An Cosantóir

www.military.ie the defence forces magazine | 41 toll on the body, as when you exercise your muscles tear and then need to repair. Put- ting the right food into your body helps it to repair quicker and more effectively. During all this activity, it is protein that ensures optimum muscle growth and recovery. Ideally, any serious athlete should be eating protein in every meal. For amateur sports people with busy work schedules this task becomes more difficult. This is where preparation comes into play and you see the full value of good, consistent practice. An average 80kg man participating in a high level of sports needs 2 grams of protein per kilo of body weight to repair, replenish and fuel the body. You should be consum- ing six meals a day: breakfast, snack, lunch, snack, dinner and snack. This adds up to 42 meals a week, 38 of which should be on point. Consistent repetition of the small things leads to top class performance. To succeed in achieving this you will need some important tools. Lunch boxes, cooler bags, protein shakers and water bottles are vital. It is important that on a Sunday night prior to your working week you have a fridge full of the right foods at your disposal. This limits the possibility of making excuses for not being prepared. You should always think three meals ahead of what you should be eating. Going to work you should have a fully packed lunch and a water container for constant hydration. Taking out a container full of pre- cooked food in front of work colleagues may seem alien at first but it will become the norm. Possibly you might get jeered but this will wane after a while or you might be- come a trendsetter for good eating habits. At home you will need to separate yourself from others regarding your intake. This food will help you be ready for your next training session or game. Owning this process will make you a better player, and soldier. It may seem robotic and boring but being excellent with your diet can take you above your opponent. Maintaining your body, however, takes more than just a good diet. Sleep is vitally important to everyone. To perform in your job and also have the time to commit to sport, you must have the appropriate rest. A minimum of seven to eight hours is key to remaining attentive and alert. This means getting to bed, leaving your phone down, and allowing your body to naturally drift off without focusing on a mobile phone screen. Respect this process, as you will benefit hugely from it. Every contact sport and physically de- manding job will lead to knocks and bangs. Taking time out to stretch your muscles ev- ery day is a must. This can be done in front of the TV with a foam roller or a band. Re- maining supple and loose prevents the build up of lactic acid and can ultimately help you remain injury free and habitually stretching must become a constant in your life along with drinking water, eating well and getting the proper amount of sleep every night. Every single act that you do should be with a view to make you a better player. It is a process of trying to gain an extra per- centage from every session, as when it comes to the crunch in a game that one percent could be the difference be- tween winning and losing. We all look for that edge over our opponents and at the end of the season it's nice to have a piece of silver- ware to reward the efforts. However, we shouldn't let sport take over our lives; we must remember to enjoy it too and partake for the right reasons. It can have a huge part to play but there is life outside of it. Sport shouldn't consume us; it should always leave you with a smile on your face and a thirst to come back for more.

• Cover