How To Be The Best Athlete You Can Be

When you think of becoming the best athlete you can be, what comes to mind? When different groups of people were surveyed, and asked this same question, there answers mostly consisted of two aspects of what it takes to maintain a healthy lifestyle and to be a truly ‘good athlete’. The top two answers consisted of watching what you eat or “calorie counting” and undoubtedly strict exercise and training routines.

What goes into becoming the best athlete you can be and maintaining that lifestyle is so much more. It all depends on your health and lifestyle goals. Many people are satisfied with simply working out and exercising to maintain an average level of physical health and wellness, which is great! However, there are a number of other people, whether it’s training for a Triathlon or training to earn a college scholarship, who take it to the ‘next level’. People who desire an above average level of physical health and wellness to participate in events or as a career takes an extraordinary level of patience, dedication and commitment among other things. Keep reading for a more detailed list…

• Set Goals Regularly and Keep your Focus on achieving them. Great athletes set goals often and achieve them on a regular basis. Your goals don’t have to be monumental milestones but a mix of goals to reach daily, weekly, monthly and even yearly. For example, Goal #1 -- I want to make 10 free throws in a row without a miss by this Saturday.  Now, you must put the plan together to achieve making 10 free throws in a row.  Keep your goals fresh in your mind and remind yourself of them on daily basis, if necessary, to renew your interest along the way. Write them on a sticky note and post to your bathroom mirror or write them down in your calendar on your phone and create a meeting with yourself 2-3 times a week.  While holding yourself accountable to achieve your goals is important, don’t feel guilty or “beat yourself up” if you happen to fall short.  Maybe it was too lofty of a goal for your current skill level.  Adjust the goal or move on to the next goal.
• Turn Guilt into Motivation Ever heard the expression “Life just got in the way?” It’s inevitable that unexpected events will come up in your life and you may have to miss a workout/practice, or fall short of your goals.  Of course, if this is happening on a regular basis it may be a good idea to examine what needs to change and improve your time management. However, as far as the occasional slip up…forgive yourself, stand up and keep moving towards your goals with a greater sense of motivation than you had previously.
• Keep your focus on Incremental Performance Increases and Train Accordingly. When people want to improve their physical performance through working out, they often think they must constantly workout and push themselves to levels of exhaustion and muscle fatigue. The truth couldn’t be further from reality! The best athletes in the world have different levels of workouts and training routines that vary in activity and intensity. Pushing your body to the point of breaking, actually makes it more difficult for your muscles to heal and grow. Training and more importantly expecting results in increments is a vital key to becoming the best athlete you can be. This is where your goals can come into play.  Change your workouts throughout the week and hopefully your basketball coach focuses on different aspects of the game with each practice session to avoid burn out and apathy towards basketball.
• Regularly Seek Out Fresh Information. Successful athletes are always on the hunt for new exercise and workout routines to add to their regime to keep it exciting. Enriching your mind is a critical aspect of remaining successful in all areas of your life, not just physical health and performance. YouTube has a wealth of videos to do just about anything you can imagine from intense workout sessions, ball handling drills, shooting drills, footwork drills, etc.

Lastly, as with any aspect of life… balance is key as well. Allow yourself periods of rest and allow time for relaxation and fun. Push yourself to accomplish your goals and dreams and then you receive the rewards. Its scientifically proven that physically fit people and athletes generally happen to be happier and consequently mentally healthier than their counterparts who lack a regular fitness routine. It is our goal here at Space Cost Fury, that our team and coaches will enable you to set goals and achieve them. Welcome to the family!