Winning a game doesn’t just happen. Instead, proper game planning, preparation, and strategizing are the true elements to victory. If you don’t take the opponent seriously, success is not attainable. College athletics is too competitive to not be prepared. Speaking of competition…Have you tried your luck at shopping on Black Friday? Here are a few tips to survive Black Friday with your health in tack.
Bring Your Own Water
Hydration is an important part of competing well. Your hydration level plays a role in performance, risk of injury, and stamina. A health tip to survive Black Friday would be to bring your own water. Having a healthy beverage with you will help fight the temptations that exist. There are beverages like eggnog and holiday-themed coffees. These are loaded with useless calories. Also, look at the amount of time you stand waiting to check out. Checkout aisles are lined with soft drinks and energy drinks. These items should be avoided at all costs.
Comfortable shoes
Athletic footwear has come a long way. They date back to the 1860s by many accounts. No bigger difference can be seen in basketball and running shoes. We have moved from Converse to Nike and adidas on the court. Running has been dominated by Nike since the ’80s. And the evolution has become a race among shoe manufacturers who are moving to individualization and customization. Before Black Friday, get a good pair of running shoes. Go to a local running store. Get a gait analysis. Buy the type of shoes you need. Your feet will thank you help you survive Black Friday!
Avoid Sugar Grazing
College athletes are creatures of habits and routines. For many, the day’s structure is built to create the best possibilities of living healthy. Others create structure to avoid poor habits that will hurt their performance. This is especially true for game day. These are days you want to avoid bad foods like sugary snacks. Black Friday is smack dab in the middle of the holidays which for most is filled with desserts and sweets. You need to develop a plan to avoid sugar grazing. Develop a few rules like no dessert if you eat out and no purchases of register aisles items. It’s the constant grazing of food during a long day shopping that hurts the most.
Thanksgiving is usually a day of overeating. Get back on your health journey and survive Black Friday by packing water to avoid the holiday beverages, wearing comfortable running shoes, and limiting your sugar intake. It is important to build a healthy plan to be ready for a day of competitive shopping.