Stamina is what's needed to move the body for an extended period of time. So for people who exercise quite a bit, for example a long-distance runner, stamina is crucial to their performance and can make or break them in events/races.
There are two different types of stamina: physical stamina and mental stamina. Having both good physical stamina and mental stamina have their benefits, but in this post I'm focusing on physical stamina and how you can improve it.
I have actually wrote about improving stamina in June 2012 but had forgot. I realised after I had finished this post, but as this one is better than my last, I thought I'd still publish it.
1. Exercise Often
Stamina is necessary for exercise and is something that will take time to build up. One of the ways (the best way) to improve stamina is by exercising more - pretty simple. When you start any exercise your performance will be lacking, but over time as your body becomes more and more accustomed to this regular exercise, its durability to it will also increase.
The best type of exercising to improve stamina is cardiovascular exercise (also known as cardio). There are in-depth descriptions of what exactly cardio is, but basically in simple terms is any exercise that gets you breathing harder, heart beating faster and sweating. Cardio will help to improve the rate in which oxygen is supplied to your body and will enhance stamina. Some examples of cardio exercises are: running/jogging, swimming, rowing, walking and cycling.
Weights and muscle-building exercises are also good to do as they strengthens your muscles and make them become more durable, but also because stamina will see an improvement. However, it will be a gradual increase in stamina. If you are a runner, swimmer, or of the like, although I recommend weights, I wouldn't say that becoming is as big as a bodybuilder is going to be beneficial - it would be the wrong figure. Instead, it would be better to tone your muscles.
2. Have an Active Life
Some people don't have the time in their daily routine to exercise for long periods of times, but maybe only literally 5 minutes. So in this case, every bit of exercise counts - you will just have to incorporate it into your daily routine where you can.
If you're lucky enough to be in walking distance to work (like a mile or less), walk instead of taking the car or public transport. If you don't live within walking distance then try parking further away from your workplace so that you have further to walk, or get off of your chosen public transport a stop earlier. If you have two toilet facilities at work, go to the one that is further away. Take longer routes to get to where you are going. Be creative, it's surprising what you can think of when you put your mind to it.
3. Drink Plenty of Water
Our bodies are made up of on average 60% water and so is important that they stay hydrated. If our muscle tissues are not hydrated then they will underperform, so stamina will decrease. You will need to make sure that you drink plenty of water to keep your body sufficiently hydrated. Some people are not big on drinking water and prefer flavoured-water instead. I personally used to always drink squash and flavoured water instead of just plain water because of how dull and tasteless I felt it was. However, after drinking only water for an extended period of time I got into the habit of it and is what I always drink and prefer to drink now.
If you have trouble getting yourself to drink enough water, then a post you may find useful is: 11 Tips to Drink More Water.
4. Eat Healthy
Nutrients and vitamins our bodies need to properly function can be provided through a well-balanced healthy diet. Food gives us chemical energy which we convert into other types of energy. A good diet gives a slow release of energy throughout the day. Include lots of fruits and vegetables, a low amount of fats, and lean meats.
5. Get Enough Sleep
It's very important that we give our bodies the rest that they need for recharging energy and repair. If your body doesn't get the rest it needs then you will become mentally fatigued as well as physically fatigued, which of course will mean that your body will become tired quicker. In fact, sleep deprivation has been linked to impacting stamina negatively which is not what you want.
If you want to know more about the amount of sleep we should get, I'll provide this link: How Much Sleep do we Need?
6. Switch up your Routine
Having an exercise routine will cause you to become more and more used to exercising. However, if you always do the same thing all the time, whilst it may still be challenging, your body will grow used to your sessions. Switching up your workouts and incorporating new things can cause your body to become fatigued quicker, because you'll doing new things your body isn't as adjusted to doing and you may be using muscles that you haven't been using as often. Doing this will mean that you are training your weaker areas as well, and better improving stamina.
I would say switch up your routine every month or so, this allows you to get into a routine and work on improving that routine, but not so used to it that it becomes almost easy.
Conclusion
Patience, like for many things, is necessary for results. You won't be able to run a marathon in a night - even with the best workout in the world. You will need to be patient. Just stick with your training, even when you really don't want to, and you'll get there in the end.