The 2020 season is fast approaching and without a doubt the most exciting season of my career so far. Being that it is my first season as a professional footballer makes it a very exciting yet important season personally. The consistency and performance of my game is the biggest thing for me and each game I plan to grow and get better and better. Over the years I have done everything and anything possible to have my body in the best possible shape and maintaining my overall fitness at the up most levels. But as many professional athletes know, injuries are a big barrier in the world of sport. Minor and major injuries can all hinder the performance of an athlete. For me over the last 5 years, I have suffered many minor and major injuries which have brought my career to numerous halts. Never the less, I have never let my setbacks affect my comeback. By being affected by injuries I can say it has made me work harder and take more care to insure my body is in top condition. Sometimes this is not enough and the luck of the draw just isn't on your side.
Once signing my first professional contract, my mindset became even more determined to spend more time on the pitch rather than on the sidelines, but unfortunately the conditions of the environment and pitches have meant another injury has occurred almost straight away. Within two weeks of training on artificial grass, I have been diagnosed with Periostitis. This is known as periostalgia, which is a medical condition caused by inflammation of the periosteum, a layer of connective tissue that surrounds bone. The condition is generally chronic, and is marked by tenderness and swelling of the bone and pain. This is one of the most frustrating injuries I have had, due to the fact there is no set time of which the injury passes or is overcome. Each individual who possesses this injury recovers at different levels and times. For me, the process is taking longer than I would have liked, in saying that I am at the point where my maturity levels are enhancing. Yes I could be training and playing through the pain but the ultimate goal is to be in top condition for the upcoming season. So in my mind I have focused on making sure I am 100% fit and pain free before returning to the football field. The club and myself have all agreed this is the best pathway for me and my injury and at this point in time every method of therapy is being taken. Ice, compression, elevation, injections, MRI and numerous amounts of other therapy solutions are being taken in order to overcome this injury as soon as possible. One of these new solutions which I have discovered and have chosen to pursue is becoming vegan.
Changing to a complete plant based diet is something I have had my mind set on for the past year. There are many opinions around what is the best diet for professional athletes and for me I have had many people discuss many positives and negatives around the importance of meat in my diet and other protein based animal products. A big factor which helped shape my decision to change to a complete plant based diet for the 2020 season was the documentary called "The Game Changers". This documentary provided me with information around the positives towards changing to a plant based diet and the significant impacts it can have on an athletes performance and recovery. This was a big turning point for me, as I am always looking for ways to improve myself and my game, as well as speed up my recovery so I can work harder. Therefore for the 2020 season I found it a great chance to experience what the plant based diet can do for me and the many games ahead I hope to play. Another factor which pushed me towards becoming a vegan was the cost efficiency that came with the change. Many people around the world and typically on social media believe eating a plant based diet is expensive. In my personal experience so far that is false, the way you eat, whether it's as a meat eater, a vegetarian or a vegan can all be cost efficient based on what you eat. For example, my diet contains a lot of beans, pasta, rice and vegetables which can all be very so called 'cheap' depending on the environment you are living in.
A big positive coming from the change to a plant based diet, if not the most important positive for me as a hard working athlete, was the change in recovery time a plant based diet can cause. Quicker recovery times after workouts and competitions, faster healing from injuries, reduced tendonitis and joint pain, improved immunity, and significantly increased career longevity. These are all applicable for me as a professional athlete. To be able have increased recovery times is important and can be a big breaking point for me wanting to grow and enhance my footballing ability to enable myself to take the further steps in my career. The fact that I currently have an injury that is time dependent is a big reason I decided to make the change in this present moment. After being on the vegan diet for only a couple of days now (since March 8th 2020) it is hard to tell if I can see and feel a difference. But in saying that, my injury is currently feeling better for the first time in one and a half weeks and I feel more energized after getting better night sleeps.
https://gamechangersmovie.com/benefits/maximizing-performance/the-plant-based-
advantage/
With five days remaining before the first game of the season, I am in the mindset of completing numerous amounts of recovery sessions to help improve my injury scenario to allow me to play on Saturday. At the same time, I am also strengthening my other body parts to decrease the percentages of getting another injury in another part of my body. All in all, I am feeling positive and healthy and looking forward to the calm before the storm this Saturday afternoon.
