“Make sure your worst enemy doesn’t live between your own two ears.”
Laird Hamilton
Develop an Unstoppable Mindset
It starts and ends with BELIEF! Believing in yourself is the number one thing you can do to shift your mindset. The only person that needs to accept your dream is you. Do not let anyone else tell you that you can’t do something. This may apply to your parents, siblings, friends, dog, cat or your neighbor. Anyone that tells you that you can’t do something is trying to put their limited mindset and beliefs on your life.
The good news is that their opinion doesn’t count. You control your mindset and the effort it will take to achieve your goals. If someone tries to downplay your dreams, cut them out or limit what you share if removing them isn’t an option. Do not waste your energy on someone that isn’t willing to invest in you.
You have been given everything you need to succeed. Once you accept this and know what you want to accomplish, you will have to do the work! It takes time, effort and energy. Dreams won’t just happen because you wrote them down or put them out into the universe. You will actually have to put in the time and work your tail off to make it a reality.
Find something that you are passionate about and that gets you excited. Develop an action plan and put your head down. The following chapters will outline several strategies that will develop your mindset and give you the resilience to follow the path you have chosen.
Walter Wintle eloquently sums up the power of belief in his poem, The Man Who Thinks He Can.
If you think you are beaten, you are;
If you think you dare not, you don’t.
If you’d like to win, but think you can’t
It’s almost a cinch that you won’t
If you think you’ll lose, you’ve lost,
For out in the world we find
Success begins with a fellow’s will;
It’s all in the state of mind.
If you think you’re outclassed, you are.
You’ve got to think high to rise.
You’ve got to be sure of yourself before
You can ever win a prize.
Life’s battles don’t always go
To the stronger or faster man;
But sooner or later the man who wins
Is the one who thinks he can.
Walter Wintle
“Discipline is the bridge between goals and accomplishment.”
Jim Rohn
Chapter OneImportance of Self-Discipline
The word discipline often incites a vision of childhood punishment. Webster defines discipline as the control that is gained by requiring rules or orders to be obeyed and punishing bad behavior. When eliminating the punitive aspect of discipline, one can use reason to determine the best course of action regardless of their desire. Simply stated, discipline allows you to set boundaries that will eliminate distraction while providing guidelines to get the most out of life.
In the book, Extreme Ownership, Navy SEALs Jocko Willink and Leif Babin discuss the dichotomy of discipline equals freedom. Jocko writes, “Discipline starts every day when the first alarm goes off in the morning. I say ‘first alarm clock’ because I have three, as I was taught by one of the most feared and respected instructors in SEAL training: one electric, one battery, one windup. That way, there is no excuse for not getting out of bed, especially with all that rest on that decisive moment. The moment the alarm goes off is the first test; it sets the tone for the rest of the day. The test is not a complex one: when the alarm goes off, do you get up out of bed, or do you lie there in comfort and fall back to sleep? If you have the discipline to get out of bed, you win — you pass the test. If you are mentally weak for that moment and you let that weakness keep you in bed, you fail. Though it seems small, that weakness translates to more significant decisions. But if you exercise discipline, that too translates to more substantial elements of your life.”
Discipline provides people with rules to live their lives efficiently and effectively. When you have discipline in your life, you make small sacrifices in the present for a better life in the future. Discipline creates habits, habits form into routines, and routines become how you live day to day. Mental conditioning coach Brian Cain likes to say, “Today + Today + Today = Your Life”. The habits and daily disciplines you create will eventually determine who you become.
Michael Beckwith writes the following in his book Spiritual Liberation: “The gift of self-discipline is that it has the power to take you beyond the reasoning of temporary emotion to freedom. Think of how empowered you’ve felt on occasions when you haven’t given in to the ‘I don’t feel like it’ syndrome and honored your commitment to yourself. What does not feeling like it have to do with it? The combination of love for something with the willingness to do what it takes to practice it — discipline — results in freedom.”
Like a muscle, discipline can be trained. The more you work on your discipline, the stronger it becomes. You see this in sports all the time when the more disciplined team ends up beating the undisciplined team who has overall greater talent. Disciplined teams are able to see the big picture and use restraint during adversity. Teams who aren’t as disciplined lose their cool and end up costing themselves a shot. This discipline was developed through hours of training, holding one another accountable and doing things that others aren’t willing to do.
Michael Phelps, the most decorated Olympian of all-time, discusses his and his coach Bob Bowman’s approach in the book No Limits. “Among the many authors Bob has read, he likes to cite the motivational speaker Earl Nightingale, who survived the attack on Pearl Harbor on the USS Arizona, then went on to a career in broadcasting. The way Bob tells it, Nightingale’s work revealed the one thing that’s common to all successful people: They make a habit of doing things that unsuccessful people don’t like to do. There are plenty of people with some amount of talent. Are you willing to go farther, work harder, be more committed and dedicated than anyone else? If others were inclined to take Sunday off, well, that just meant we might be one-seventh better. For five years, from 1998 to 2003, we did not believe in days off. I had one because of a snowstorm, two more due to the removal of wisdom teeth. Christmas? See you at the pool. Thanksgiving? Pool. Birthdays? Pool. Sponsor obligations? Work them out around practice time.”
In 5 years, he missed 3 days. 3 DAYS! That’s a total of 1,825 days during that time span and he only missed 3! There is a reason he has a record 28 Olympic medals with 23 of them being gold. Discipline.
