Sport is one of the best ways to coach yourself

The world around us buzzes with constant demands, information flow, and expectations. Your mind jumps between work, personal relationships, big dreams, and the next stage of life. Have you noticed that sometimes it’s right after the most ordinary workout - a run, a gym session, or a walk - that your thoughts begin to move in a clearer rhythm?

One of the most valuable realizations I’ve had in recent years is that sport is one of the best ways to coach yourself. Sport is not just physical movement, it’s a mental reset, just like the one you occasionally give your computer or phone. It’s a meeting with yourself. Every step on a forest trail, every lifted weight, every effort in the gym provides answers to questions you couldn’t have put into words while sitting at a desk. Physical exertion activates systems in your body that guide your mind to create clarity, structure, and creativity, which is exactly what you need to move forward.

How does this work?

• Brain science support no 1: Exercise stimulates neuroactive substances like dopamine, which enhance brain plasticity, mood, and focus.

• Brain science support no 2: Aerobic activity takes you into a state where conscious thinking momentarily fades — and the subconscious takes over. That’s when connections emerge that you simply can’t access while sitting at a desk.

• Stress shield: Even 20 minutes of movement lowers cortisol and raises endorphin levels. Tension fades, replaced by inner calm and creativity.

A Stanford University study  showed that creative thinking increases by an average of 60% after just a 15-minute walk. (link?) When we move, the brain’s prefrontal cortex activates differently - ideas no longer feel distant and unreachable, but logical, natural, and practical. Every time I go running in the forest, cycling, or walking the dog, my subconscious brings forward exciting thoughts and questions. Sometimes I even head to the trail with the conscious goal of finding an answer to a specific question.

That’s why I like to say that sport is self-leadership, because through sport you can coach yourself remarkably well:

• If your training plan doesn’t work, it reflects confusion in your priorities.

• If you postpone a workout, you’re also postponing decisions.

• If you achieve a physical goal, like running 5 km for the first time, a mental barrier breaks as well.

I’ve noticed that sport is the place where trust is built: “If I can do this in training, I can do this in life.”

How to make sport your “coach”?

Set a goal that is measurable, but not focused only on numerical results. For example: “I want to feel present.” Or: “I want to learn to listen to myself better.”

After every workout, ask yourself three questions:

1. What went well today?

2. What challenged me?

3. What did I learn about myself?

Write down your thoughts. Sometimes sport gives you the answer before the question is even fully formed. Sport is not just an activity for the body - it is mastery of your thoughts and the shifting of your limits. It develops consistency, clarity, and self-discipline, while strengthening the brain, reducing stress, and bringing to light the answers you’ve long been searching for. Sport teaches you to lead, not only your body, but yourself.

My motto, which I always share in team trainings, is that sport is one of the best ways to coach yourself. So, don’t just ask when will I find time to train? Ask yourself: When will I give myself the chance for clarity to emerge?

Train and move - and let sport guide you to the answers.

Signe Ventsel