Chesscampeona on the Move; Take Control of Your Physical Health

 

Have you ever felt really tired or stressed during a tournament? Although it may seem strange, your diet and exercising habits affect your game. We can all agree that sitting in front of the board for five hours is tiresome! If you are not physically fit, it is even more tiresome. 

Believe me I know from experience! As we learned in my last article, your emotions affect your game, but that is not the only thing that affects your game. Your health is also important. Most players think chess is just composed of strategies and tactics, but there are many things that affect you on the chessboard. There are two main areas of physical health you need to work on before, during and after a tournament:

1. Diet - Have you ever felt really tired after a meal? Like during Thanksgiving, Christmas, or other holidays? During a tournament your diet is crucial because certain foods can make you hyper and then sleepy.

 

This is certainly not good because when you are playing you need to be completely focused. With your parents/guardians or other specialists' help, I encourage you to make a list of foods that are good for you and foods that are not. Try not to eat the bad ones during a tournament. It will help you avoid getting sleepy.

2. Exercise - Have you ever been outside to play and felt relieved? Stress and pressure can take a big toll on your body. It can make you feel sick or even give you a headache. Exercising can help you get rid of stress. It takes your mind off of all the pressures that a tournament can bring. Therefore, before, during and after a tournament, make sure to go outside and play! It gives you a way to let off steam. Exercise also helps your body endure long tournaments. Although our sport is not a physical contact sport, our body feels the pressure of tournaments. If you make a habit of exercising it will help your body last longer on the chess board, because your body can let the pressure out.

 

Eating healthy and maintaining a routine of exercise shows balance. Balancing these two points of your physical health is crucial to staying alert and focused during a tournament! I hope you learn from my experiences and apply them into your tournament play!

See if you can guess what kinds of food I was eating before playing these games on ChessKid!

I'm sure you'll recognize my next opponent's name - he was co-champion of King of Fast Chess!