I had some great feedback from the post a few weeks ago about goal setting – I am still working my way through that book and I will give you an update once I have digested the content. I think some of you will fail to make goals because you think they have to be huge and earth shattering. Although I am a fan of the BHAG (big hairy audacious goal), you can start small. That’s what I want to give you today – some small steps you can take to make you even more excellent.
10 Goals To Make 2013 Your Best Year Ever…
- Eat breakfast – if you currently have nothing for breakfast, then start with a bagel and natural peanut butter. Or ask Santa for a Magic Bullet and make this tasty shake that I have every morning for breakfast – here’s how I make it. Pledge to do this for two weeks straight.
- Practice your stick handling for 5-minutes on Monday, Wednesday and Friday – you will be amazed at how your stick handling practice at home will benefit your on-ice puck control. Do this for one month.
- Stretch for 5-minutes per day before you go to bed – again, consistency is the key, so start with something that you can easily do (like 5-minutes). Here is a routine you can try – HERE are some stretches to get you going If you do this for three weeks you will notice that you can more more freely on the ice and you might not feel as stiff the day after games.
- Have a snack ready to eat as soon as you come off the ice after every game and practice – it is key to get some calories into your system as soon as you come off the ice. Go for 20g of Protein and 40g of Carbohydrates. This can be a small chocolate milk (a little light on protein), a protein/carbohydrate shake, grilled chicken with pasta, 1/2 bagel with natural peanut butter, banana with yogurt – – you get the idea. Do this for a month and see how you recover better between games and practices.
- Drink at least two glasses of water every day – I know they say you should drink 8 glasses or something like that, but I bet a lot of you do not even drink one glass, so make the effort to get at least two. Remember, if you are thirsty drink WATER, you do not need pop. Do this for two weeks without fail and I bet you will want to continue.
- Buy a foam roller and use it every day for 5-minutes – you will be amazed at how it helps loosen your muscles in a way that stretching cannot. This one is like a miracle – do it for 3-weeks because for the first two weeks it will kind of hurt (the first week might be a bit like torture), then your muscles will get the hang of it.
- Stop doing steady state cardio – start doing interval training instead. One of my favourites is 20 seconds hard followed by 40 seconds easy. Keep in mind the hard should be VERY hard and the easy should be VERY east. Do 10 repetitions of that and you will be lucky if your legs can support you in a standing position. Yes, I know that will only take 10-minutes and you usually run for 45-minutes, but trust me, I am a professional 🙂 Do this 2-3 days per week for a month and see how you have more spring in your step during the second half of the season.
- Record everything you eat and drink for three consecutive days – this will show you where you are missing out on your nutrition. If you go longer than 5 hours without eating (4 if you are trying to add mass) then you are not eating enough – unless you are on an intermittent fasting diet which is a completely different kettle of fish. You will also see how often you ‘treat’ yourself with cookies, chocolate, pop, etc. Those ‘treats’ can really add up.
- For your next 5 games ocus on the moment when you are on the ice . By this I mean focus on playing the best shift that you can or the best 15-seconds at a time that you can. Each shift or each new 15-second interval is a new opportunity for perfection. Don’t let your mind focus on mistakes you made during the last shift, don’t let your frustration get the best of you.
- Get your hockey gear cleaned (your Mom/Dad/Wife/Husband/Girlfriend/Boyfriend will love you more). Do this within the next two weeks (please).
So pick one or two of the above – they are all very simple and will get your 2013 off to a great start. What could be better than achieving one of your goals to start the year.
Cheers,
M