Zig Ziglar, a leader in personal development, tells a story about him traveling one day and not getting in bed until 4 a.m. An hour and a half later at 5:30 a.m., his alarm went off. He said, “Every fiber of my being was telling me to stay in bed.” But he had made a commitment and he got up anyway. He admitted that he ended up having a horrible day and wasn’t productive at all. Yet, he says that decision changed his life. His explanation was, “Had I bowed to my human, physical, emotional and mental desire to sleep in, I would have made that exception. A week later, I might have made an exception if I only got four hours of sleep. A week later, maybe I only got seven hours of sleep. The exception so many times becomes the rule. Had I slept in, I would’ve faced that danger. Watch those exceptions!”
Do not give yourself a chance to make excuses. Remember, this is your dream and you are the only one that is going to be able to make it happen! Whether it’s battling the alarm clock or fighting your inner voice that is telling you “it’s okay to skip that workout”, do not give in to the temptation and let someone else decide your future.
I am your constant companion.
I am your greatest helper or heaviest burden.
I will push you onward or drag you down to failure.
I am completely at your command.
Half of the things you do you might as well turn over to me and I will do them — quickly and correctly.
I am easily managed — you must be firm with me.
Show me exactly how you want something done and after a few lessons, I will do it automatically.
I am the servant of great people, and alas, of all failures as well.
Those who are great, I have made great.
Those who are failures, I have made failures.
I am not a machine though I work with the precision of a machine plus the intelligence of a person.
You may run me for profit or run me for ruin — it makes no difference to me.
Take me, train me, be firm with me, and I will place the world at your feet.
Be easy with me and I will destroy you.
Who am I?
I am Habit.
Your self-discipline can make you unstoppable. On the flip side, the lack of discipline will cause you to stumble. Make the choice to develop yourself. This takes time and will be a constant evolution. The Japanese term Kaizen means to continuously improve and constantly change for the better. Practice Kaizen in every aspect of your life and do not get discouraged by the challenges you face.
Exercise
- Write down the daily disciplines or rules you can implement that would provide more freedom in your life. As a student-athlete, this could be the time you go to bed and get up every day, your meal plan, designated study time, film time, lifting schedule, massage, foam rolling or stretching. Find the key areas in your life that will benefit you the most and create a plan. Be disciplined, develop habits and watch them go to work for you!
- What areas in your life can you practice Kaizen? Write down three areas that you plan to focus on that will improve your self-discipline. Once you have three, pick one area and develop this discipline for 21 days. Once this becomes a habit, move to the next discipline.
- What are your non-negotiables? Write down 3–5 things that you will or will not do, to make your dream a reality.
“Setting goals is the first step in turning the invisible into the visible.”
Tony Robbins
Chapter TwoPlan and Attack Your Goals
Many people have grandiose ideas and visions but fail to persist long enough to see them through. Having a plan, reinforcing it consistently and taking action to see it through is the difference between those that are successful and those that are dreamers without the grit to see it through. John C. Maxwell is credited for the quote, “Dreams don’t work unless you do.” Goals are nothing more than dreams that you have mapped out and are taking action to achieve. Let’s look at how a simple goal-setting process can help you layout and achieve your goals.
Goal
Goals should challenge your current ability levels and force you to reach just outside of your comfort zone. Goals that are too challenging will lead to frustration and anxiety. On the flip side, unchallenging goals will ultimately lead to boredom. Goals that stretch your current capacity will continually challenge you and keep you engaged until you have successfully achieved them.
In his book Wooden, Coach John Wooden described his goal-setting process as being a realistic optimist. “I believe one of my strengths is my ability to keep negative thoughts out. I am an optimist. I believe this results from the fact that I set realistic goals—ones that are difficult to achieve but within reach. You might say I’m a realistic optimist. Goals should be difficult to achieve because those achieved with little effort are seldom appreciated, give little personal satisfaction, and are often not very worthwhile. However, if you set goals that are so idealistic there’s no possibility of reaching them, you will eventually become discouraged and quit. They become counter-productive. Be a realistic optimist.” Just like the fable of Goldilocks and the Three Bears, you want to be somewhere in the middle of the continuum to continually see progress and experience the most from your goal setting.
Process
Now that you have a destination in mind, begin working backwards to determine the route necessary for you to arrive at your desired point. These steps will be your guiding compass as you embark on the journey to reach your goals. Just as you would listen to the navigation while using a GPS, these steps become your focus as you continue to set a path towards your goal.
By focusing your attention on the process and not the end goal, you can successfully navigate each turn and not lose sight of the path you must take to get there. Here is more guidance from Coach Wooden: “I urged my players to try their hardest to improve on that very day, to make that practice a masterpiece. Too often we get distracted by what is outside our control. You can’t do anything about yesterday. The door to the past has been shut and the key is thrown away. You can do nothing about tomorrow. It is yet to come. However, tomorrow is in large part determined by what you do today. So make today a masterpiece. You have control over that.”
You can’t control the obstacles that get in your way, but you will be able to navigate them successfully if you stick to the process. Follow the turn-by-turn directions and you will eventually arrive at the destination.
Schedule
The last step in reaching your goal is to come up with a schedule for when you want to accomplish the objective. You wouldn’t plan a vacation without setting an arrival and departure date for the trip. Setting targets to reach certain points in the process is crucial for you to avoid procrastination and continue to work towards your end destination.
