3 Surprising Tips for Sporting Success

August 12, 2019 398 Comments

Regular training and good nutrition are both keys to sporting success — we all know that.

 

But if you want to succeed in sport, there's a lot more you need to consider to be at the top of your game. There's more to being an athlete than eating the right foods and practicing your sport regularly.

 

So what else should you be doing?

 

If excelling in sport is important to you, here are three surprising tips to take your performance to the next level:

 

1. Prioritise your recovery

 

It doesn't matter how much you train if you're not recovering well enough — you're putting a limit on your performance.

 

Efficient recovery starts with sleep.

 

Training breaks down muscle — and your body needs rest to repair them. When you enter deep sleep, blood flow to your muscles increases to help the tissues recover and the muscles grow.

 

How many hours are you getting each night, and what's the quality like?

 

If you know you don't sleep well, making some simple tweaks to improve the duration and quality of your sleep can make a huge difference. Try creating a nightly routine to ensure you get a decent amount of rest each night.

 

2. Work with a psychologist

 

Sports performance isn't just physical.

 

It's mental too.

 

You can be the strongest and fittest athlete out there — but if your mind gets the better of you, your performance will suffer.

 

Working with a sports psychologist can change all that.

 

They can help you address any weaknesses in your mindset. This enables you to push harder in each training session — as well as in sporting events — to perform your best each time.

 

This is about more than having a positive mindset.

 

A sports psychologist can help you channel your emotions to be a better athlete, improve your confidence – and overcome any performance-related fears that might be holding you back.

 

3. Make sure you're eating enough

 

Nutrition gets a lot of focus when it comes to improving sports performance.

 

But — often — the emphasis isn't on the right things.

 

Sure, eating a clean diet of wholesome, nutritious foods <i>can</i> improve performance — but only if you're eating enough of them.

 

The problem is, when most people remove processed foods from their diet, they experience a sudden drop in calories.

 

This sudden drop can actually hinder performance and recovery — as your body isn't getting what it needs to meet the demands of your sport.

 

Whatever diet you follow, you should make sure you're eating enough.

 

This is often more important than what you're eating.

 

There's currently a trend for low carbohydrate diets, which are used to promote fat loss. If you're an athlete, this is a risky game. For the majority of people, carbohydrates are the body's preferred fuel source. Restricting them can have a disastrous impact on performance and recovery.

 

For this reason, it's a good idea to seek advice from a qualified sports nutritionist before you make any drastic changes to your diet.

 

 

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