What Can You Do To Improve Your Performance As An Athlete?

Whether you have the prospects to make it to the next level, or even to play pro, or you’re simply looking to improve your game and test your limits, it’s important to be aware of the fact that there is almost always more than you can do as an athlete. While you need to be aware of your physical limits and work within them, you can find the steps for improvement that you need to excel. Here, we’re going to take a look at a few of those.

Take your fitness much more seriously

If you want to perform like a top-tier athlete, then you need to work out like an athlete, as well. This does not necessarily mean that you have to work out for twice as much time or anything, though you may have to up your hours if you’re currently not pushing yourself very hard. Instead, it’s all about working out with the right intentions, making sure that you’re working on muscle groups and aspects of fitness, such as stamina and cardio, that will actually improve your skills. It also requires you to be constantly pushing your limits, making sure that you’re not resting on your laurels, and setting new goals for yourself every time you reach a new level with your workouts.

Drill your skills constantly

Of course, the best athletes are not just those who are at the top of their game in terms of their physique. They are those who have developed the skills that allow them to excel in their particular field. This is both a mental and a physical endeavor. For instance, as a baseball player, then you might be able to benefit a lot from a baseball batting trainer, of course. However, you also need to be able to understand the strategy of the game, your place in it, and how to work in better sync with your fellow players, as well. You have to develop a holistic talent for the game while pushing the skills that you excel at.

Focus on the fuel your body needs

Nutrition is not just something that you should focus on as an athlete, it is going to be the thing that can either help you push your performance to the very top of your game, or hold you back and hobble you. This includes ensuring that you’re making use of the high-performance fuel that your workout needs, but also developing some discipline and making sure that you’re not taking shortcuts or eating things that can really diminish your physical performance when it comes to game day. If you want to make sure that you’re getting the best for your boy, then you might want to get in touch with a dietician who can offer you evidence-based advice on your diet.

Improving as an athlete is not, by any means, easy work. You have to push yourself hard, develop an iron discipline, and be ready to make sacrifices to free the time to work on your goals, but the rewards can certainly be worth it.

How to Improve Your Workplace Atmosphere

Businesses should always look for ways to improve operations and boost their chances of success. Whether you run a retail store or medical practice, improvements can help to maintain profits and push your business to the next level. You can also use these improvements to increase employee productivity and make your workplace more pleasant. If you want to refresh your workplace, consider this advice. 

Make Your Workplace Welcoming 

A welcoming space is one of the most effective ways to improve the atmosphere. Whether you need your receptionist to make a great first impression at the doctor when patients arrive, or you want your customers or clients to feel at home, you can set up your office or store to be stress-free and accommodating. This includes an open entranceway that makes it easier for people to come and go but also accessibility needs, such as ramps and electric doors to ensure everyone feels welcome. 

Brighten the Space 

Bright spaces are always friendlier compared to dark and dingy stores or offices. However, you still need to find a balance. Too bright, and your customers and employees will feel like they’ve stepped onto some other plane, so setting up convenient lighting that isn’t too overbearing is vital. The walkways must be properly lit and take advantage of as much natural light as possible. This doesn't only make the space more inviting, but it can also improve employee mental well-being. 

Make Things Available 

Owning a retail store can be hectic and stressful. You need to learn your entire inventory and ensure you have everything your customers need to enjoy a satisfying shopping experience. One way to guarantee a fantastic experience is by making things available. Stores with low stock and almost bare shelves feel haggard, and people won’t want to shop there. To avoid this, keep a steady stock supply to ensure you can always keep your shelves full and keep customers in store.

Keep It Clean and Tidy 

Similarly, maintaining workplace tidiness and hygiene is essential. If you operate a retail store, have employees rearrange shelves to restock when things run low. If customers leave items on the floor, pick them up. You should also be diligent about spills. Since they can cause significant slip hazards, you should clean them up as soon as possible. The cleaner your workplace, the more comfortable people will feel there and will have a positive experience whenever they walk through your front doors. 

Offer Comfort and Refreshments 

If you run a busy operation, you may have several people visiting your office for meetings or appointments. As much as you try to stay on top of everything and see everyone on time, things can get away from you. You try to see them as quickly as possible, but if you get waylaid, offering a comfortable place to sit and refreshments will make the wait feel a little more bearable. Besides this, you should also keep your guests informed about how much longer they will need to wait and offer sincere apologies when you finally see them. 

