It is surely important to be physically active. You should keep an eye on your physical condition to avoid a lot of severe problems that may make your life incomplete. We do not mean all of us need to work hard and almost die in the gym or in the field. It’s quite enough to work out about 20–30 minutes daily to be in good shape. Yet, there are people who have dedicated their lives to sports. These are athletes, and this love for sport and your body starts at school and continues in college. We guess you are, or at least you have fellow students who are athletes.
This is one of the most popular topics among US students. When they ask themselves, “What am I supposed to write my essay about?” they frequently choose anything related to sports or physical activity. Perhaps some people do not understand how important physical life is just because they lack information about it. Others mistakenly think that they will have to work too hard. It’s quite so, as well as it cannot be too easy. That is why we have decided to dedicate our blog post to a common day of a common but diligent student-athlete. If you feel this topic is close to you, keep on reading. We can convince you that being active throughout the day is vital and not that challenging.
Morning Routine
Many youngsters are convinced that they will have to suffer every day if they try to work out on a daily basis. This is not true even for the newbies who are more vulnerable to the new conditions in college. It’s only the way you perceive your challenges or new conditions of life. Something new does not necessarily mean something too complicated. It seems to be so just because it’s unknown to you at the moment.
One of the main recommendations for helping students is to make your physical workout your routine. The main clue is to undertake it in the morning. If you can accept it that early, it’s a bottle of wine for you. It should be something you take for granted but which is accepted by you on a common basis. If your sporting life is the inevitable part of your life, you will not suffer from it. This habit can be turned into your favorite hobby. Just be sure you select the right sport.
What do we mean by writing that? Not all kinds of sports can suit you. In fact, there are a few kinds that you may really enjoy. If you choose the kind you don’t like, it will surely turn your life into a real hell. You will suffer every day and will hate sport. As a result, you may not like to be physically active at all. Choosing the sport that suits will bring you pleasure, and quite soon, it will become your daily routine from the very morning.
What should your sporting routine look like? Most athletes claim that the most motivational thing that helps them get up from bed is feeling great and being good at sports. Some of them know that their families are proud of their achievements. Here are the things a sportsman is supposed to do:
- Get up
- Wash up and clean your teeth
- Make gymnastics for a few minutes
- Running in the morning for about 15–30 minutes (at the least)
- Eating after physical activity
- Going to your classes
We did not mention the time when you need to wake up and do all the stuff. We did this with a purpose. Your schedule should not be adapted to the recommendations of others. It should be up to you to decide. It depends on your personal preferences and kind of sport. Yet, the morning routine should always include going in for sports. This is a long-proved scientific fact. Just think of how early to get up and start your exercise.
Remark: Mind that you should start lightly. Do not overload your body in the morning. These should be light training.
Academic Commitments
When we talk about physical activity in the USA, we should check students’ academic performance and dependence on sports. Why is it so? Well, many students get grants and a place in college or university just because they are successful athletes. This is a common practice in the USA, and students from other countries wonder at it because they do not have this experience. Their educational systems are based on academic achievements. So, a student is accepted to a definite higher education institution thanks to his or her grades.
Yet, we cannot say that American students who get into college, thanks to their athletic performances, are not committed to academics. Even though a definite college may accept a future football superstar thanks to his results in the field, he is still obliged to learn properly. Otherwise, there will be no diploma, which is always important in the United States of America. Therefore, all athletes are dedicated to their education as well.
Athletic Training
Now, we should consider the athletic training of an ordinary athlete. It always depends on a particular person and kind of sports. You surely understand the different approaches in training a football player and a runner. There are two ways to develop the necessary physical abilities.
- Individual. Many athletes train according to an individual schedule. This is done in several cases. Firstly, a person is injured, and the process of recovery cannot be matched with the training of the whole team. Secondly, an athlete is better than others and requires additional loads to reveal his best conditions. Thirdly, an athlete falls behind the rest and requires a different approach to catch up with his teammates.