Once signing my first professional contract, my mindset became even more determined to spend more time on the pitch rather than on the sidelines, but unfortunately the conditions of the environment and pitches have meant another injury has occurred almost straight away. Within two weeks of training on artificial grass, I have been diagnosed with Periostitis. This is known as periostalgia, which is a medical condition caused by inflammation of the periosteum, a layer of connective tissue that surrounds bone. The condition is generally chronic, and is marked by tenderness and swelling of the bone and pain. This is one of the most frustrating injuries I have had, due to the fact there is no set time of which the injury passes or is overcome. Each individual who possesses this injury recovers at different levels and times. For me, the process is taking longer than I would have liked, in saying that I am at the point where my maturity levels are enhancing. Yes I could be training and playing through the pain but the ultimate goal is to be in top condition for the upcoming season. So in my mind I have focused on making sure I am 100% fit and pain free before returning to the football field. The club and myself have all agreed this is the best pathway for me and my injury and at this point in time every method of therapy is being taken. Ice, compression, elevation, injections, MRI and numerous amounts of other therapy solutions are being taken in order to overcome this injury as soon as possible. One of these new solutions which I have discovered and have chosen to pursue is becoming vegan.
Changing to a complete plant based diet is something I have had my mind set on for the past year. There are many opinions around what is the best diet for professional athletes and for me I have had many people discuss many positives and negatives around the importance of meat in my diet and other protein based animal products. A big factor which helped shape my decision to change to a complete plant based diet for the 2020 season was the documentary called "The Game Changers". This documentary provided me with information around the positives towards changing to a plant based diet and the significant impacts it can have on an athletes performance and recovery. This was a big turning point for me, as I am always looking for ways to improve myself and my game, as well as speed up my recovery so I can work harder. Therefore for the 2020 season I found it a great chance to experience what the plant based diet can do for me and the many games ahead I hope to play. Another factor which pushed me towards becoming a vegan was the cost efficiency that came with the change. Many people around the world and typically on social media believe eating a plant based diet is expensive. In my personal experience so far that is false, the way you eat, whether it's as a meat eater, a vegetarian or a vegan can all be cost efficient based on what you eat. For example, my diet contains a lot of beans, pasta, rice and vegetables which can all be very so called 'cheap' depending on the environment you are living in.
A big positive coming from the change to a plant based diet, if not the most important positive for me as a hard working athlete, was the change in recovery time a plant based diet can cause. Quicker recovery times after workouts and competitions, faster healing from injuries, reduced tendonitis and joint pain, improved immunity, and significantly increased career longevity. These are all applicable for me as a professional athlete. To be able have increased recovery times is important and can be a big breaking point for me wanting to grow and enhance my footballing ability to enable myself to take the further steps in my career. The fact that I currently have an injury that is time dependent is a big reason I decided to make the change in this present moment. After being on the vegan diet for only a couple of days now (since March 8th 2020) it is hard to tell if I can see and feel a difference. But in saying that, my injury is currently feeling better for the first time in one and a half weeks and I feel more energized after getting better night sleeps.
https://gamechangersmovie.com/benefits/maximizing-performance/the-plant-based-advantage/
With five days remaining before the first game of the season, I am in the mindset of completing numerous amounts of recovery sessions to help improve my injury scenario to allow me to play on Saturday. At the same time, I am also strengthening my other body parts to decrease the percentages of getting another injury in another part of my body. All in all, I am feeling positive and healthy and looking forward to the calm before the storm this Saturday afternoon.
Comments
Post a Comment