Simple Ways to Train Like An Athlete

Tiger, Serena, Brady, LeBron, Vonn, Mayweather. These pro athletes with their recognizable singular names seem superhuman to many people. Yet the basic techniques these star athletes use to train, maintain, and fuel their bodies are available to all of us. The benefits of eating whole foods, using body weight to exercise, and taking a longevity-minded approach to exercise can be replicated in our own lives.

Pro athletes continuously set goals and train to improve performance. To succeed with exercise, we must define our goals and start with the basics.

• There’s no substitute for enough sleep. Sleep improves alertness, supports immunity, and maximizes training and performance efforts.
• Walk and move more in general. Nearly one-third of all Americans are defined as having sedentary lives that leads to high risk of developing chronic illnesses.
• Spend more time outdoors to improve mood and reduce anxiety. Taking a hike outdoors, for instance, is more beneficial than walking on a treadmill indoors.
• Use aerobics training as an exercise foundation. Pro athletes are successful because they train for endurance, then add in techniques like intervals and altitude training.
• Stop eating foods that make you feel bad. Eliminate binge snacking and add more foods that make you feel great.
• Choose high-quality whole foods to eat for fitness. Fitness and longevity goals eschew fads and contain all food groups – proteins, fats, and carbohydrates.
• Share the experience of cooking, eating and socializing with others to improve emotional health and overall wellbeing.
• Schedule workouts like any other task. This sort of accountability has proven highly effective in realizing exercise goals.

Create a comprehensive regimen that speaks to you and incorporates proven workout routines. Every year there are new fitness trends that grab the imagination. While wearable technology can help guide and track training, the use of personal trainers, certified fitness professionals, and guidance from physicians are all vital tools in our quest to train like a pro athlete.

• Group training. Workouts like spinning, aerobics, and dance classes involve five or more participants and a group instructor. The benefits are both social and motivational.
• HIIT (High-Intensity Interval Training). Short spurts of high intensity followed by a short period of rest, all completed in 30 minutes, rev up the heart rate, burn calories and improve blood sugar levels. This type of training increases oxygen needs in the body. The afterburn effect is what causes the body to burn more fat and calories compared to regular aerobic and steady-state workouts.
• Bodyweight training. Using your own body weight as resistance to do push-ups, pull-ups, and squats are simple to perform and don’t require special equipment or gym access. This improves strength, balance, and conditioning; building up muscle will help burn fat and calories naturally.
• Yoga training. Each style of yoga from gentle hatha yoga to Bikram hot yoga offers various physical benefits. The meditative and spiritual aspects of this discipline are shown to help promote better sleep, relieve stress, and aid mental health.
• Functional fitness training. The importance of staying fit throughout life is increasingly evident and not just limited to young people in the prime of their lives. Physical activity lowers the risk of cardiovascular disease, improves immunity, and betters balance to prevent falls. Functional fitness exercises and movements mimic everyday activities done in safe and careful ways. These techniques strengthen the body to bend, stretch, and move with steadiness.

Adopt the Eating Habits of Pro Athletes. Let’s not forget those elite athletes eat and train for sports performance. We eat for general health and nutrition. The foundation for both is the same: vegetables, fiber, protein, quality carbohydrates, water, and adequate sleep. The habits we adopt should enhance performance as a recreational athlete and support a healthy lifestyle.

Most of all eat right by incorporating whole foods and cutting out artificial foods. Don’t skip breakfast and stay hydrated. Eliminate junk food. Make a meal plan each week. Don’t restrict calories; starvation mode tactics virtually render exercise efforts ineffective.

Living a healthy, purposeful life is a performance goal well within reach of elite athletes and everyday folks. Choose to live your best life starting today.