Without a deadline, you will suffer from Parkinson’s Law which states, “work expands so as to fill the time available for its completion”. When you do not have an end date in mind, you will find other activities to fill your time and neglect the things that must be done. Think back to the last big project or final you had. If you are like most of the population, you waited until the night before to cram or finally finish the project. Avoid Parkinson’s Law and set a timeline for your goals and take action on them now!
Reinforce the Plan Daily
Grant Cardone talks about the significance of writing your goals down every morning and reviewing them every night before bed. “Wake up and go to sleep focusing on your goals. Write them down every morning and read them every night until they become a part of you. Once you internalize them, you will see everything around you as a means of achieving those goals. The moment you quit this practice, you will find yourself falling into the repetitive cycle of work without purpose.” This habit allows you to keep your goals fresh and provides you with daily motivation to continually push yourself to do more.
Pro Tip
Whether you write them by hand every day or have a digital journal in your phone notes or in an app like Evernote, the process of continually writing and reviewing your goals will keep you inspired. You can also set reminders on your phone to go off throughout the day that will reinforce your goals that you have set. This is a great way to cue you into action on days when you feel like giving up or aren’t as motivated.
Take Action
Growing up, you have heard the saying “if at first, you don’t succeed, try, try again.” To achieve anything, you first must be willing to try and act. If you fail, get back up, dust yourself off and move to plan B. Michael Jordan put it very bluntly, “I can accept failure — everyone fails at something. But I can’t accept not trying.”
To achieve your goals, you must be willing to go ALL IN. Don’t hold back. If you make a mistake or have a setback, use it as a learning opportunity and move on. Another great quote from Brian Cain comes to mind, “there aren’t winners and losers in life, there are winners and learners”. Use any setback you have as a setup for greater success in the future. Act, be persistent and never give up.
Believe and Follow Through
If you have a big goal that you believe in and are willing to do the work, you can achieve anything. Believing in YOU is the greatest gift you can give to yourself.
In his memoir, Shoe Dog, Phil Knight (the creator of Nike) gives this advice: “Let everyone else call your idea crazy… just keep going. Don’t stop. Don’t even think about stopping until you get there, and don’t give much thought to where ‘there’ is. Whatever comes, just don’t stop.” Only you truly know your aspirations and what you want to accomplish. Don’t settle and do not stop until you’ve reached your own finish line.
Be persistent in the pursuit of your dreams and don’t settle for anything less. Before you know it, your “crazy idea” just may become your reality.
Exercise
- Download the GPS PDF. Save this as an image on your phone and reference as needed.
- Use the GPS method to define your goals and develop a plan.
- Write your goals down daily to reemphasize your purpose and keep you focused on your dreams.
- Set three recurring daily reminders in your phone so you will be constantly reminded of your goals.
“The key to effective visualization is to create the most detailed, clear and vivid a picture to focus on as possible. The more vivid the visualization, the more likely, and quickly, you are to begin attracting the things that help you achieve what you want to get done.”
Georges St. Pierre
Chapter ThreeVisualization and Positive Self-Talk
The difference between champions and everyone else is one’s commitment to doing everything in their power to ensure success. Walt Disney was one of the most successful people in entertainment and is responsible for making animated films what they are today. While his films and amusement parks were popular, he was always looking for a way to make them better. He strived to add value and make sure anything with his name behind it wowed the consumer. Walt termed this idea “plussing” or “Plus it”.
“Plussing” means to find a way to make it better. No matter how many times a sketch was drawn, he always felt that he and his Imagineers could improve it. Walt was able to turn “plus” into an action verb and he used it to make an impact on the lives of fans everywhere. This idea of improvement can be applied to other facets in your life as well. Here are a few simple ways to PLUS+ your workouts, practices and performances.
Picture: Visualize Success
Disney was fond of saying, “If you can dream it, you can achieve it”. Every successful person, company, building, you name it, starts with a vision long before it becomes a reality. Five-time national championship-winning baseball coach Skip Bertman says, “Everything happens twice. First in your mind, then in reality.” The ability to see yourself performing the way you want to practice or play in a game will allow you to draw upon those visions during the actual competition.
Your mind does not distinguish between what is real or what is imaginary. Think back to the last time you were watching a scary movie and you jumped out of your seat because of what was happening on screen. No one was actually chasing you, yet you jumped as if you were actually in the movie. Play a movie of your most successful highlights and watch as your actions turn into reality on the field.
Live in the Moment: Focus on Right Now
Think back to earlier when we discussed the formula, Today + Today + Today = Your Life. You are not able to control the past or the future. The only thing that you can control is what you are doing at the present moment. This will indirectly affect your path. Do not get caught up in what has happened or what will happen next. Take care of yourself in the present and strive to get 1% better every day. The hardest thing in the world to do is to consistently bring your best effort and energy every single day, play, pitch, shot, etc. Consistency is the mark of a CHAMPION!
Pro Tip
The best way to get into the present moment is to take a deep 6–2–7 breath. Take a six-second inhale, hold for two seconds, and then exhale for seven seconds. This entire process will take roughly fifteen seconds. When you feel out of rhythm or you start thinking about all of the things that are out of your control, stop, take a 6–2–7 deep breath, and come back to the present moment.