Make the Most of Business Tech 

Business tech is designed to make everyone’s lives easier, so it’s always worth utilizing it in as many areas of your business as possible. Easy communication between employees is vital as it saves them from leaving their desks and getting distracted. You can also upgrade your networks to promote quicker performance and prevent lagging, while POS terminals and other retail-specific examples are also things to consider. While you don’t need to abandon the human way entirely, using more tech can streamline your operations and reduce stress. 

Improve Communication 

Better communication will also make your workplace a more positive place. If everyone focuses on excellent communication, you can eliminate the risks of misunderstandings, which will also cut down on mistakes and help everyone better understand each other. This approach will benefit employees and customers as their needs and duties are clear, meaning there is less confusion or stress, especially when something goes wrong. It’s important to document and communicate everything in writing to keep everyone in the loop.

Hire the Right People

A positive environment is often built by positive people. Therefore, your recruitment strategy should focus on bringing in the right people for your business. Their goals should align with your company’s goals, and they should possess the interpersonal skills required for the job. Every business needs that person who puts people in a great mood and makes the clients or customers happy, so focusing on personality as much as skills can help make your store or office a more appealing environment rather than a tense or toxic workplace where no one trusts each other. 

Encourage Collaboration 

Similarly, encouraging collaboration and teamwork can have a huge impact on how positive your workplace atmosphere is. Employees can be uncertain around other departments because they don’t interact. While this is expected in corporations, smaller businesses should focus more on collaboration. Everyone works in the same office, so working together should be a priority. People will get to know each other and be friendlier, which directly influences how positive your office becomes as employees may be more willing to go the extra mile for each other. 

Reward Employees 

Business owners should also remember to reward high-performing employees as they will assume that their hard work doesn’t matter otherwise. This issue can lead to burnout and apathy, which increases the risk of absenteeism. Offering employees rewards that are more than mere pizza parties can make a huge difference to the office atmosphere and shows you care as much about the person as you do the worker. Furthermore, introducing flexible working options for a better work-life balance can also help and demonstrate how well you understand what people want and need from a job. 

Positive Vibes Only

Although you will have those stressful days when everything seems to go wrong, and your team is one mistake away from becoming overwhelmed, your general atmosphere should promote positivity. Otherwise, no one will enjoy being at your workplace, meaning your business will suffer as productivity takes a hit and customers or clients look elsewhere for a better experience. 

The Top 30 Anti-Inflammatory Foods

Inflammation is linked with nearly every major disease, including cancer, heart disease, diabetes, and Alzheimer’s.

Unfortunately the Standard American Diet (SAD) — full of refined sugars and grains and ultra-processed food — is a leading cause of the chronic inflammation we’re trying to avoid.

It can be hard navigate our current food culture, but our health depends on it. Fortunately there are many great foods you can eat to reduce inflammation in the body.

Here is a list of the Top 30 anti-inflammatory foods and drinks, herbs and spices, and supplements to enjoy in your daily diet:

Foods and Drinks

1. Fatty fish (including salmon, sardines, herring, tuna, and mackerel)

2. Leafy greens (including spinach, kale, arugula, and chard)

3. Berries (including blueberries, raspberries, strawberries, and blackberries)

4. Tea (including green tea, white tea, and herbal teas)

5. Shiitake mushrooms

6. Garlic

7. Cucumbers

8. Pineapple

9. Cherries

10. Dark chocolate (ideally 85%+ cacao)

11. Extra-virgin olive oil

12. Flax seeds

13. Nuts (especially walnuts and almonds)

14. Pumpkin seeds

15. Fermented foods (including sauerkraut, kimchi, kefir, and miso)

Herbs and Spices

1. Ginger

2. Turmeric

3. Cinnamon

4. Cloves

5. Rosemary

6. Oregano

7. Allspice

8. Thyme

9. Sage

10. Marjoram

Supplements

1. Omega-3 EPA/DHA (from fish, krill, or algae oil)

2. Vitamin D3

3. Green Tea Extract

4. Curcumin

5. Garlic

Add these items to your next grocery list and you’ll start keeping inflammation at bay.

