The Pillars of Performance

It is easy to say that all you must do is drink enough water, eat enough food, and get enough sleep to become a superhuman. And fact is that these three things are a substantial component of recovery and performance. To be the best, you must feel your best!

So, what’s SO important about getting enough water, food, and sleep? The body is a system always working to maintain balance and perform at the highest level. It is trying to maintain a high level of energy, overcome challenges, breakthrough resistance, and manage additional stresses life throws at you. Food is the essence of all energy. Energy (or calories) is the tool the body uses to move throughout the day. Food is broken down into its simplest form and the body will use this energy as needed. Whether that is the morning workout or getting the kids to school on time that day, food will be of value in making this happen. 

In addition, hydration is just as crucial in performance. Hydration has a role in cognitive ability, physical capabilities, and ability to recover after exercise or a busy day. When exercising, a loss of sweat equal to 2% of body weight causes a noticeable decrease of physical and mental performance. For example, an athlete could jump 30 inches before the game. At halftime, the athlete can only reach a height of 27 or less inches. And dehydration isn’t only impactful physically, but their decision making is at risk as well, creating a higher risk for injury during activity.

Hydration losses of 5% or more of body weight during physical activities may decrease the capacity for work by roughly 30%. This is huge! We can think about this in terms of tournaments, where dehydration is most common among athletes. If an athlete gets 3 miles in before fatiguing in game 1, they will only get 2 miles in before fatiguing in game 2, and performance will continue to decrease as the day goes on without adequate hydration.

For many people, rest and sleep are ones that are always neglected. Busy schedules, long nights of work, and late-night distractions cause individuals to chronically under sleep. You know lack of sleep leaves you feeling sluggish, groggy, unfocused and numerous of other attributes that don’t lend to being your most athletic self. Did you know, under sleeping even one hour a night can cause:

· Quicker exhaustion (more fatigue)

· Slower sprint speeds

· Decreased reaction time

· Worse accuracy and precision (shooting, handling, cutting)

· Difficulty learning and decision making

· Risk for injury

· Risk for illness or immunosuppression

It can be tough to get a full night’s sleep, but the benefits are innumerable. Also, for those that are more active, it is recommended that you sleep 10 hours a night to ensure full recovery and tissue repair.

You are in control of your hydration, sleep, and the food you eat. It matters for your health and performance- probably more than you want to admit. You can be working your hardest on the field and in the weight room yet if you’re missing these pillars, there will be some gaping holes in your performance.

If you need guidance on how to balance these pillars with training, reply to this email to get in touch with me. We have the resources to help you reach your maximum athletic potential, or to just give you more energy to get through a busy day.