Former Hilltopper football player, Zach Gray, visited us in training camp week. Zach is a Strength and Conditioning specialist who spent the off-season preparing Christian McCaffrey and Bijon Robinson, two of the NFL’s top running backs, for this season. At the end of our practice, I asked him to speak with our team about things that they can do to maximize their athletic performance.
He shared the following:
1. Never miss a sunrise. He recommends getting up at sunrise to set your circadian clock to have better sleep quality and to expose as much of your skin as possible to early morning sunlight to maximize the absorption of vitamin D without the exposure of UV rays that are stronger in the midday sun.
2. Eat a breakfast high in protein and fats and include seafood in your diet for its anti-inflammatory effects.
3. Have a screen diet. Get away from your phones, tablets, and computers. When you need to be on them, do it outside in sunlight or wear blue light glasses. Getting away from screens allows us to have more social interaction and connection with others.
4. Walk barefoot in the grass. The earth’s surface carries a negative electrical charge that, when we come in direct contact with it, can neutralize the positive charges in our body due to modern, unhealthy lifestyles.
5. Get in water, and drink water. Submerging in water allows for muscle recovery, and drinking water allows for hydration of the body. He recommends adding a quality sea salt to a glass of water every morning to provide the body with the minerals essential for hydration, muscle function, and overall health.
We concluded the practice by walking barefoot on the grass and socially interacting with each other. Starting this Saturday, we will do our active recovery workouts barefoot on grass. At least until the snow starts falling, and I hope we are still playing when it does. Thanks, Zach!
Coach Rich Alercio is available to discuss coaching philosophy, X’s & O’s, or teach his O-Line “techniques in the trenches.” Contact Coach at richalercio@gmail.com and share http://www.olineskills.com with your colleagues and friends. Thanks for supporting this blog and joining our conversations, and as always, thanks for your time!
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