The secret is that there is no secret. You’ve put in your time weeks, months, and years prior. The taper is not the time to start drastically changing your lifestyle. It is not the time to start eating the right things, sleeping more, or training harder than you ever have. The time to do these things has long past. You’re better off not changing a thing. Don’t go from fast food to organic. Sleeping 6 hours to 10 hours. The human body doesn’t like the stress of drastic changes. Changes in lifestyle at this stage of the game can potentially have a negative impact on performance.
If you do make a lifestyle or training change, make it gradual or geared toward the beginning of your training year. Do what makes you feel the best – mentally and physically. Your mental state is extremely important during competition. If you’re mentally not ready to go (even if your body is) you may come out with less than expected.