Make your sleep a PRIORITY. Do all the things you need to do to get this back on track. Remember, if your sleep is messed up, so are you. Here’s a list of the best ideas on improving sleep (prioritized starting with what to do first): Use a thought awareness exercise like meditation to quiet [...]
What Is Hydration? Hydration is the level of water and electrolytes available for your body to maintain a particular level of performance. Hydration is lost due to sweating during intense activity and exercise. Facts about Hydration A human can survive 4x longer without food than without water. Muscular tissue is approximately 75% water. The daily [...]
85% of U.S. adults consume caffeine daily and they are prone to increased blood pressure, meaning greater chances of heart disease, and feeling more stressed than if they didn't drink their coffee, cola or tea. The Duke University research team found that even if people don't consume caffeine after 1pm, the effects remain until they [...]
How Important Is Sleep? "Psychology and sleep researchers have confirmed that your emotional stability and cognitive strength are strongly affected by your sleep. But it’s actually even more significant than that - poor sleep contributes to alterations in mood, concentration, motivation, attention and motor skills (coordination and timing). If you were wondering why there's a [...]
I'm just a few days away from competition again, and I must admit I'm getting excited! At this weekend's National Qualifier in Colorado I only have 2 other people in my bracket, so essentially all I would have to do is weigh in and I will have qualified without competing. I have had a couple [...]
As a competing athlete, you've been taught the rules of your sport, strategies on how to win, and how to get fit and strong. So I would ask you, how much do you practice your mental skills? We find the most common answer is: "I don't." As a result, many athletes begin to break down [...]
This week was a relaxing week since I just fought. The interesting thing is I usually take the week after a tournament completely off. However, I found myself staying in the training pattern of visualizing every day. I was already focusing on the next goal of U-24 National Team Trials in early April. Then I [...]
For over 15 years, we've observed many athletes who focus only on their fitness and technique to improve their performance. Unfortunately, they're missing a critical piece. Improving fitness and technique works well at the lower and intermediate levels, but it's clearly insufficient for high-performance. The greatest athletes in the world agree that "the mind is [...]