Daily self-maintenance regimes

Expert advice, General

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We asked a group of experts (coaches and players) …….

The daily self-maintenance regimes I recommend

I don’t really have any regimes

but I feel if I did it is to get outside more often.

That’s my resolution

Yoga, yoga, yoga , plus no self criticism 🙂

Yoga is a big one for me. It allows me to spend the time to breathe and feel where my body is at.

I generally only do Vinyasa Yoga or the more intense classes which is a great workout that helps with body control, balance, flexibility, stability and core strength.

Although I definitely don’t feel good all of the time and my body can feel very stiff, I make a conscious effort not to criticise myself too much and be happy with where I am at that point in time

Routine, routine, routine to avoid the guilt!

I like routine 🙂

Monday to Saturday I’m pretty strict on doing everything I can to make sure I’m getting the most out of my sessions. I have the ‘guilt’ factor if I feel like I’m not fuelling or preparing myself to the best of my ability. This includes recovery strategies/nutrition/sleep.

The guilt factor is something I have had to learn.

On my day off I try to switch off and do things I enjoy and just relax. Go for coffee 🙂 , have a treat meal. Of course, this is only when I am at home and not competing as usually, my schedule is pretty hectic.

Help yourself, you are in control!

Mental conditioning is a very important self-maintenance regime. Players should begin their day by reciting their goals. This will keep them motivated to have stronger self -belief and to work hard during training.

Incorporate positive self-talk, imagery and attentional control into your daily regime.

Our 3 most important things

First and foremost sleep! – We’ve neglected this so much throughout our careers and have learnt the hard way that you really need a good nights sleep every night in order to recover properly. We now aim for at least 8 hours every night!

Downtime – It depends what you’re like as a person, we like to be busy but we often neglect downtime and relaxing which can also help you to recover and remain ‘mentally fresh’

Stretching and foam rolling – We have got a massage gun that enables a slightly more intense massage in certain areas than a foam roller, however not as good as a real life sports massage. If you have the budget then get a sports massage weekly! Main areas to focus on are calves, quads, glutes, shoulders and anywhere else you struggle with. Often an injury is a result of tightness in a slightly different areas of your body so it’s vital to try and stop becoming over-tight in a certain area.

Naturally you will become tight in your muscles if you are playing lots and training hard however foam rolling/massage gunning and stretching will help to prevent injuries and also enable you to increase the range of movement at a joint which is also going to benefit your badminton!

Get organised

I am structured, it’s something I learnt from my playing days. I had to be as I was on my own most of the time.

I find it very helpful to continue this trend; it worked for me as a player and it continues to work for me now.

So everything goes into the outlook calendar.

Run, run, run !

Never stop running. I’ve found that it’s the best way to clear your head, the best way to stay fit.

Can’t hide from running. I recommend that you go running a minimum 1 x per week.

Another random suggestion: Always check the websites of national federations to stay up to date with any news (don’t assume you will hear everything via internal communication)

Routines are key

Daily self-maintenance routines are key to staying in control of your training and your emotions. I find that allocating some time every day to switch off from screens and work on myself have massively improved my mood as well as working on my body and my mind.

Examples of that are taking the time to do some yoga frequently (I tend to do this in the mornings when I wake up for 20-40 mins) this gives me time to clear my mind whilst working on my strength and flexibility through other means than on court/gym sessions. It is something I have taken control of which adds clarity and focus to my day.

Another example is taking out the massage gun and working through my muscle groups – but the key here is to just focus on the process – no phones and screens to distract me from my objective.