It sounds like a great concept and should be easy to execute but in actuality, bringing your best effort everyday to whatever you do is difficult to accomplish. In athletics, school, work and even with your family. We might love all the things in our lives immensely but approaching every aspect of our life with the energy needed to bring the best outcome out of each, can seem impossible at times. It is easy to see how this can happen. We get in a routine and sometimes forget why we do what we are doing. We do not get enough sleep so we do not have the energy to be our best and lastly we might not be making the best nutritional decisions which also do not help with our energy levels throughout the day. Here are some tips on how you can bring your best effort every day to whatever you are doing.
Once you figure out the why behind what you do, it will be great to change things up every now and again. Routine, no matter how great can and does get boring, especially at work or at practice. There are little things you can do to change things up once in a while to keep everyone focused and engaged. Pete Carroll throws in all kinds of different things into practice to make it fun. He makes a theme out of every day that highlights the main focus of each day. In Hawaii many places do something on Fridays for their employees like a small barbecue or just getting drinks together as a staff. These little things can have a big impact on team moral, engagement, performance and the bottom line.
Now we need to focus on your energy level. Sleeping 7 to 8 hours a night is the best way to recharge your batteries and have the energy you need to be at your best every day. I know how difficult this can be, especially for those of us that have young kids. The best way to make sure you do this is plan around this. If you need to be in bed by 10pm to get up at 6am, plan everything you need to get done accordingly. You cannot leave this up to chance because it will not happen.
Along with sleeping 7 to 8 hours a day, drinking a lot of water helps keeps things moving in our bodies, hydrated and our energy levels up throughout the day. Whatever you do, you can do better if you are hydrated. Your digestive system, brain, circulation and performance all improve just by being hydrated. Plan on drinking eight to twelve glasses of water throughout the day in order to stay hydrated. This might seem like a lot but if you are awake for sixteen hours a day, it is less than one glass of water an hour.
Lastly, eat throughout the day. Do not binge eat because you deplete your energy by waiting until dinner and your performance suffers. Eat breakfast, lunch, dinner and plan to have snacks in between. We are proven to perform our best in the beginning of the day and after lunch so make sure you feed yourself. Eating the healthiest you possibly is great for your body as well. We all know what foods are good for us and which are not. Just make healthier choices every day and it will provide you with even more energy. Food is energy so do not try to skip any meals throughout your day.
By doing these things, you will give yourself the best chance of performing your best every day. There still might be days that you do not feel good and find it difficult to bring your best effort. You must recognize it and find a way to change it. Sometimes it is a fifteen to thirty min break or a nap, other times you need to do something active like exercising. Whatever you need to do to be at your best is well worth the investment. We just have to pay attention to our bodies and figure out the small simple things we can do to bring the best out of ourselves and our team.
Sincerely,
Donny Mateaki
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