Stamina refers to how long you can perform a particular exercise regimen without tiring. Also known as endurance, it is a way of measuring your staying power. For competitive athletes a high stamina is a job requirement. It enables them to last longer on the court and follow the set plays or strategies outlined by the coach without fatigue getting in the way. In short, stamina can help an athlete win a match.

But the rest of us mere mortals need to develop our endurance, too. We may not be paid for it or receive multimillion endorsement deals from sporting companies, having increased stamina builds up our systems, allowing us to perform exercise routines and other activities of daily living longer and more efficiently. In fact, when stamina is developed, your concentration and focus also improves. Even more important, endurance also contributes to longevity and overall fitness.

To improve stamina, one of the first things that you need to do is to exercise. You can't possibly hope to build up endurance by just sitting around. Aerobic exercises like swimming, jumping rope, jogging and using rowing machines increase your body's ability to use oxygen as your workout (your VO2 max). When your VO2 max is increased, you will be able to exercise longer since you will not also get readily tired.

Aside aerobic exercises, anaerobic workouts also improve stamina. Anaerobic exercises are those that combine intense periods of activity combined with periods of rest. High Intensity Interval Training or HIIT involves doing sprints at maximum intensity for 30 seconds and resting for 60 seconds before going at it again. Aside from HIIT, sports that let you start-and-stop like tennis, badminton or volleyball are also good anaerobic exercises that promote endurance. These types of training enhance your ability to recover or prepare your body for succeeding plays.

Besides exercise, you also need to eat for optimum performance. In order to give you the fuel you need for your workouts, your calorie sources should come mostly from carbohydrates, then proteins and then fats. Get your carbohydrate sources from vegetables, fruits and whole grains since these are complex carbohydrates that will sustain your exercise regimen. Proteins should come mostly from skinless chicken or turkey and beans while healthy fats should come from plants like olive oils, virgin coconut oil and flaxseed. Fish like tuna and salmon are also good sources of omega-3 that is also important for heart health. By taking your energy sources from these, you are assured of giving your body the fuel it needs to improve stamina. Avoid simple sugars like pastries and cakes as your carbohydrate source. These are quickly released into the bloodstream and cause spikes in insulin levels and store fat in the body.

Since not all nutrients can be taken from food sources alone, you should also take multivitamin supplements to improve stamina. Vitamin B helps metabolize carbohydrates, fats and protein while Vitamin C helps prevent damage to the muscles caused by exercise. To help your body increase endurance, getting adequate rest is essential. This is the time when muscles repair and grow stronger. Finally, if you are really serious about increasing your stamina, then you should quit smoking. Because it damages the lungs and heart, nothing else decreases your staying power faster than a stick of cigarette. Where improving stamina is concerned, there's nothing glamorous at all about smoking.