When it comes to boosting fitness, it makes sense that people look at it as a physical thing. Whether your aim is to boost strength, lose weight or improve core fitness, the changes will take place in your body, muscle tone, body fat and suppleness and endurance — it’s all physical.
However, anyone who watches any sport will probably have heard a phrase that’s regularly used by commentators. Be it a sprinter, a football player or even a weightlifter, it’s a phrase that has seasoned viewers nodding in recognition:
“Their first few yards/kilograms are all in their head.”
What it means is that, fine, having the physical assets to succeed is of course important. But what separates the 1% from the rest is a kind of mental readiness. It’s a commitment to put oneself through the kind of tests that make us fitter, but it’s more than that too. An ability to make intelligent decisions that give us the edge. The edge is not just over opponents, but over the version of ourselves that we want to improve on.
Making Your Workout Work For You
The human body is a complex system. There are so many moving parts, doing so many different jobs, that a 1% change in any of those individual areas can make a massive change. Getting that extra percentage point drives a lot of people to extremes. We can all name one or two pro athletes who have gone too far in search of it. Cough, Lance Armstrong, cough.
It’s different for regular just going about a normal gym routine. Things that are illegal in competition are not – at least not always – out of reach for the rest of us. But does this mean that we should take the risk with those banned substances? Of course not. A good and complete fitness routine is going to be safe and healthy for you.
Staying Safe While Getting Fitter
The truth is that there’s a reason certain substances are banned in professional athletics. Many of these drugs have pronounced and dangerous side effects. Professional sprinters and elite athletes have died tragically young from the use of such substances, so this is not just scare-mongering. Others have seen their personal lives destroyed “roid rage”. This is why it’s better to stay on the safe, legal side of the fence with any fitness routine. The risks are serious.
Rather than risk a trip on the wild side, it’s far better to stay away from pharmaceuticals and consider your options on the natural side of things. You can research these with the same vigor you would anything else; read AlgaeCal reviews, scope different opinions, talk a medical professional and to people who have tried such supplements. There’s no such thing as too much information in this endeavour.
Getting More From Your Supplements
It’s obvious that the more strings you have to your bow, the better your chances of achieving the results you want. One mistake many people make is expecting one thing to make all the different.
Using supplements is a wise choice in the pursuit of prime fitness. However, the key word is supplements. They won’t replace a healthy, balanced diet. See them as the cherry on the top of the cake, the extra 1%, and they will give you the performance boost you desire.
*This article was contributed.
