What makes someone an athlete? Is it just someone who just plays a sport? To some that person would be considered an athlete. But in my opinion just playing a sport does not truly make anyone an athlete. For you to be a true athlete in my eyes you must be disciplined in six crucial pillars of life: practice, conditioning, nutrition, rest, hygiene, and dedication.

The first pillar, practice, is the initial thing you must live by. If you just play a sport for fun, then great you’re having fun, good for you. But an athlete doesn’t just play the sport for the fun of it. They work to refine their skills in every aspect of their sport through practice. They always apply themselves in order to improve and become better at what they do. 

“Be better today than you were yesterday, and be better tomorrow than you are today.”

-Lorenzo Snow

But having skill and practicing your sport alone will not make you an athlete. You must also work to hone your body and your physical capabilities. This is where the next pillar comes in: conditioning. If you do not put time in to make your body stronger, faster, resilient, and flexible, you are not an athlete. Whether it be through doing cardio, weightlifting, plyometrics, yoga, etc. you must be focused on becoming more conditioned for your sport. 

“You put the work in and then that confidence builds up and you start to do things you really didn’t know you could do.”

-James Harden

The third pillar, nutrition, is all about mindfully fueling your body. Even when you are not playing or practicing, even when you are not in the weightroom working out, you still have a job to do. You must continue to be thinking like an athlete. In order to be able to perform to the best of their abilities, true athletes think about what they put in their bodies. They make sure that they get enough food so that they have energy. They choose foods that will help build muscle as well as foods that are healthy and beneficial. You must make food a priority, not just a second thought. 

“The food you eat can be either the safest and most powerful form of medicine or the slowest form of poison.”

-Ann Wigmore

Pillar number four: rest. An athlete works towards avoiding any and all injuries, and if an injury does occur, they make sure that their recovery is complete before resuming the sport. You cannot play your sport at your full potential if you are hurt or sore, so you must let your body have time to rest, recuperate, and heal. To be fully transparent, this is the pillar that I struggle with the most. My girlfriend tells me all the time that I do too much and that I don’t give myself enough rest. She is entirely correct. I push myself to attend every practice and every workout even if I am sore or hurt because all I want is improvement in my craft. However because of this drive to improve, I sometimes end up hurting myself further. So, I must work on incorporating this pillar fully into my life. Until I do, I will not truly be an athlete.   

“Rest time is not waste time. It is economy to gather fresh strength.”

-Charles Spurgeon 

Illnesses make you tired, dehydrated, and fatigued. If you are sick you can make your team sick. If you are sick you can’t play at 100%. This is where pillar five, hygiene, comes in. It is crucial to not get sick in order to play your sport with your full capabilities. Making sure not to spread the illness is key. You can lower the chances of illness through good hygiene. If your body is clean then you have a lower likelihood of becoming sick. Examples of good hygiene are washing your hands before meals and after using the restrooms, showering after exercising or practicing, and brushing your teeth. Stay clean in order to stay in the game. 

“Cleanliness is next to godliness.”

-John Wesley 

The final pillar is dedication. You can not just do any of these tasks just once or twice. You must fully commit to this lifestyle. Being a true athlete is a hard thing to accomplish, but through dedication it is possible. You could do these things for years and years, but the day you quit it, you cease to be an athlete. Dedication is the most important, and for many, the most difficult thing to do. However,  if you can be dedicated to all the pillars that came before, then you will be a true athlete. 

“What does it take to be a champion?” Desire, dedication, determination, concentration and the will to win.”

-Patty Berg