By Samuel Lam & Kyle Chan, Staff Writers
Sports are an ever-present black hole of time, as well as physical and mental ability. However, not only is it costly bodily-wise, it requires a lot of specific equipment and tools. As the countdown toward Christmas begins, many wish lists are being created. Before we leave for break, here’s a look into what we agree should be on our athlete’s wishlists.
During the beginning of the fall, the Mills Cross Country team season began. This sport requires launching practices that consist of a mix of both speed and long-distance endurance. In order to keep track of speed and time, having a running watch may be the missing piece. A good Christmas gift would be a Garmin Running Watch because the brand has a good reputation and works very well. The watch can also monitor the distance run and elevation within the workout span. Another factor that is beneficial to producing growth as a runner is having the right training shoes to run with. They are important because they are designed to stabilize your feet when moving side to side or when jumping.
Another one of Mills’ fall sports is football. This taxing yet enjoyable sport is one that requires a lot of training, mental and physical strength, as well as a lot of equipment. There is on-field and off-field equipment. On-field includes pads, helmets, guards, and jerseys. However, off-field equipment is arguably just as important as it contributes to recovery and overall performance during practice and games. One vital piece of one’s arsenal is a massage gun. This piece of technology is often used to relieve pain, break apart tight muscles, as well as improve blood circulation. Also called a percussion gun, these will help one recover from a difficult game and bounce right back. A good massage gun would be the Fly Bet F1 Go. Its price is reasonably affordable and offers a variety of massage heads for different parts of the body.
Keeping on the theme of recovery, there have been many revolutionary breakthroughs in technology and accessibility. Ever since the application of electricity, it has been used in various types of therapy and recovery. Originating in acupuncture utilizing pressure points and needles, activates several pain relieving glands as well as anti-inflammatory responses throughout the area. This has been modernized and created into more accessible gadgets such as the Firefly recovery tool. This gadget was designed to increase blood flow 3x faster when recovering from a workout by stimulating a nerve in your leg.
One vital theme to any athlete’s performance is their diet. Whether you are a gym rat or an avid sports player, a good diet is always stressful. However, with the monstrous amount of time that training, recovering, school and sleeping takes, time is very hard to come by. A really interesting solution to this is to take your food on the go. Despite how easy this sounds, most people tend to buy food to go, often which contains unhealthy sugars and fats. Our answer to this is to utilize something similar to Blendjet’s portable blender bottle. With the push of a button, this simple tool allows you to create quick, healthy, yet filling smoothies, shakes, and anything in between, on the go and in the palm of your hand. Take this bottle on the go, and never have to worry about time restraints ever again.
If you are an athlete or if you want to try a sport, take these recommendations in order to enhance physical recovery and to strengthen muscles. It makes exercising fun and easier and contributes a good push towards your New Year’s Resolutions.
