Athletes are great at working hard. We know that pushing ourselves on the court, track or weight room is the key to success. However, there are always ways we can work harder to move towards our goals.
Here are 8 ways to grind harder today
1. Work
Financials are one of the biggest hardships off the field. Going into debt to further your sporting career is just stupid. Get a job, work hard and smart, and get your financial future under control.
2. Budgeting
The other side of financials is to create a plan. Budgeting allows you to decide at the start of the month what is important to you, and not feel guilt for spending. If you are a shoe person, cut back on tv and clothes so you can buy a pair of Jordans. If you have some debt to clean up, tighten things up in the short term to benefit long term. https://www.daveramsey.com/everydollar
3. Weight room
I recently wrote an article on the weight room, and why I buy in. Weights are a rewarding area to train, as we get immediate feedback on improvements. As well, grinding in the weight room can directly lead to better sport performance. Get to it!
4. Putting in more reps
Many exercises take a toll on the body, limiting how much they can be done. For example, a distance runner should not go for another 10k run when they get home from practice. However, the body can handle extra work on a lot of different areas. Add a core routine or some pushups to your morning.
5. Start your own business
Running a business is a rewarding, flexible way to earn some cash. As a bonus, you can usually earn more than a similar position at another company, if you work at it.
House cleaning, blog writing, graphic design and other freelance opportunities allow flexibility in the hours you work, wages you make and even location you work from. As a bonus, they teach you the basics of starting a business, incredibly valuable skills to have!
6. Learn how to cook better
Eating out is fricken expensive. Eating out multiple times a week can double your food budget, limiting funds for therapy, supplements, coaching and more. Pickup a copy of 4-hour chef and cook the next time you are thinking about going out. (I don’t make anything off of promoting this book. Its just awesome, so I wanted to share it!)
7. Learn how to cook cheaper
The other side of the equation is the grocery budget itself. This has been one of the places I have limited my spending and saved a lot of money. Having some cheap calories around that meet your nutritional needs is very important. I always have a Costco-sized bag of rice and beans around, when I want an easy meal or to keep my costs low. A steak, quinoa and salad can be $8 home cooked, while rice, beans and veggies is less than $0.75. You can save a couple hundred bucks on your grocery bill by putting some thought into the price of your meals.
8. Research into supplements
There are hundreds of different supplements we can buy, all claiming to create massive gains for your sport performance. In reality, very few actually make a difference. Look into the most important 3-6 supplements for your sport, and make sure you are reaping the benefits from them daily!
