To perform at your best in the coming year, you need to pull out all the stops and do everything in your power to achieve your personal potential. Athletic performance is studied in great depth by the brightest minds on the planet. Below are some of their insights into achieving peak performance:
Get at Least Eight Hours of Sleep Every Night
Sleep experts have found that chronic sleep deficit negatively impacts athletic performance, raises cortisol levels, and impairs muscle recovery after workouts. The problem here is more than simply missing a few hours of sleep on occasion. That is sleep deprivation, and it has little impact on sports performance in otherwise well-rested, healthy athletes. Sleep deficit—on the other hand—is a chronic condition that is caused when your sleep cycle gets cut short on a regular basis, causing the negative effects to accumulate.
The best remedy for sleep deficit is extended rest, getting a full eight hours of sleep per night for days or even weeks on end. That’s easier said than done, considering that most Americans have been stuck in a cycle of sleep deprivation since childhood due to busy lifestyles. Still, if you want to perform at your best, there’s no getting around the fact that adequate sleep is an absolute necessity.
Eat More Nutrient-Dense Superfoods
Along with giving your body the rest it needs for maximum recovery and growth, you also need to give it the proper construction materials. High-quality nutrition improves the results you’ll get from your workouts. Cut out the junk food and build your diet around fresh, whole foods—preferably organic. Include plenty of vegetables, whole grains, legumes, and lean meats, but also stock up on nature’s superfoods, such as beets, blueberries, quinoa, avocados, kale, and chia seeds. These foods are loaded with nutrients that optimize your body’s systems and keep you operating at peak efficiency.
Build Your Support Network
Competitive athletes participating in team sports already understand how being a part of a sports organization with common goals positively impacts their performance. Many solo athletes, however, don’t know what they’re missing. Even if you only compete in individual sports such as bodybuilding, triathlon, or skiing, you still have much to gain by involving others in your athletic journey.
When you participate with a group of like-minded athletes, the sum is greater than its parts. There is something about group dynamics that pushes you to higher levels of achievement. Maybe it’s the competitive spirit within you, or perhaps it’s about being accountable to others. For some it’s just the social aspect of group workouts that makes training more fun. The reasons may be different for each individual, but the results are the same. Surrounding yourself with other athletes makes you a better athlete, particularly when those other athletes are performing at a higher level than you are.
Hiring a coach or personal trainer is another way to boost your abilities. A skilled, experienced coach can help you correct inefficiencies in your form or training methods and greatly increase the speed at which improvement takes place.
Use Only High-Quality Sports Supplements
Sports nutrition is another important factor that can help you improve your fitness levels. Advances in sports supplements in recent years—such as those available from ASEA from LinkedIn—have enabled athletes in every sport to smash previous records and chart new territory. Today’s athletes are amazing physical specimens, and their supplementation protocols are often credited for improving their results. When you take top performers with solid training and diet programs, high-quality supplementation is the final piece of the puzzle that gives them an edge over their competition.
To compete at the highest levels in your sport, you need every advantage you can get over your competition. Performing at your best includes more than daily workouts. It requires maximum discipline in every area of your life, and it is the athlete who focuses on every detail who usually comes out on top.