U Do You: Control What You Can Control
The great stoic philosopher Epictetus was quoted as saying, “Happiness and freedom begin with a clear understanding of one principle. Some things are within your control. And some things are not.” You cannot let things that lie outside of your control have an effect on your outlook towards your future. Life happens and adversity will strike. How you choose to respond to adversity will ultimately determine the outcome of the event.
In his book, Above the Line, Coach Urban Meyer describes an equation he shared with the 2014 Ohio State football team. E + R = O. Event + Response = Outcome. He had this equation placed on bracelets and made for every member of the team prior to the start of the 2014 football season. This served as a reminder to his players to choose their own response and not let outside factors influence their goals for the season. With a third string quarterback, they went on to win the first ever college football playoff. Do not let the opinions of external factors (peers, bad calls, weather) or any other excuse you come up with determine your result. Choose to respond appropriately and you will directly influence your outcome.
Self-Confidence: Trust in Your Preparation
The word confidence comes from the Latin term confidere, which means an intense or deep trust. Trust comes from knowing that you are fully equipped and have taken the steps necessary to prepare for the challenge ahead. Champions have the ability to push themselves beyond what a normal person would deem necessary in pursuit of what they want. They are unwilling to accept average and will do everything in their power to make sure they achieve their vision. Because of this, they can step on to the field or court confident, knowing that they have fully prepared.
Let’s circle back around to the quote we discussed earlier from Coach John Wooden when he described how to prepare and have masterpiece days. Here is the rest of his thought: “…so make today a masterpiece. You have control over that. This rule is even more important in life than basketball. You have to apply yourself each day to become a little better. By applying yourself to the task of becoming a little better each and every day over a period of time, you will become a lot better. Only then will you be able to approach being the best you can be. It begins by trying to make each day count and knowing you can never make up for a lost day.”
Work on your masterpiece each and every day and you will be prepared for anything life throws at you.
+: Positive Self-Talk
Do not become a critic of yourself. You will have enough haters on your path to success. You must not fall victim to your own self-doubt. All athletes have doubts about what they are doing and even the greatest in the world fail more times than they succeed. Use failure as feedback and avoid the voice in your head that tells you “you can’t” or “you should quit.”
Michael Jordan, who is regarded as one of the greatest basketball players of all time said, “I’ve missed more than 9000 shots in my career. I’ve lost almost 300 games. 26 times, I’ve been trusted to take the game winning shot and missed. I’ve failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed.” Thomas Edison failed over a thousand times while trying to invent the light bulb. When asked about the supposed failure, Edison replied, “I didn’t fail 1,000 times. The light bulb was an invention with 1,000 steps.”
Jon Gordon summarized his book, The Positive Dog, in a few short sentences. “We all have two dogs inside of us. One dog is positive, happy, optimistic, and hopeful. The other dog is negative, mad, sad, pessimistic, and fearful. These two dogs often fight inside us, but guess who wins the fight? The one you feed the most.”
Find a way to feed your positive dog!
Exercise
- Download the PLUS+ PDF. Save this as an image on your phone and reference as needed and start plussing your experiences.
- Write down 3–5 things you have control over. Keep these as a reminder when you start to get worried about events that take place outside of your control.
- Practice taking five 6–2–7 breaths prior to going to bed. Develop this practice and be able to use it when you need to refocus.
“Drinking water is essential to a healthy lifestyle.”
Stephen Curry
Chapter FourSignificance of Hydration
Staying hydrated and drinking enough water is the first priority when taking care of your body. Since nearly 65% of your body is water, proper hydration will ensure that you are able to function optimally and avoid the negative effects of dehydration. To put the importance of water and hydration into perspective, humans could survive up to three weeks without food but would only last about three days without water. Water is our source of life!
There is no doubt that you have been educated on the importance of staying hydrated to avoid muscle cramps. However, hydration is critical for nearly every function your body carries out. Your body needs water to regulate its core temperature, lubricate joints (including your spine), remove waste from your body and to properly digest your food. And these are just a few!
Effects of Dehydration on Athletes
Dehydration is measured by looking at the percent of body weight lost through sweat. Losing as little as 0.1% can increase cardiovascular strain and limit the body’s ability to perform optimally. At 1–2%, we start to see an increase in the body’s core temperature and at 3% that increase becomes significant. Think of it this way. If you are an athlete that plays, practices or trains outside in the heat, failing to properly hydrate will increase your risk for overheating.
If an athlete continues to become dehydrated, aerobic ability and muscular endurance start to decline while also showing a reduction in strength and power. Studies have concluded that a fluid loss of 5% leads to a decrease of up to 30% in athletes’ work capacity. This means that by being somewhat dehydrated heading into a competition, you may only be able to perform at 70% of your best!
Further dehydration can lead to spasms and cramps and if the body gets to 10% dehydration, there is an increased risk in heat stroke and other heat-related injuries. If the heat illness becomes severe enough, these issues may become irreversible.
While staying hydrated is beneficial for everyone, due to the demands of their sport and training, athletes need to have an increased awareness of the negative effects of dehydration.
How to Hydrate
You may think that you can stay hydrated by just drinking water during your workouts. This idea is simply untrue. You lose water through sweat when you are working out, you lose water every time you urinate and even small amounts each time you exhale. For these reasons, you must constantly drink water throughout the day to give your body what it needs to thrive. Limiting your fluid intake and trying to make up for it in a short period of time will ultimately lead to poor performance.
