Musician as athlete

A possible paradigm shift here. Assume for a moment this is correct. What would be the consequences of such a belief? Let's think about the training of professional athletes over the course of a career.

A professional musician often has a longer career, thus their bodies train many more years and hours than the greatest Olympian. Most professional athletes are done before grey hair sets in.  Not too many middle aged flabby guys and gals running around the field last time I checked on TV. But, down at the local concert hall… Different story.

Consider the following areas and the role these play in training and maintaining a healthy athletic body. 

1. Nutrition
   1. Calorie count
   2. Nutritionally balanced foods
   3. Junk food
   4. Caffeine
   5. Sugar
   6. Dining times
2. Exercise
   1. Core
   2. Cardio
   3. Specific exercises for your sport (instrument)
   4. Warm up routine prior to practising
   5. Cool down routine after practice
   6. Exercise and physio teams supporting the body
3. Booze
   1. hmm
4. Cigarettes
   1. We all know the answer to this
5. Sleep
   1. Circadian rhythm
   2. Mattress
   3. Screen time prior to bed
6. Hydration
   1. What colour is your pee?
7. Practice regime
   1. Regularly scheduled appropriately to the sport
   2. Thoughtful
   3. Grateful
   4. Deliberate
   5. Coaching and journaling
8. Family and peer support
   1. The role of family and peer support is a good open question.
   2. Positive peer groups supporting their struggles, ambitions, and triumphs
9. Recreational drugs
   1. Despite all protestations to the contrary, they can't be good for you.
10. Psychological health and stamina
    1. Stress reduction strategies
    2. Visualization
    3. Meditation
    4. Coaching
    5. Counselling

These are some of the questions I will be researching in the coming year. I really believe that successfully dealing with each of these points is crucial to a long career with our instruments.

I promise to quote the sources of what I find.

Feel free to chime in.
​
Cheers,
David Story
 
 

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