Athletes are constantly scanning for ways to go beyond their limits. To go faster, further and stronger, yet often the ways we go about doing this are not sustainable. People have tried many illegal methods to push the boundaries of human performance, yet there is a legal, natural way to enhance performance so drastically, that it amazes me more people aren’t doing it.
Our body is a highly complex vehicle, designed for unlimited activity and performance. For a good example of this, check out Dean Karnazes or Ryan Sandes on YouTube.
This ability is inherent in all of us, provided certain conditions are in place. Let’s explore two of them.
1. Body
When we look at nutrition, Science has proven that our bodies were designed to take in food from nature. Our body is a natural living organism and it makes sense then that it runs best when fuelled with natural living sources i.e. Real Foods.
We are talking about sustainable energy here, not the temporary high derived from refined sugar foods and caffeine drinks, with their subsequent energy crash and increased weight gain. Real foods are foods that are free from nasty chemicals and sprays and represent natural foods that have a much higher nutritional value.
Ultra Endurance Athlete, Nico Pfitzenmaier, is a living breathing example of this, successfully recording 25 race podium finishes out of 26 races this year. At age 42 he is competing against athletes half his age. Nico is a self-confessed Superfood Junkie, citing nutrition as a key ingredient in his success.
Some of Nico’s Favourite Superfoods include:
All ingredients available at: www.superfoods.co.za.
No budget or time for these incredible Superfoods? Then check out Nutriverus – a Simple, All-In-One Organic Superfood supplement for the whole family.
A second important point that Science has shown, is that the quickest way for the human body to absorb nutrition is from liquids. Additionally, this frees up valuable energy, that would have been used in digesting solids. This further increases the body’s available energy reserves for training, racing and recovery.
A simple way to do this is putting all your ingredients in a smoothie or juicing.
2. Mind
Focus and concentration play a huge role in an athlete’s performance. What many people do not realise is that the brain is like a muscle and can be trained to be stronger.
The best way I have found to do this is through meditation.
Meditation or deliberate relaxation simply means to focus on one thing with all our energy: physical, mental and emotional. So we see it that some people meditate on money, others on their house or car, others on their work.
It used to take years of discipline to develop the ability to achieve the states of mind where real relaxation or meditative experiences take place and even longer to reach the lower levels where natural healing can occur. Now, thanks to the latest advanced audio technology, all you do is put on your headphones and press play and you can literally re-train your mind from a stressful or anxious state to the calm, focused state of Peak Performance, where you naturally are able to perform at your best.
Consistency is important here, and dedicating 20 minutes a day (preferably in the morning) can yield remarkable results.
So to Recap:
1. Eat – Real Wholefoods
2. Drink – Purified Water, Coconut Water.
3. Think – Focused (Meditation)
The human body in its incredible design is built for incredible athletic performance. Whether you’re a professional athlete or a weekend warrior, with more and more people providing their body’s with the necessary ingredients for optimal performance and expanding their mind’s potential, we have only begun to see what we are capable of.
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Christopher Drummond is a Health Journalist and Ironman competitor, who is passionate about all sports and athletic disciplines, particularly as they relate to human performance. He has spent the last year living on a 100% raw food diet. For great ways to take your performance to the next level, visit: https://www.organichealth.co.za/sports-nutrition/
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