The Eating Habits of Superstar Athletes

I previously wrote about the eating habits of some of the best athletes in the world, including Tom Brady, Roger Federer, LeBron James, Serena Williams, and more.

For Part 2 in this series, I’m focusing on some of today’s top superstars across several major sports.

Read on to learn about the diets of Rafael Nadal, Aaron Judge, Aaron Donald, and Giannis Antetokounmpo.

Rafael Nadal

Rafael Nadal is one of the greatest tennis players to ever live, winning an all-time record 22 Grand Slam titles, including 14 French Opens. He is still at the top of his game after more than 20 years on tour, winning the first 2 Grand Slams of 2022 (Australian Open and French Open) and making it to the semifinals of Wimbledon before pulling out of the tournament with an injury.

One of the keys to Nadal’s success and longevity has been his eating regimen. Growing up and still residing in Mallorca, Spain, Rafa incorporates many elements of the Mediterranean Diet.

When asked what he typically eats to train for a big match, Nadal quickly replied, “Always seafood.”

He does eat some meat as part of his diet (but never before a match), although he prefers fish. “In Mallorca, we have very good fish and prawns, and I usually make them in the simplest way to enhance their flavor,” Nadal said. “The grilled Sóller prawns, little done, are wonderful.” He also enjoys fishing in the offseason.

Nadal is also a big fan of olives and olive oil and has been known to eat bread with olive oil and Iberian ham for breakfast on match day.

To stay energized during matches, he eats bananas and drinks cold microfiltered seawater to help recover mineral salts in his body. He is known to recover with a protein shake after matches.

When Rafa is looking for something more substantial, he opts for paella (ideally his mother’s home-cooked version), but “only sometimes, not every day,” he said. “You eat paella every day, you cannot play tennis.” He also loves shrimp dumplings.

When it’s time to really indulge, Rafa admits to having no self control with chocolate. He also enjoys having a drink every now and then, believing that alcohol is beneficial on a mental level. He likes a glass of wine or beer and recently became a Brand Ambassador for Amstel.

One food that is never on Nadal’s plate? Cheese. He doesn’t like cheese and has never really eaten it.

Aaron Judge

Aaron Judge is arguably the best player in baseball right now, leading all Major Leaguers in Home Runs and RBI (runs batted in) this season. He has also led the Yankees to first place in the standings as the playoffs approach.

At 6 feet 7 inches and 282 pounds, Judge is one of the biggest MLB players and needs to fuel his body for the 162-game season (plus the postseason).

The mainstay of Judge’s diet is vegetables. “The biggest thing is veggies for me — eating your greens,” he said. “I focus on getting a large portion of greens with every meal, no matter what it is.”

He adds spinach and other vegetables to his omelet in the morning and is frequently eating salads.

Before a game, he doesn’t load up on pasta like some other players. Instead, he opts for a smoothie with fruit, spinach, protein, and almond butter.

“That’s something I do every day before the game,” he said. “It helps me maintain that energy and feel full, but without making me feel heavy and slow throughout the game.”

Chicken and rice are fixtures in his daily diet as well.

One of Judge’s favorite cheat meals is pizza. “Especially being in New York, you can find some good pizza spots,” he said. “If it’s not pizza, it’s chicken parm or something like that. That’s my go-to.”

Judge’s favorite ice cream flavor is chocolate chip cookie dough.

Aaron Donald

Aaron Donald is the #1 rated NFL player going into the 2022 season. He is the best defensive player in the league and possibly of all-time. Donald helped lead the Los Angeles Rams to Super Bowl victory last season.

The 280-pound defensive lineman adheres to a strict diet, consisting of 50% carbs, 30% fat, and 20% protein. In a typical high-volume training day, he consumes 616 grams of carbs, 245 grams of protein, and 164 grams of fat. That amounts to nearly 5000 calories.

His top protein sources include chicken, milk, and protein smoothies (he can consume up to 12 smoothies in a day!). He gets his carbs from those smoothies as well as pasta, rice, and popcorn. Healthy fats for him come in the form of avocado, fish, and hummus.