To make sure you are drinking enough fluid to avoid the negative impacts discussed above, you need to plan ahead. Depending on your size and level of activity, this will look different for each athlete. Here are a few ways to beat dehydration and to make sure you are prepared to perform at a high level.
Plan for Hydration
Consuming half of your body weight in ounces will be the starting point for everyone. This means that a 150-pound athlete would consume 75 ounces of water daily. Since most of the fluid consumed around your workout or practice will be lost through perspiration, do not count your fluid intake during this time towards your daily ounces.
As soon as you wake up, drink 16 to 20 ounces of water. Make this a routine. Set a glass of water next to your bed or in your bathroom the night before with the intention of drinking it as soon as you wake up. You will have been 8–9 hours without fluids and you will have lost water through respiration. This gives your body a chance to start the day off on the right track and rehydrate after a night of sleep.
Before your workout, drink another 16 ounces of water. (If you have early morning workouts this may already be covered with your morning hydration routine.) During your workout, consume 4–8 ounces of water every 15 minutes or so. When you are finished, plan to replace the fluids lost through sweat by drinking another 16 to 20 ounces within an hour or so of completing the workout.
For the rest of the day, figure out the numbers and know how much you need to consume to meet your daily ounce requirement. Let’s use the 150-pound athlete mentioned above and break down their daily intake:
- They performed their morning hydration routine and consumed 16 ounces of water first thing in the morning.
- Next, they hydrated around (before/after) their workout. Remember, these fluids do not count towards their daily numbers.
- They now have 60 (75−16 = 59, rounded up to 60) ounces of water to consume throughout the day to meet their daily requirement of 75 fluid ounces.
- They can fill up a 20-ounce bottle with water and make sure to empty it 3 times before bed.
Pro Tip
Set a timer on your phone or watch to go off every 3 hours. If the timer goes off and you have not consumed your entire water bottle, finish the rest immediately. Refill and reset your timer until the daily requirement has been met.
Other Ways to Hydrate
If drinking enough water is a challenge for you, there’s good news! Fruits and vegetables are made up primarily of water and can help you stay hydrated. Eat oranges, strawberries, pineapple, cantaloupe, blueberries, peaches and watermelon. These fruits are made up of at least 85% water. When you eat a salad, you can bet that pretty much every veggie that fills the bowl contains at least 90% water.
What to Avoid
Avoid sugar and caffeinated beverages and stick to water. If you are drinking any type of soda, cut it out immediately. The excess sugar found in these drinks is not healthy for anyone, especially someone trying to maximize their full potential. Sports drinks are not any better. Unless you are training for a marathon or have had an intense 2-hour practice in the heat, consuming sugar-laden sports drinks to “rehydrate” will do little more than add unwanted calories to your body.
The natural minerals found in fruits and vegetables will help replace electrolytes lost through sweat. Sodium and potassium are the most common electrolytes found in most sports drinks and can be easily replaced by eating your fruits and veggies. Dark leafy greens, olives, bananas and oranges will give you potassium, calcium and magnesium. Add a pinch of sea salt on your veggies and you have now replenished your sodium levels.
Pro Tip
Make your own electrolyte replacement drink. Add the juice from half of a lemon and a pinch of sea salt to your morning water. This will give you the electrolytes you need and help you absorb the water you consume.
By making a conscious effort to drink enough water throughout the day, not only will you perform better in your sport, your body will be able to perform the essential tasks needed for you to live an optimal life.
Exercise
- Take your weight and divide that number in half. Round up to the nearest 5 and write this number down. This is the number of ounces you will be aiming to consume every day. Example: a 157-pound athlete would divide 157 by 2, to get 78.5. They would aim to drink 80 ounces of water throughout the day.
- Now that you have your number, figure out how many times you will need to refill your water bottle to hit your daily goal.
- Set an alarm on your phone to go off every 3 hours. If you have not finished your water bottle, chug what is left and refill. This will help keep you on track and develop a great habit.
“Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food.”
Hippocrates
Chapter FiveFueling Your Body
Nutrition plays a huge role in how our bodies function. The more junk we put in, the less likely we are to feel our best. It has long been stated that breakfast is the most important meal of the day. However, if breakfast consists of pop-tarts and fruity pebbles, more harm may be done than good. One can expect a rollercoaster of insulin spikes followed by a plunge in energy levels that affect one’s behavior and ability to focus.
Sugary foods also cause inflammation in the body which can lead to issues in joints and overall brain health. In fact, the typical Western diet consisting of processed foods has been linked to 80% of heart disease and at least a third of known cancers can be traced back to a diet laced with sugar. Scary! This alone should give you a reason to focus on what you put in your body without even considering the performance benefits you will notice as an athlete.
Cleaning up your diet is one of the easiest things you can do to gain a leg up on your competition. What you put into your body is going to determine how well you are able to recover from your hard work. Avoid the fast food trap and focus on putting quality nutrients into your body. While choosing to eat healthy may not always be the easiest choice, it is an important one for your development and recovery. Also, setting a healthy path now will also promote overall health and well-being and set you up for success in the future. Remember, what you do now will impact what you do later.
Start by eating whole foods and avoiding processed junk. Anything that can sit on a shelf for years has been stripped of most nutritional benefits. Fruits, veggies, lean proteins and healthy fats should make up the majority of any diet. Refer to the acronym PRODUCE when eating to maximize your training. If you are able to apply the PRODUCE principles, you will be on your way to giving your body the proper fuel you need to perform.