- Group. This is the most common type of training. All teammates work together and undergo the same methods.
One can also require student-athlete services outside the team. For example, an athlete can hire a personal coach if he feels that college training does not give him as much as he needs.
Time Management Strategies
Time is a crucial thing for every student. Every academic task has its time limit, and you are supposed to be fast enough. If you violate that limit, you will lose a lot of vital grades. It is especially important when the incoming student finds himself torn between academics and sports. Both areas of crucial, and one must find enough time to manage them properly. That is why you should learn how to use your time reasonably and effectively.
There are many time management strategies. We cannot say that there is one outstanding strategy that will solve all your issues. It’s a personal matter where your lifestyle and abilities step up. While one strategy works well for one athlete, it may only harm another student. So, you should try various approaches. At times, it is necessary to change your time management strategies from time to time to see how they can work for your aims. Here are a few tips to follow:
- Create a stable schedule
- Include all your duties – academic and sport
- Evaluate the time you will need to fulfill all your duties
- Decide what methods and tools may be useful
- Spread time equally for all your tasks
- Set only realistic deadlines
- Set alarms to stimulate your speed
- Always have a complete day off
Balancing Social Life
One more thing a student must consider is the way social life can be combined with academic life. Should student-athlete be hyphenated with sport? We can definitely say – NO! Although many coaches may say that every athlete must be almost married to sport, it is a false idea. If you do not find time for your social life, you will suffer more. You will hate sports because you will find yourself isolated from society one day. The balance is of huge importance. Do not deny your family, friends, and love. Make sure you spend some time with all your dear people. They will provide you with additional strength and desire to try harder in sports.
Challenges and Sacrifices
We cannot deny the “tough” part of the athletic life. Every college student-athlete definitely faces a lot of challenges. Even if there are a few of them, they may be overly complicated. After all, there are many sacrifices as well. These can be of different kinds because, again, they depend on the preferences of a concrete person. It can be his or her strong or weak sides that step into the crowd. For some, they may mean nothing, and for others, these can be everything.
So, what are the main challenges? They are always individual, but we managed to define the most typical hardships faced by all athletes:
- A loss of motivation
- A weak power of will
- Problems with getting along with teammates or coaches
- The wrong kind of sport
- The wrong approach to training
- Injuries and traumas
Some athletes may lose motivation all of a sudden. They simply wake up one day and realize they don’t want this kind of sport at all. This may pass away quickly or remain until you break up with that sport. Many youngsters gave up sports lives because they had serious problems with coaches or some of their teammates. One can never tell how many talents the world lost because of such problems while the athletes were very young and immature.
Now, let’s review the most typical kinds of sacrifices. These are as follows:
- No time for learning
- Feeling socially isolated
- No connection to your closest people
- Giving out tons of energy and strength
- Giving out your health, etc.
You should be aware of these and similar sacrifices. Although we mentioned the importance of balancing your social life, you will never have enough time for others if you are a serious athlete. You must be ready for that sacrifice. You also need to have enough strength and patience to endure all the challenges. The life of every athlete is surely full of them.
Achievements and Rewards
The final result of your active academic life is what you get at the end. These are various achievements and rewards. Which ones are those? Those are always different because they depend on a person who is going in for sports.
Some would like to pamper themselves with plushy clothing or expensive gadgets. Someone may want to go on a trip. There are also people who simply want to have a free weekend after the milestone is achieved. You should include in your student-athlete’s academic schedule the final results and what you get for them. Of course, we should mention such rewards as the love of fans, pride of your family and friends, personal satisfaction, the sense of completion, rewards with money, and so on. Most athletes want to be remembered for their victories, records, and milestones, which are great aims.
The Bottom Line
Being physically engaged is of huge importance for every person. It helps to remain in shape and avoid a lot of physical ailments as you’re getting older. Being physically active likewise helps to maintain your power of will. Finally, it’s not that hard and terrifying to work out daily or at least every next day. Check the insights provided here above and try to follow our tips to be physically active without major problems or suffering.
