One of the most common struggles I hear from my graduated athletes when they are done playing the game is they really don’t know what they should do to move their bodies now that no one is telling them what to do.
They used to be softball players… but now what? Should they start running? Biking? Cross fitting? Join a yoga studio? Train for a marathon?
What new activity will keep them in the same shape they’ve been used to??
We go from our workout schedule being created for us & coaches telling us what to do, when to be there, and for how long…. To no one guiding us at all.
These athletes go through a huge identity shift after sports are over, and often enter a world of bewilderment and confusion over what their new routine should look like.
After all… they just spent a lifetime exercising constantly… and they now have to motivate themselves to stay active & hold their own accountability.
As parents of athletes, you know as well as I do that finding time for yourself is tough to fit in with the demands of their busy practice & game schedule.
Sometimes it seems easier to just NOT move your body and use their sports schedule as the excuse for why you aren’t getting physical activity in.
These two scenarios (the athlete & the parent) pose one huge potential problem in the long run:
When they are no longer athletes, they will default to the mode we, as their parents, set for them.
If they watch us not prioritize consistent exercise as we get older, odds are they will not either when their playing days are done.
Insert the beauty of functional training.
Functional fitness training is a type of strength training that prepares your body for the normal day to day movements you incorporate most often.
Things like bending, twisting, lifting, loading, pushing, pulling & squatting!
Functional fitness is an incredible way for you to move YOUR body and for them to maximize their performance on the field.
There are so many ways you can incorporate functional movement into your weekly routine while you’re still in the grind of nightly & weekend activities!
Here are a few REALLY simple ideas!
- Walk the field as your son or daughter practices!
- Grab another parent and hike a nearby trail while the team works out!
- While you’re walking, stop every quarter of a mile & do 10 squats!
- If it’s a facility that has hills, walk backwards up the hill to work your glutes & hamstrings!
- Incorporate lunges & squats at the end of every inning!
… and the list goes on and on!
Remember… our athletes are working towards a goal of being a college-ready athlete; but they are most importantly following the mold you are setting in what fitness looks like after sports.
What better way to set the tone than to be willing to join in alongside them & show them you’re on board, too!?