Two of Aaron’s favorite meals are Breakfast Tacos and Dancing Meatballs (recipes included in the link). Breakfast tacos is the meal Aaron craves most, according to his personal chef, Arron Sain. They are made with spicy turkey sausage, eggs, spinach, onion, red pepper, and sharp cheddar cheese, wrapped in whole wheat tortillas.

Dancing meatballs got their name because when Donald first tried them, he danced because they were so good. The meatballs are more of a cheat day appetizer, made with ground turkey, 80/20 ground beef, eggs, ground croutons, garlic powder, onion powder, pepper, parsley, salt, red pepper flakes, and parmesan cheese.

Even with all that eating, Donald is able to maintain just 11% body fat, significantly lower than the average for his position.

Giannis Antetokounmpo

Giannis Antetokounmpo is one of the top players in the NBA, winning back-to-back MVP Awards in 2019 and 2020 and leading the Milwaukee Bucks to the NBA Championship in 2021.

Giannis usually follows a healthy diet to fuel his training and game days. For breakfast, he likes to eat an egg sandwich with a side of fruit.

After a game or tough workout, he typically recovers with a protein smoothie, consisting of strawberries, raspberries, banana, granola, and celery juice. The celery juice is thought to help reduce inflammation.

He also likes to eat pasta and chicken after games.

Originally from Greece, Giannis has enjoyed discovering some iconic (although not so healthy) American foods since joining the NBA, including corn dogs, Red Kool-Aid, and Oreos dunked in milk. He doesn’t eat much Greek food in the US, preferring to wait for his mom’s home cooking.

His favorite cheat meals include pepperoni pizza and lemon pepper chicken wings. Giannis also famously celebrated his NBA championship by visiting Chic-Fil-A for a feast of chicken nuggets.

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There you have it — the eating habits of 4 top professional athletes. As expected, all of these superstars follow a healthy diet comprised of fruits, vegetables, and healthy proteins and fats.

But they all indulge as well.

That’s a good lesson for all of us — eat well but make sure to enjoy some treats along the way.

The Most Proven Sports Performance Supplements

Athletes are always seeking an edge. In my experience, this is true of the pros and weekend warriors alike.

Achieving peak athletic performance requires physical conditioning, sport-specific training, and a dialed-in nutrition plan.

But once these foundational elements are in place, supplements can make the difference for those last few percentage points.

If you are looking to boost your athletic performance, there are only a handful of truly evidence-based supplements.

These are the best of the best, according to the International Journal of Sport Nutrition and Exercise Metabolism:

Caffeine

Anecdotally, I know my morning run feels a whole lot easier after a couple cups of coffee. It turns out my experience is backed by science.

In fact, caffeine has been shown to improve endurance capacity (e.g. running, cycling, swimming), speed (short sprints), and strength (weight lifting).

Low to moderate doses of caffeine (3–6 mg per kg of body weight), consumed 60 minutes pre-exercise, appear to have the most consistent performance benefits. That equates to roughly 2–4 standard cups of coffee for a 150lb person.

Low doses of caffeine (100–300mg) consumed during endurance exercise have also been shown to enhance performance. This is why you often see caffeine coming in chewing gum, sports gels, or energy bars.

When consumed in these quantities, before and/or during exercise, athletes have seen performance improvements in the range of 1–8%.

Of note, higher doses of caffeine (more than 9mg per kg of body weight, equivalent to 6+ cups of coffee for 150lb person) can hurt performance, causing nausea and anxiety.

Creatine

Creatine Monohydrate has been one of the most widely-studied sports supplements, with consistently positive performance benefits.

Creatine has been shown to enhance lean mass, maximal power/strength, and performance of short high-intensity exercise (less than 2.5 minutes, with the most robust effects for bursts of less than 30 seconds). The benefits of creatine for endurance exercise are less clear.

The most common strategy for creatine supplementation includes a loading phase of ~20g per day for 5–7 days, followed by a maintenance phase of 3–5g per day after that. Some people choose to bypass the loading phase and just start with the maintenance phase, which is effective but takes longer for creatine stores to build up in the muscles (30 days vs. 5–7 days).

