5 Things Valerie Arioto Does Daily As an Olympic Athlete
Team USA’s softball first baseman Valerie Arioto shares five daily habits to maintain motivation and optimize performance. Find more on Arioto’s The Integrated Vault, “a multi-faceted online mecca for all things involving personal growth.”
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Put Thoughts to Paper
Preparation and intentionality have been the secret sauce to optimizing my performance. I commit to either journaling or planning every day. I usually do this during my breakfast and coffee time in the morning. Whether it’s five minutes or a whole hour, this allows me to get all my thoughts down on paper and feel freer going forward in my day.
Be Feelings-Forward
Planning out your goals and dreams is often the first step to creating a vision in order to align the action that will get you there. But what we often forget to consider is how we want to feel during this time. We spend a lot of time on the journey to achieving our goals, so something I do often is check in to make sure how I am feeling aligns with how I said I wanted to feel along the way.
Listen to Your Body
My best advice for physical health is to tap into your intuition and listen to your body, giving it rest when needed. Additionally, consistency is key! I make sure to move my body in some way every single day. Once this becomes muscle memory, the benefits – such as increase in energy and overall well-being – are profound.
Plan Ahead
Planning in advance is essential to make all the moving pieces work intentionally and cohesively. I use a time block template (that’s in The Integrated Vault’s “12 Weeks to a Better You” journal) to ensure I’m doing everything I need to take care of myself. If I’m drained and burnt out, this amazing and ambitious life I’m trying to live just doesn’t happen, so learning to prioritize and time block are a must!
Eat with Your Gut
Listen to your gut… literally. I try to check in with myself to see what foods my body seems to be wanting on any certain day. Nourishing meals are incredibly necessary for fueling high performance. Some foods I’m loving right now are avocados, blueberries and shrimp tacos! Try our deconstructed take on shrimp tacos.
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