What to Eat
Protein. The amino acids found in protein are the building blocks for every tissue in your body. Pretty important! Consume some form of protein with every meal and any snacks. Think of protein as a way of giving your body the raw materials it needs to create new tissue and cells. Just as a carpenter needs wood to frame a house, your body needs protein to create a bigger and stronger version of your current self.
An ideal time to consume protein is post-workout. Training causes microtrauma, or small stresses (tears) in muscle tissue. The body responds by building bigger, stronger muscle(s) as a means to prevent this from reoccurring. In a well-organized training system, you will continue to grow and get stronger by utilizing progressive overload and feeding your body the nutrients it needs to recover. Post-workout consumption of protein, along with carbohydrates, will give your body the nutrients it can use to start the rebuilding process.
Ex.: Chicken, lean red meat, turkey, fish, eggs, beans, lentils, legumes, edamame, etc.
Rainbow. Eat the rainbow — and not in the form of Skittles! Your goal should be to consume at least one serving of veggies and one serving of fruit per meal. When choosing fruits and vegetables, reach for a variety of color throughout the day.
This variation will contain the vitamins and minerals you need to function optimally while providing key antioxidants that will aid the recovery process.
Ex.: Blueberries, strawberries, bananas, apples, oranges, spinach, kale, squash, zucchini, tomatoes, red peppers, broccoli, etc.
Omega 3’s (Healthy fats). There are numerous benefits to eating quality fats ranging from joint lubrication, cardiovascular health, brain optimization and cellular repair, just to name a few. Healthy fats also aid in the transfer of essential fat-soluble vitamins that promote our overall health.
Try to include a small portion of healthy fats with every meal throughout the day. These can be stand-alone parts of your meal or added to salads to enhance the flavor.
Ex.: Nuts, seeds, avocado, olives, coconut, egg yolks, etc.
Drink Water. Although we just took a whole chapter to cover the benefits of drinking water, it doesn’t hurt to remind you again. The human body is made up roughly of 65% water. Make sure you are consuming half of your body weight in ounces throughout the day as a bare minimum (this doesn’t include workout, practice or game consumption). Avoid sugary and caffeinated beverages.
Ex.: 200lbs × 0.5 = 100; 100oz of water throughout the day.
Unprocessed Food. Eat REAL food. Jack Lalanne said, “If man made it, don’t eat it.” This advice was given over 60 years ago and is still true to this day. Avoid packaged and processed food as much as possible and stick with healthy protein sources, smart carbohydrates, fruits and veggies and healthy fats.
Carbohydrate Choices. There are 2 types of carbohydrates (carbs) athletes should know about: simple and complex. Simple sugars and refined carbs have been stripped of nutritional value and can lead to a number of issues in the body including elevated triglycerides, bad cholesterol and insulin resistance. Avoid the high and low blood sugar spikes associated with these simple carbs and choose complex carbs as your fuel source.
Complex (smart) carbs are more nutrient dense and have significantly more fiber. These digest slower and give you steady energy throughout the day. Complex carbs have been shown to control insulin response, provide satiety and improve body composition.
Fruits and veggies should be consumed during every meal with the remainder of complex carbs eaten around your workouts and practices. Simple carbs should be avoided as much as possible.
Examples of smart carb choices: oats, potatoes, sweet potatoes, rice, quinoa, whole grains, fruits and vegetables.
Eliminate Junk. As an athlete, you want to put the highest quality foods in your body so you can perform at your highest level. Sodas, fried foods, candies, cookies, cakes, ice cream and other desserts should be limited. These provide little to no nutritional value and will not help you achieve your performance goals.
The more junk you put into your body, the junkier you will feel. Consistently eating junk food will lead to an increase in the inflammation inside your body. This inflammation could eventually impact your joint health and affect your ability to perform at a high level.
How Much Should I Eat
Now that we have discussed what you should be eating, let’s focus on how much food an athlete should consume at meal time. Your hand provides a simple way to measure food and doesn’t require you to carry a food scale, eliminating the need to count calories. Your hands are portable, always with you and proportional to your size. While this may fluctuate depending on your individual goals, it will give you an idea of what a serving size should look like from each category mentioned above.
- Size of your palm = serving of protein
- Closed fist = serving of veggies
- Cupped hand = serving of carbs
- Thumb size = serving of fat
It is recommended that males eat two servings from each category during meals, with female athletes leaning closer to one serving of each. These are guidelines and may be adjusted to meet your goals.
Supplements
I get asked by almost every young athlete looking to gain an edge about the latest and greatest supplements on the market and whether or not they should be taking them. The definition of supplement actually means “something that benefits or enhances something else when added.” The majority of nutrients should come from the food you eat. If your diet is subpar and you haven’t mastered the habits listed above, then I suggest you start by modifying your diet before spending money on any supplements. That being said, there are a few supplements that I would consider as insurance to make sure you are getting the appropriate vitamins and minerals needed to optimize your body.
