Whether you’re a student-athlete, a professional athlete, or someone who runs for a hobby, your sport is your focus. However, that focus may fall apart when you add the rest of your life to the mix. When you’re trying to juggle work, family, and friends to the point that working out feels more like a task than something you enjoy, then what do you do?
Developing the proper routine for your everyday life will not only help you prioritize the work you put into your sport, but it will also help you focus on finding balance in your life.
Maintaining Healthy Habits
The most important reason to have a routine is to help cement healthy habits into your everyday lifestyle. Whether drinking more water or writing down what you’re grateful for each day, these habits can sometimes fall to the side when you’re sole focus is on your sport. Integrating them into a routine allows you to complete these tasks almost unconsciously so the rest of your focus can remain on training.
Meditation Through Routine
Meditation is proven to help improve mental, emotional, and even physical wellbeing. However, it doesn’t have to be you sitting in silence for ten to thirty minutes a day. Some meditation practitioners have viewed everyday tasks as a form of meditation. Examples of this practice include taking a hot shower, making a cup of tea, and going on a long walk. These moments of quiet routine allow you a moment of peace to reflect on your life. So, find a moment in your routine for mindful meditation practice and watch your outlook on life begin to improve.
Knowing What Needs to Be Done
One of the most common things in a person’s routine is sitting down and planning their day. Ensuring you do this can help you prepare mentally for the day ahead. How much work do you need to get done? What social obligations do you have today? Where do you have time to rest or do extra training to be best? Knowing what needs to be done will help you focus at the start of the day and stay focused throughout the day.
Develop the Routine That’s Right For You
While we have listed several ideas for your daily routine, remember that this is your routine. Make sure your routine reflects what you want to achieve. For mental wellness, you can include time for meditation or reflection. If you're going to increase your endurance, then find a way to incorporate specific training into your routine. A routine can take any shape or form. What’s important is that it fits your lifestyle and what you intend to achieve.
Overall, while we are working to break barriers and be extraordinary, there is something to be said about finding the strength in developing an ordinary, everyday routine. It gives you focus and a structure upon which you can build a better, stronger version of yourself. At the end of the day, that is all any athlete can ask.
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