Whether you’re trying out for a high school sports team, training for a 5K marathon, or competing in a friendly softball league, practice these 5 tips to help you improve your sports performance and strive for excellence.
1. Eat a healthy balanced diet
Athletes require a higher daily calorie intake to give their bodies the fuel they need to stay active for many hours at a time. Depending on your age, weight, and level of fitness, you may require between 2,000-5,000 calories per day!
Don’t get too excited though— the extra calories you’re allowed per day doesn’t mean that you should make a habit out of dropping by your favorite fast food restaurant to order the biggest cheese burger you can sink your teeth into!
Nutritionists advise a diet high in protein, vegetables and legumes to fuel your body and feed your muscles the nutrients they need to beef up and stay strong.
It is also important to watch your sugar and alcohol intake, which can both have negative effects on your energy, stamina, and overall health.
2. Make sleep a priority
Getting a good night’s sleep will not only give you the energy you need for hours of working out, it will also help you to maintain focus and keep your head in the game.
Sleep deprivation on the other hand, can sap your energy, raise the level of stress hormones in your body, and decrease the amount of glycogen your body produces— all of which can impact your athletic performance.
3. Warm up
Stretching and warming up before beginning a workout will get your blood pumping, loosen your joints, and even help you to improve your focus.
An efficient warm up also increases your flexibility and reduces your risk of injury and post-workout joint or muscle pain.
4. Visualize success
Visualizing success can help your brain to prepare your muscles to perform your next move with increased accuracy. Visualization also allows you to develop consistency in your performance.
Sports psychologists also concur that a positive attitude helps you to stay motivated, strive for excellence, and develop resilience when the going gets tough.
5. Strengthen your vision skills
Certain visual skills are essential for optimal sports performance and can even be the driving force behind your success on the field.
Sports vision training is a personalized program designed to strengthen the visual skills necessary for practically any sport you play. Vision training sessions are conducted by optometrists experienced in sports vision, and can include the use of specialized lenses, prisms, and eye exercises designed to train and strengthen the eye-brain connections for clearer, more comfortable vision.
Whether you’re a budding athlete or have already made a name for yourself, there is always room for improving your performance. Follow these tips to help you achieve your goals and enhance your game.
