day, our brain sends the message to rebuild something that was never broken and voila, our hours on the couch drinking six packs of Mountain Dew can lead to a different type of six pack. It turns out, when they tell you imagination matters, they weren’t just talking in a subjective, creative, Dr. Seuss sense. Imagination can literally affect your body’s development. Which means there’s still hope for those of us who’d rather pick up a book than an iron bar.
There was a man named Natan Sharansky who was in prison for 9 years. For 9 years, Sharansky played chess against himself in his own mind daily. The year Sharansky was released he became the world chess champion. That might just say a lot about Natan Sharansky, but maybe it says more about the human mind.
Some scientists have begun to research whether the phenomenon of visualization could apply not only to muscle growth but to muscle memory. Would professional athletes benefit from lying down and imagining themselves shooting free throws or hitting home runs? Could you become more agile, more balanced, more coordinated through the power of imagination? Many think the answer is yes. Research is showing that one could train muscles to perform a certain function without actually physically performing the particular function. One could prepare muscles for reality by the power of imagination.
The heart is a muscle.
I didn’t even stutter. I made a little hangman board with the letters PR-M? All she had to do was fill in the O and say yes. But my imagined scenarios did not take into account that the “boy from North Carolina” I had heard about. I hadn’t realized how serious their non-relationship was. I had no idea that this boy would interfere with my master plan. Or maybe that was just the excuse she used to say no. Maybe I was just a little too awkward or a little too skinny or a little too annoying. Or maybe I just hadn’t prepared enough. Maybe if I’d spent nine years in prison imagining that Promposal, she would have said yes.
Sometimes I wonder about love. Not just go-to-prom-with-me love, but real love. Sacrificing for a friend. Acting with humility rather than pride. Do I love that way? Do I actually care about other people more than myself? That’s the type of reflective thought that makes me sweat, swallow, and turn on the TV. But even as I immerse myself in distraction, the thoughts come back.
I think about 1 Corinthians 13. I think about the words “Love is not self-seeking.” And then I laugh. It’s not? I’ve certainly been doing it wrong then.
What it would look like if my love was pure, if I did the dishes to honor my mother rather than to protect myself from her wrath? If I encouraged people because I cared for their emotional wellbeing, rather than a desire for them to like me? If I prayed because I desperately wanted to communicate with God rather than because of selfish desires?
I try to imagine what selfless love would look like. I hold the door for strangers in my mind. I write anonymous notes to people and leave anonymous gifts. In my brain, I go the extra mile quite a bit. I’d like to think I’m training myself, that this imagined function will carry over into reality.
It’s pouring rain outside when I get the text: “I’m setting up for my friend’s reception and I need a lot of help. Could you come over to the science center and help me?” I sigh. I’m comfortable in my dorm. I don’t want to move from my bed and I certainly don’t want to get wet. “No, sorry I’m busy” I begin to type. But for some reason, I struggle to hit send. Backspace backspace backspace backspace. “Yeah, I’ll be right over.” I text.
If our minds are renewed, our lives will be renewed.
Porter Sprigg is a lover of the Lord Jesus, Pixar and the New England Patriots. He enjoys writing creative non-fiction and plays.