Research has shown that it is safe to consume creatine daily, even over several years. Some reports have even shown that creatine has anti-inflammatory benefits and reduces exercise-induced oxidative stress.

If consumed properly, creatine can improve strength or high-intensity performance by 1–15%.

Nitrates

Dietary nitrates have been shown to improve performance in endurance sports.

Leafy green and root vegetables (e.g. spinach, arugula, celery) are the primary source of dietary nitrates, but beet juice is the supplement that has been studied most, with consistent performance benefits.

Nitrate supplementation can yield significant improvements (4–25%) in time to exhaustion. These benefits have been seen mostly in exercise that lasts between 12–40 minutes, but improvements in the range of 1–4% have been observed in shorter, sprint-based workouts as well.

It appears to be most effective to consume 1–2 cups of beet juice 2–3 hours before exercise. Following this routine for more than 3 days can be beneficial, especially for well-trained athletes. In fact, performance benefits can be maintained for at least 15 days if beet juice is consumed daily.

Beta-Alanine

Beta-Alanine supplementation has been shown to improve high-intensity exercise performance.

It can increase maximal exercise tolerance by 2–3%, most notable in workouts lasting 30 seconds to 10 minutes.

Beta-alanine dosing strategies usually involve split doses consumed over the course of the day and/or slow release formulations to minimize side effects (paraesthesia — described as “tingling of the skin”).

A split dose of 3.2–6.4 g per day (about 65mg per kg of body weight) per day, taken for a minimum of 2–4 weeks up to 12 weeks, appears optimal to enhance high-intensity exercise performance.

Sodium Bicarbonate

Sodium bicarbonate, also known as baking soda, has been shown to enhance high-intensity exercise performance.

Benefits have typically been seen in short sprints lasting around 60 seconds, with a diminishing return in workouts of more than 10 minutes.

The performance improvements range from 2% for a single sprint to over 8% for repeated bouts.

Sodium bicarbonate supplements can be found in capsule or tablet form. The optimal dose appears to be 0.2–0.4g per kg of body weight, taken 60–150 minutes prior to exercise. Splitting this amount into several smaller doses throughout the day can help to minimize GI upset, which is a common side effect.

One final proven supplement to mention is Protein. It is generally recommended to consume at least 20 grams of protein after an intense workout to support muscle recovery and growth. Adequate protein intake over the long term enhances performance, with a daily recommended intake for athletes of up to about 2g per kg of body weight.

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If you are training hard and eating right but still seeking a competitive edge, these supplements might do the trick.

As most athletes know, small performance improvements can go a long way.

Why You Should Reduce Your Coffee Intake and Increase Your Tea Consumption

Most people start their morning with a cup of coffee to give them the energy they need to be productive and get through the day. But aside from the caffeine fix, drinking coffee can help you live longer, reducing the risk of numerous diseases including cardiovascular disease, Parkinson’s disease, type 2 diabetes, and certain cancers. 

While there are indeed other perks to drinking coffee, there are also risks to consuming too much. Excess coffee can lead to caffeine dependency, sleep disturbances, high blood pressure, and an abnormal heartbeat.

Tea is a great alternative option - producing many of the same benefits as coffee without the negative side effects.  Tea is already one of the most popular beverages in America — consumed more than fruit juices, sports drinks, and energy drinks. This phenomenon isn’t unique to the U.S. - a survey from Gala Bingo  points out that almost a third of the UK population reports drinking at least 5 cups of tea a day — a habit that often starts as early as 5 years old.

There are many good reasons for tea’s popularity, so let’s discuss why you should reduce your coffee intake and increase your tea consumption.

Tea helps lower cholesterol levels

Coffee naturally contains compounds called cafestol and kahweol, which can increase “bad” LDL cholesterol. These are removed in filtered coffee, but unfiltered coffee like espresso and French Press retains them. Tea, on the other hand, has been shown to reduce total and bad cholesterol.  In fact, green tea has been called the No. 1 beverage to consume to improve cholesterol levels (black tea also has a beneficial effect on cholesterol). 