Pro Tip
Multi-vitamin: this covers any nutrient gaps you are missing from the whole food you are consuming in your diet. Greens supplement: if you are like most Americans it is hard to get enough vegetables in throughout the day — this ensures you get your daily serving of veggies along with the health benefits of fiber and probiotics. Protein powder: aids in repair after workouts and practice, and is easy to carry and mix quickly when needed for a snack. Omega 3 supplement: many Americans are deficient in Omega 3 — these are critical and can be used in the form of algae or fish oil; whichever you choose, make sure the majority is made up of EPA/DHA. Remember that hard work and consistent eating habits are always #1 and that you can’t outperform a bad diet.
Using the PRODUCE model, you should now have an idea of how to structure your daily eating habits to ensure you are the best version of yourself every time you step on the field or court. As the saying goes, “you are what you eat!” Make sure you can perform at your best when it matters most by fueling properly.
Exercise
- Use a sample meal plan and meal plan outline to create your own meal plan for the week.
- Plan your snacks and breakfast the night before. This allows you to make great choices and avoid grabbing a low-quality snack or meal.
- Download the PRODUCE PDF and save it to your phone for future reference.
“Sleep is that golden chain that ties health and our bodies together.”
Thomas Dekker
Chapter SixImpact of Sleep on Recovery
Sleep may be the most important and overlooked component of childhood development. It is recommended that children, ages 6–13, get at least 9 hours of sleep. Between practice, games, school activities and many other influences on hectic daily schedules, sleep is often neglected. As most can attest, lack of sleep can make monsters out of anyone, especially if you are overly tired and being asked to sit up and focus for 8 hours a day at school. Since Thomas Edison invented the light bulb in 1879, the average American went from sleeping over 9 hours a night to less than 7 hours. Over a third of Americans are chronically sleep deprived! A consistent nighttime routine and allowing for enough sleep is a simple way to increase your energy levels and have more focus throughout the day.
If you are an athlete, less than optimal sleep patterns will prevent you from maximizing your training. During sleep, your body is able to grow new tissue and repair damaged cells by producing growth hormones that are crucial to help you recover from the previous day’s work. Just like your phone or computer needs to be reset now and then, your body needs time to reboot and update every night.
In order to function optimally, athletes need to aim for at least 8 and preferably 9 hours of sleep at night. As an athlete, your ability to recover and prepare for the next training, practice or game will ultimately determine your success. Make sure you are taking advantage of your body’s natural repair system by getting enough sleep during the week so you can perform when it matters.
With school, practice, film, weights, homework and social events, it may seem impossible to get the appropriate amount of sleep during the week. Here are some tips that encourage better sleep habits.
Master Your Time
In order to get enough sleep, take care of your school work, focus on your athletic career, and still have a social life, you must learn to become more efficient with your time. Block off some time on Sunday afternoons to make a schedule for the week. Use 30-minute or 1-hour segments and fill in your weekly activities.
Schedule your sleep FIRST, then obvious commitments such as school, practice, games, etc. Schedule time each day to knock out homework so it doesn’t pile up, then schedule your social time with family and friends. Having a schedule may seem too rigid and unmanageable but remember, Discipline = Freedom. If you are disciplined and stick to your plan, it will give you more freedom to do the things that are important to you.
Avoid Caffeine 10 Hours Prior to Bedtime
Caffeine has a half-life of 3 to 7 hours depending on your individual sensitivity. It works by blocking the action of adenosine, which is responsible for inducing drowsiness, and thus prevents your body from becoming sleepy. Therefore, when caffeine is consumed later in the evening, it could take up to 10 hours before its effects are completely removed from your body.
Coffee and tea should be consumed in moderation (no more than 1–2 cups). Energy drinks and soda need to be avoided if you are looking to perform your best. Besides, the added calories from the sugar in these beverages do not have a place in your diet if you are looking to maximize your performance. Also, if you are sleeping more than 8 hours a night, your need for any “pick me ups” will be diminished.
Avoid Screen Time an Hour Before Bed
The body’s natural circadian rhythm is tied to the sun. As the sun goes down, your body starts to produce melatonin which triggers your brain to prepare for sleep. Artificial light and the blue light emitted from screens can affect your body’s circadian rhythm and delay the secretion of melatonin in the evening. This decrease in melatonin, along with the stimulation from the artificial light, can be confusing to your body and negatively affect your sleep.
Pro Tip
Sometimes avoiding your phone or device after dark may not be an option (this does not include using it for Instagram or Snapchat!). If you must use your device, turn the night shift function on to avoid blue light after dark.
Plan for Tomorrow the Night Before
To paraphrase Benjamin Franklin, “Failing to plan is planning to fail.” Having a plan and knowing how you are going to attack the day will allow your mind to rest and help you avoid the hamster wheel of thoughts. Set out your clothes. Pack your school and athletic bags. Prepare your lunch and any snacks for the next day. Not only will this keep you from running around in the morning, but it will also help you rest easier knowing you are prepared for the next day.
Have a Bedtime Routine
Keeping a routine at night allows your body to prepare for sleep. Taking a shower or bath and performing light stretching prior to bed can help turn on the parasympathetic nervous system and allow you to start the shutdown process. Also, going to bed and waking up at the same time every day will help your body’s natural circadian rhythms and keep you feeling refreshed when you wake up.
Take Naps
Naps date back as far as first century BC during the Roman empire (known as “sexta”, the sixth hour) and have carried over to the present day as siestas. Research shows that just 10–20 minutes of sleep can increase your alertness, improve your motor performance, boost creativity, elevate your mood and help you make better decisions. While this doesn’t give you an excuse to fall asleep during class, it may give you a reason to find a quiet place after lunch instead of checking out your social media feeds.
