To talk about polo is to talk about passion, we could list all the reasons that exist to love this sport, but we are sure that if you are here you must already know several of them. However, we must also recognise that even if you have been a fan of the sport, it is also easy to forget about it. However, a change of perspective can help you find your motivation again, and not turn your back on what you have long loved, or, if you are new to the world of polo, help you to want to discover it.
It is normal to feel frustration or loss of motivation when playing polo, training at the gym and, in general, it can become monotonous when practising any activity. Some reasons as to why you may be experiencing this are:
Failure to recover
Boring routine
Poor nutrition
So, read carefully because we want to give you some tips to regain your love for polo:
Make changes to your diet
If one of your motivations for training is to get fit and see physical results, and you're not seeing them yet, you may need to change your diet to see a difference. At this point you have two options: be aware of the calories you are consuming based on your level of physical activity and adjust accordingly, or, if you prefer not to count calories, and you are feeling low on energy throughout the day, or feel too full to train, try adding or removing a handful of food from your daily diet; foods that are high in carbohydrates for a week to see how it affects the change in your energy levels.
Detox week
If you feel that polo practice is becoming an obligation, we can state from the fact that you will not be giving your 100% in the game, so be warned that it will not be too far along when you decide not to play anymore. Try giving yourself a break for a week, two weeks at the most. Spend that time off doing other activities that you also enjoy, this period of time can help you to refocus and remind yourself why polo is your passion and, when you feel you miss it, you will be motivated enough to take up the game of chukkas again.
Get a good night's sleep
Every hour of rest you take away from your body will end up taking its toll on you, and an expensive one at that. Your body needs recovery and the best way to achieve this is by getting a good night's sleep, which is necessary to be able to carry out not only your training but also your daily activities. If you don't sleep, exercise or polo training will not have.
the same benefits, both physically and mentally. If you find it difficult to get the recommended 7-8 hours of sleep, try taking recovery naps during the day.
Make a support system from your team
We all know that polo is a sport for sharing, living the passion of polo alone can be counterproductive. Share with your friends after every practice, give yourself some time to be with your playing friends after every practice, and even if sometimes you have to run off to do your other duties, try to spend some time talking with your team about things that are not just about the match you have just played.
Try these tips out and then let us know what you think, we're here to remind you why you ended up playing polo and we know in advance, without guessing, that it's one of the best decisions you've ever made in your life. Don't be discouraged.
Written by: Santiago B. Posada
Translated by: Mayra Alejandra V. Ramos