Tea reduces energy crashes

You can stay awake longer when you drink tea, with steady energy levels instead of the spikes and crashes that come from coffee. The caffeine content in tea varies, but popular varieties like green tea and black tea contain only a fraction of the caffeine found in a cup of coffee.  Switching from coffee to tea could cause a short-term caffeine withdrawal if you go straight from coffee to a low-caffeine type of tea (e.g. green tea).  But if you gradually move down the caffeine scale (coffee -> black tea -> green tea is recommended), you will still experience the benefits of caffeine without withdrawal symptoms. The caffeine in tea has a slightly different chemical structure, so you can stay awake in a calm state, compared to coffee's jittery alertness followed by a crash.

Better sleep at night

Coffee can impact your sleep patterns and quality, whether you are a new or habitual drinker.  For many people, drinking coffee after 1pm can have a negative effects on their sleep. Caffeinated tea is less problematic.  And herbal teas, such as chamomile and lavender, are actually natural sleep remedies that help you to relax and unwind.

More antioxidants

Coffee and tea are both loaded with antioxidants, but tea contains some different antioxidants than coffee. For instance, the catechin EGCG in green tea is a potent antioxidant that has been shown to protect against cancer.  Meanwhile, catechins in tea have antimicrobial properties and can lower the risks of cardiovascular disease and neurodegenerative diseases.

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Coffee and tea are two of the healthiest beverages in the world.  But excess coffee consumption poses some risks as well.  If you have found yourself becoming overly reliant on coffee to get through the day, consider transitioning to tea instead. 

Go slow – maybe you can still enjoy 1-2 cups of coffee in the morning and then shift to tea for the rest of the day.  Black tea will help mitigate caffeine withdrawal symptoms, as you work your way toward green tea and herbal teas later in the day. 

Switching from coffee to tea won’t just be a change in preference — it will be a lifestyle change that can have massive health benefits as well.

Andrew Merle is a Certified Nutritionist who writes about simple, evidence-based health tips that will improve your life. Subscribe to his email list at andrewmerle.com.

Caffeine Improves Performance in a Broad Range of Exercise Types

Anecdotally, many of us have experienced the performance-enhancing benefits of caffeine.

My morning runs or workouts certainly seem easier after I’ve had a cup or two of coffee. But is it the placebo effect or does caffeine actually improve exercise performance?

A recent comprehensive report analyzed 21 published meta-analyses to answer this very question.

The systematic review looked at the effects of caffeine on aerobic endurance, muscle strength, muscle endurance, power, jumping performance, and exercise speed.

The conclusion — after looking at all of the data — is that “caffeine ingestion improves exercise performance in a broad range of exercise tasks.”

This would come as no surprise to world-class athletes, who have increasingly turned to caffeine as a legal performance-enhancer since the World Anti-Doping Agency removed caffeine from its banned list in 2004.

But does caffeine improve certain types of exercise more than others?

Caffeine was shown to deliver benefits across all types of exercise, but the greatest gains were seen for endurance and speed. It appears as though the magnitude of the effect of caffeine is greater for aerobic as compared with anaerobic exercise.

In terms of the ‘optimal’ dose of caffeine for performance, that is still a bit of an open question. Additionally, most of the meta-analyses used highly-concentrated caffeine powder, so it can be challenging to apply the findings to coffee, energy drinks, bars, and other caffeine-containing substances.

That said, coffee has independently been shown to enhance aerobic endurance performance, weight lifting, and sprinting. And looking at all of the studies, the authors concluded that “the caffeine dose from coffee likely has to fall within the 3–6 mg/kg range” to provide performance-enhancing benefits.

The caffeine dose from coffee can depend on bean type, preparation method, size of the cup, and other factors, but there are some generalizations that can be made. The ‘average’ cup of coffee contains around 100 mg of caffeine — meaning that two cups would deliver about 200 mg, representing about 3 mg/kg for a 70 kg person (about 155 pounds).

As a general rule, the authors conclude that “two cups of coffee, consumed around 60 minutes before exercise, should exert an ergogenic effect in most individuals.”

Sensitivity to caffeine is highly personal, so experimentation is key. Try different doses and shorter/longer wait times before exercise to see what works best for you.

The results are clear — caffeine is a proven performance-booster. Hopefully these findings help you utilize caffeine to maximize your workouts.

Andrew Merle writes about living well. Read more and subscribe to his email list at andrewmerle.com.