Considering its popularity, it’s no wonder soccer is such a go-to sport nowadays. Soccer is also known as football and is a sport played by many countries. Soccer is a sport that consists of a team, where 11 players are involved on both sides. The players on both teams play the game by using their head, torso and legs to pass around a ball. When the ball is shot into a goal, it would indicate a score on either team. The nature of soccer is that the players would mostly run or sprint, either fast or slow, or that they might just be standing around.
There are plenty of benefits when playing the sport particularly health-wise. It is also beneficial in other ways as well.
How your health can benefit from playing soccer
- Boosts energy and cardio levels
What makes soccer an ideal cross-training sport is that your workout is not monotonous. The levels of cardio that you put into soccer is not consistent. When you play soccer, you jog, sprint or run at different times. Hence, it has the ability to increase pumping of blood to the muscles preventing artery blockage. Not only that, you get to have fun.
- Increases level of endurance
While playing soccer boosts your cardio, it also aids with boosting endurance. It is because playing the sport allows you to move in various motions like jumping, sprinting, walking, and running.
- Improves sense of body coordination
The kind of coordination you put into when playing the sport involves all parts of the body. This is because playing soccer would mean using complex motions and directions, at different times and speed.
- Improves skeletal and muscle strength
Because of the sport’s nature in continuous movement, it maintains the muscles engagement on extended periods. This results to fantastic toning of muscles. Meanwhile, the kind of load that is repeated on the body during a game makes our bones stronger and healthier. This is why most soccer players looked lean and toned all the time.
Other ways that soccer can benefit you is that:
- It helps you to appreciate teamwork better
- It gives you a sense of discipline
- It boosts your levels of physical activity
- It makes you have fun as well
There are also a lot of popular teams and leagues involved in soccer. The most prevalent is European soccer or football. Some of the most popular teams include Manchester United, Chelsea, Arsenal F.C, Liverpool F.C, Real Madrid C.F and many more. Moreover, some of these leagues include English Premier League, UEFA Champions League, EFL Championship, The Emirates FA Cup and many more.
The most viewed and popular league in history, however, is the World Cup. Recently, the 21st World Cup happened and is ongoing and held in Russia. The qualifying match started on June 14 and will end with the final match on July 15. Many soccer or football fans all over the world are up to date with the football scores and plays since the start of the event.
With all the current hype about the World Cup, there’s probably one burning question in our minds about soccer players: how do they last 90 minutes on the field? Playing the game itself demands a lot of physical fitness especially for players in big leagues. There’s a lot of pressure the World Cup puts on each representing country and it can be tiring. Aside from injuries involved, not being prepared can also cause a team to lose. So, we can only imagine the kind of training soccer players have to go through. Being fit is one thing, but lasting a game is another.
Below are six effective ways how soccer players in the World Cup can keep up on the field for ninety minutes:
- Getting a lot of rest before the day of the match
Months before the match, soccer players would put themselves in rigorous cardio and strength training with utmost discipline. This is to help them prepare their physical and mental fitness before the game. For leagues like the World Cup, soccer players have to go through the most hardest of training. However, it is important to get sufficient amount of rest particularly when it is just weeks and days before the game. This means that they have to get at least seven hours of sleep a day. Exercises should then be lighter and more moderate following the day of the match. This is to help preserve energy and perform better on game day.
- Make sure to eat a hearty breakfast before the game
We all know that breakfast is the most important meal to take for the day. However, it is also one of the meals that people skip the most. For soccer players, it can be a nerve-wracking moment before the game, especially if it’s the World Cup. That is why whether one is in the right mood to eat or not, eating a good breakfast is essential. An ideal breakfast meal should be packed with protein and healthy carbohydrates to give you the energy you require.
- Carbohydrates is a vital element in the evening meal before the game
Loading up on carbs does not mean eating excessive amounts of pasta, rice and bread. The ideal carbohydrates needed in your meals in the evening pre-match would be complex carbs. Foods that are rich in complex carbs include whole wheat, whole grains, sweet potatoes, fruits and green, leafy vegetables.
- Keep your hydration levels up before and during the match
An average person is required to drink at least 1.5 liters of water daily for the body to function properly. An athlete, however, would require two times the amount. Considering the loss of fluids through burned energy from the rigorous exercises, it is not a good idea to skip drinking water. Drink up especially before, during and after trainings and games.
- Have healthy munchies ready for the day of the match
Snacks are also necessary items during a soccer game. This is to replenish lost energy during the game. Ideal healthy snacks you can prepare would be bananas, fitness or cereal bars, and even chocolates. However, make sure to consume them half an hour before game time, or during half-time.
- Stock up on energy drinks
Energy drinks is also important to replenish and re-energize soccer players during a game. This is because energy drinks are rich in carbohydrates to supply energy, and electrolytes to speed up rehydration. However, energy drinks should be taken sparingly and at right times to optimize the benefits.
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