Pro Tip
Find 20 minutes during your day to have a siesta. Instead of checking your latest social media feed, find a quiet place after lunch and close your eyes. Do this and reap the benefit from the extra energy boost during your afternoon practice or game.
Whether you are training, practicing, or playing a game, your ability to recover and prepare for tomorrow will determine your success. Make sure you are taking advantage of your body’s natural repair system by getting enough sleep during the week so you can perform when it matters.
Exercise
- Schedule your time. Sit down on Sunday afternoon and use a sample athlete schedule to plan your week.
- Plan in time for homework, practice, games and social activities.
- Plan your sleep and set a bedtime alarm.
“Stretching can increase both flexibility and athletic performance, and can decrease the chance of injury.”
Tim Grover
Chapter SevenIncrease Your Mobility
Spend a few minutes each day working on your mobility and flexibility. These terms commonly get lumped together. Before we go any further, let’s clarify the difference between the two. Mobility can be described as the joint’s ability to move through a specific range of motion. Flexibility, on the other hand, is the muscle’s ability to lengthen. Both are extremely important and work interdependently.
Everyone will have slightly different issues depending on their past injury history and will need to spend time addressing each of these to aid in the recovery process and minimize injury risk. We are going to focus on self-myofascial release (SMR) and stretching. By developing your mobility and flexibility, you will increase your durability and decrease your risk of injury.
Self-Myofascial Release
Self-myofascial release is a fancy word for giving yourself a massage. This technique helps alleviate stiffness in your muscle and leads to an increase in range of motion by increasing blood flow and restoring restricted tissues.
Use a foam roller or old PVC pipe to roll your entire body. Start with your calves and move upwards until you have covered your upper back. Flip over and repeat on the front of your body. This alone will not make significant changes but will allow you to scan your body for tender spots (trigger points) that can be loosened up with a more targeted implement, such as a softball or lacrosse ball.
When you find a tight spot (this will be uncomfortable), pin it down and take five long, slow, deep breaths and let yourself relax. This will allow the knot (spasm) to release and works similar to the techniques used during deep tissue massage.
Passive and Active Stretching
Once you have loosened the tissue, spend a few minutes passively stretching each muscle group. By stretching after you have completed SMR, you are more likely to maintain any changes that have been made to your muscle tissue.
The final piece will be to add some active stretching into your routine. Work through some simple bodyweight movements and allow your body to utilize the increased range of motion in the muscle.
For your lower body, perform a couple of slow bodyweight squats and spend some extra time in the bottom position. Work through a few spiderman lunges and cossack squats to loosen up your hips and protect your low back. To target some of the common issues in your upper body, spend some time hanging in the bottom position of a pull-up or push-up.
By taking 5–10 minutes out of your day to address these deficiencies, you will notice a huge difference in how you feel and move. Do not get overwhelmed and know that over time you will make a significant change. If you are extremely tight and stiff when you initially implement this into your schedule, pick one day to focus on your upper body and the next day to work on your lower half. The most important takeaway is to make progress every single day.
Exercise
- Foam roll your entire body and find the deepest (most painful) trigger points.
- Use a lacrosse ball (or tennis ball) to pin those tissues down and take 5 deep breaths to allow your body to release.
- Create a nighttime routine to mobilize and stretch. Keep it around 5–10 minutes so you are more likely to perform it daily. Focus on the stiffest areas and work to gain a little more mobility each day.
“It doesn’t matter what your background is and where you come from, if you have dreams and goals, that’s all that matters.”
Serena Williams
Putting It All Together
By reading this book, you have made the choice to separate yourself from your peers and are taking the first step to becoming a leader. However, before you can lead others, you must commit wholeheartedly to developing yourself and become a model to follow.
This commitment must translate to every aspect of your life. Your habits and discipline will ultimately determine if you will reach your dreams. Every athlete is working during their off-season. Most are working hard (at least in their minds) with the intent of achieving very similar, if not the same, goals you have set. The investment you make in your personal development and your ability to recover through the strategies outlined in this book will separate you from everyone else.
Establishing these habits and discipline will take time and will not be easy. Show up and find a way to make progress every day while avoiding the perfection trap. If your current lifestyle doesn’t include breakfast, find a way to eat something of value when you wake up. If you struggle to get more than six hours of sleep each night, shoot for six and a half or seven to start. Regardless of who you are, it would be overwhelming to try and implement all of these strategies overnight.
There is only one person to walk planet Earth that was perfect. You will falter and that is okay and completely normal. When you do make mistakes, make them full speed and extract the valuable lessons. Perfectionists tend to wait for the perfect idea or until the timing is just right. This is an excuse not to go all in. Dive in head first and start making progress towards your goals now! When something goes wrong or you find yourself drifting, correct your course and redirect your focus back towards your goals.
Continue to practice Kaizen and strive to become a better version of yourself each and every day. Make the decision to go ALL IN and reach for your dreams. This is what will lead you down the path to greatness!
If you have enjoyed this book or found at least one valuable lesson, please share it with your teammates, coaches and friends.
Do not let fear of failure hold you back from chasing your dreams. By applying the principles learned in The Athlete Code, you will be able to confidently reach for your goals while developing an action plan to get there. Go ALL IN and you will never regret it!
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