Sport performance is determined by many different factors, both internal and external. When it comes down to it, your health and fitness play an important part in how well you perform your favorite sports or at least what level of sport you are able to do.
With that being said, this article will go into detail about some ways to improve your physical strength and endurance, as well as mental toughness. These strengths can be built upon through exercise, diet, and meditation strategies.
Physical strength refers to your ability to exert force on your muscles and bones- something we typically think of when talking about strength is weight lifting!
This article will talk about other types of strength such as muscular, bone, cardiovascular, and core strength. While most people feel strong during the week due to muscle fatigue, physically fit individuals will find that they have more energy for their workouts and activities beyond the gym.
A lot of these fitness concepts apply to any activity, not just sports. But if you’re looking to take your game up a notch, here are some tips to work towards becoming a better athlete.
Eat your whole food
When it comes down to sports, what you eat really does matter. Not only do professional athletes take great care of their diets, but most people who want to be more active make sure they are eating well before they start engaging in activities that require them to use energy.
There is a very famous saying which goes something like “an average person can survive on a diet consisting of two foods for one week”. What this means is that if you are not too hard pressed for time, you can try going a day or even just a few hours without both of these foods.
That said, there is no reason to go all-out on either of these foods for a short amount of time unless you know how much fuel each one provides. Fueling your body with enough nutrients and calories helps promote growth and recovery while limiting factors such as hunger may impair performance.
By being aware of the nutritional benefits of the foods you consume, you will know whether or not to include either in your workouts and/or daily life.
Practice proper hydration
Properly adjusting your water intake is an important part of sports performance. Most people know that you should drink enough to meet your body’s needs, but few know how much “enough” actually is.
Most general guidelines say you should consume around 2-3 litres per day for active individuals. That may sound like a lot, but most people are drinking only 1–1.5 litres!
By limiting yourself to this amount, you could be wasting up to half of your daily fluid requirements. This can have significant effects on your performance.
You need adequate levels of water to function properly. When you don’t get enough fluids, your blood volume drops, and your cardiovascular system works more intensely. You also risk developing dehydration or even kidney damage.
Fortunately, we have some helpful recommendations here at HealthPowerU. We’ve gathered information about our top eight favorite brands of purified water and found their average bottle to contain approximately 200 ml –or 8 glasses- which is the appropriate number for most adults to start with.
This article will help you find your optimal water intake and tell you where to purchase a pack of these bottles in the USA.
Become familiar with your equipment
One of the most important things you can do to improve your performance as a player is become familiar with the equipment that you use for sports. You should try to learn what each piece does, how it works, and look up reviews online to see if there have been any bad experiences related to it.
For example, when I was younger I used tennis balls that were not properly waterproofed. This caused my skin to get dry and crack easily which made me uncomfortable at times while playing. So, I eventually changed them so that I would only use new ones that are fully water resistant.
Since then I have researched whether or not this is normal and why people might need to re-waterproof their gear but I have never found an exact reason; just theories. However, one thing I have learned is that some people are more sensitive to water than others are.
By being aware of this, you will be able to find out if yours are very expensive ones that can be re-treated or cheap ones that may cause discomfort or hurt your game in some way.
Do not rely on technology
Technology has become very accessible, which is great because you now have many tools to help you in your workouts and daily lives. The problem is that some of these gadgets and apps are too focused on helping you perform certain exercises or activities.
They do not take into account how different people train for sports and what strategies work best for you. If you need more strength, then investing in a heavy weight set may be the way to go.
If you need better endurance, then investing in good quality exercise equipment can make a big difference.
But if you just want to use the most technologically advanced products to achieve your goals less important will be whether it’s designed with efficient workout routines in mind and whether it helps you develop balanced training is not as important.
There are always new technologies coming out so try using them but only for an hour a day and see what changes you get from that.
Know your limits
‘Limits’ are something that we as humans define for ourselves. We perceive limitations as what things we can not do, but more commonly it is how long we can hold our breath, or how many times we can lift a leg over our dog before asking yourself why you made this stupid choice.
These types of boundaries are typically mental and therefore are easier to overcome than physical ones. For example, if you have a limitation like being able to run a mile in under six minutes then there is no reason to try because you will be unable to satisfy the condition!
By having limits, you create an incentive to strive beyond them because you know that you would get away with it if you tried hard enough. A classic example of this comes from track and field where athletes will push themselves to their limit by running a lap around the stadium or a 100 metres outside of normal.
Athletes use these practices when they want to test their ability to keep going longer, or learn about their own potential endurance. It is also very important to recognize your body’s signals and tell yourself when it is time to stop because chances are you will need to eventually depending on how hard you exercise.
Thinking ahead and preparing mentally for a workout or event helps facilitate this. If you feel tired or un-coordinated then cut down on the activity or simply give up, you will probably just save yourself some trouble.
Stay positive
When you are involved in sports, there will be times when things go wrong or your performance does not meet your expectations.
Sports can easily become too much about winning rather than performing well. If this is the case, you may give up trying to perform your best because you do not want to lose.
You may also stop practicing because you do not feel like it makes a difference. Both of these reasons are very poor.
Practicing for long periods helps you prepare for a game and aids in developing your athletic skills. Also, feeling unprepared can be a bad thing!
When something happens that has an effect on the game, you should always consider how such events affect the other team. For example, if someone gets injured, their actions may change while they are still playing.
This could make a big difference in the outcome of the game. Even if you are not affected by what happened, thinking about all of this can help you stay calm and focused.
Always keep a level head and believe in yourself. You are more likely to have success if you are confident in yourself and your abilities.
Practice proper relaxation
When you are tired of practicing your sport, it can be difficult to find motivation to keep going. You may feel stressed out, overwhelmed, or even panicked at times. This is totally normal!
If you notice yourself becoming tense, take a moment to relax. Take a few deep breaths and try to reduce the level of stress in your body.
Practice some form of relaxation every day. The best way to do this is by doing something that you enjoy. You will want to use this relaxed state to help you focus and de-stress from other parts of your life.
Many people like to practice yoga before bed, so why not give it a try? There are many different styles of yoga for everyone’s taste.
Fun is important
Between games, practices, and workouts, there’s a lot of waiting going on. During this time, you can either be sitting around doing nothing or else trying to motivate yourself to do something active.
If you’re the latter, chances are you’ll find it hard to stay motivated. It’s easy to get distracted by TV shows, movies, and other things that hold your attention for a few minutes at a time.
But what if I told you that you could pick any activity and learn how to exercise better through engaging in the exact same thing?
Well, you already know about swimming because it’s an aquatic activity.
