For as long as athletics have existed, people have been looking for ways to improve their performance. However, today's athletes have an amazing amount of options available to them in order to improve their strength and endurance. The exact steps you should take will depend on the specific sports you are trying to excel at. For obvious reasons, a person training for tennis will require a completely different regimen than a football player. Therefore, before you use any of the tips listed below, it is important that you know what your goals are in terms of athletics and fitness. Once you have these established, you can take the necessary steps to improve your performance in your specific sport. Here are some methods you can use to go about improving your athletic performance.
Increase your calcium intake
Calcium has the reputation of being a nutrient that is popularly used in the sport of bodybuilding. While this is true, calcium is also important for people to be able to achieve contractions in their muscles in the correct manner. Because of this, if a person is not consuming an adequate amount of calcium, their athletic performance will suffer as a result. Skim milk, yogurt and low-fat cottage cheese are all excellent sources of calcium. For those individuals who are lactose intolerant, a calcium supplement would be advisable.
Improve your vision with LASIK
Not surprisingly, the better your vision is, the better you will perform at your sport. LASIK eye surgery is one of the greatest inventions of modern medical science. Thanks to a painless procedure that only takes a short time to complete, a person with horrible vision can have it corrected to a perfect or near-perfect level. Athletes such as Tiger Woods and former New York Yankees center fielder Bernie Williams have reaped the benefits of having the LASIK procedure. LASIK surgery can help correct your vision so you don't have to wear glasses while playing sports.
Start weight training
No matter what sport you play, being stronger than your opponent is always a valuable asset. Most of the best athletes in the world have gyms at their homes, emphasizing the importance of weight training during the entire year. Twenty years ago, golfers were rarely known to work out with weights. Nowadays, it is a common thing, as witnessed by the dramatic increase in driving averages over the past two decades.
Make sure you are properly hydrated
If you have always wondered why football teams have dozens of coolers of Gatorade on the sidelines of games, there is a very good reason for it. Even a small amount of dehydration can be detrimental to your athletic performance. This is especially important if you are going to be playing your sport in very hot conditions, which will cause you to perspire at a more rapid rate than you normally would.
Get enough sleep
You could be eating the healthiest diet of anyone on the planet and doing all of the right exercises for your sport. However, if you are not getting enough sleep, your body will not be able to perform at peak athletic efficiency. This is because the period of time you are sleeping is when your body recovers and repairs itself. Therefore, sleeping for insufficient periods of time will not give your body the time it needs to recover. This will leave you vulnerable in your next athletic event.
Hire a dietician and/or personal trainer
While this will cost you some money, the benefits to your athletic performance will be enormous. While you may think you know a lot about dieting and working out, your knowledge will pale in comparison to a professional licensed dietician or personal trainer. Most major gyms employ personal trainers.
Improving your athletic performance can be easy with these tips. You don't always have to take drastic measures to notice drastic results. Doing even the simplest tasks can help you improve as an athlete.
