Self-Care

Achieving your full potential as an athlete involves making small adjustments in your daily routine. Eating nutritious foods, stretching outside of practice, and getting a full night’s sleep are all essential components of being a great athlete. 

College is way different than high school, and a lot of athletes cannot keep the same bad eating and sleeping habits and still perform well. Not only did making little adjustments help my energy during practice, it helped my motivation throughout the day with classes. 

First semester, I had classes in the morning and practice at 3 in the afternoon. I would go to sleep between 12 and 1 a.m. and would eat very little or very unhealthy during the day. By the time practice came, I was extremely groggy. 

This semester, I have practice in the morning at 9 and classes later in the day. Because practice is early, I felt I had a new discipline. I wanted to go to bed early and eat a good breakfast before practice because I wanted to make sure I had a quality training session. Being productive early in the day motivated me to do the same for classes and homework. 

The reality is that I should have had that discipline first semester even if I had classes in the morning instead of practice. Taking care of yourself enhances various aspects of your life, not just your athletic life.  

Beyond improving performance, athletes should adopt healthier habits for the sake of overall well-being.