Vikram SethGrowing up, tennis was a game I was very good at. The court, the ball, and most importantly, my strength came together to make for a game that felt great on my body. While the equipment and level of competition have changed over the years, the basics have remained the same: a strong foundation of cardiovascular fitness, mobility, and stretching is essential for any player to succeed.
Improving your fitness and ensuring that your body can get through a match with as much energy as possible is as easy as one, two, three. Here are three simple steps that can help you improve your overall body fitness:
Get Plenty of Quality Sleep
One of the most overlooked components of an efficient body is a night of restful sleep. If you are training or playing hard during the day, it’s essential to get as much sleep as possible at night, or else you could be causing yourself unnecessary fatigue. It’s also necessary to get your proper amount of sleep each night because, with insufficient sleep, your body starts to break down in unexpected ways. Here are nine signs that you might not get enough sleep.
If you’re not getting enough quality rest each night, try some of these tips:
Try going to bed 30 minutes earlier than usual every night for two weeks. This will give you plenty of time before morning workouts and games to properly prepare for them. Take a hot bath 10 minutes before bed and avoid screens for at least an hour before bed. Avoid stimulants like coffee, soda, and any other substances that will keep you awake when attempting to fall asleep. Take a cold shower instead. For best results, avoid stimulants for the entire day before bed to make sure you’re clear for bedtime. Keep your bedroom as dark and quiet as possible within reason.
Get Some Quality Exercise
Exercise has many health benefits, but most people don’t get it regularly enough because they are too busy or tired to work out. Suppose you can devote some time each day to working out and exercising. In that case, you will drastically increase the amount of quality sleep you receive and your body’s overall attractiveness. You also want to be careful not to overtrain yourself or hurt yourself during intense workouts; this is important because training too hard can cause overtraining, which can last up to two weeks or longer, depending on how severe an injury is sustained training. For example, suppose intense workouts cause you pain even after they’ve stopped. In that case, it’s likely that your body isn’t recovering adequately from the physical activity, and you need more rest than usual for your muscles and bones to heal correctly.