I have heard so many athletes talk about how it will never be the same after completing their eligibility and how they can’t imagine what life is going to be like afterwords. What do I think– Life is TOO SHORT! I know a lot of athletes (especially in track and field) that stay in competition because they either have no idea what to do next, or they want to stay in the sport in hopes to make an International team. Well– what will they do if they get injured? Or if something happens to them?
What many athletes forget is that athletics is fun and exciting– but there is a point in time where you have to put your shoes up and say “That was a lot of fun, but I want to move on with my life.”
After retiring from track— there are some things that I miss. I miss being able to eat the way that I do for starters! Steak every night– ah, the good old days! 🙂 I will miss the competition and the excitement. But– as Edna from “The Incredibles” says: I never look back at the past, it distracts from the now! 🙂
So, there are many things to look forward to after being an athlete. There are things that you can do to transitition yourself from the athlete to the professional working person. Here are some that I thought of:
Lose the Athlete Weight: Well, if you are a distance runner or sprinter– it will be more not gaining the weight, but for ex-throwers like myself– we have to lose the weight! I knew that after I was done competing, I had to chance my eating habits and lose the throwing weight. There are many good reasons to lose the weight– it will make you healthy and you will have more energy! Jenny Craig is a great option– the food is good, and it is really easy!
Change of Style: With every new role, you have to have a certain look or style. This is kind of related to the previous point I made– if you lose the weight, you can shop and wear fantastic clothes! Out with the track uniforms and in to Prada! A great web site for new fashion trends and styles is Style.com. What a better way to reward yourself after you lose the athlete weight by getting trendy clothes! 🙂 A new look will do wonders for anyone! 🙂
Adjust your Goals– What can I do to distinguish myself in the workplace?: When one door closes, another one will open. For an athlete that is done with their athletic career, they have to make sure that they are aware of their goals and ask the question: where do I see myself in five years? What about ten years? In the workplace today, it seems that everyone has a bachelor’s degree, so like in athletics– you have to distinguish yourself from the rest of the crowd. A perfect opportunity for this would be graduate school. Going to USC and Annenberg was one of the best decisions that I ever made– and my Master’s will serve me well in the real world. Most universities have a graduate school web site and applications are online.
New Routine: One of the things that I would think that athletes find hard to deal with after being done with their careers is the large amount of free time on their hands. The big chunk of time that was spent on working out and training is not there– so what do you do with all that free time? Well– I can think of several things. Hobbies are really good– I have enjoyed cooking and photography since I have been done. Everyone in my family is artistic with drawing (especially Karla), so I have really gravitated towards photography and it’s been a blast. Only suggestion that I have is that you have to really manage your time well still– because there will always be other things to keep you busy.
Keep Working Out!: Even though you are not working out five hours a day, it is still important to work out. Being active will help you stay healthy and help you lose the athlete weight. I am still working out, but in a different way. I weightlift every day– but my weights are A LOT lighter and for more reps. I do a ton of ab workouts and pilates– which are really hard for me, but they work! 🙂 I also have been doing a lot of cardio– especially on the stairmaster. But overall– my workouts last from an easy day of an hour to two hours. But that is just me. 🙂
I hope that this helps! Have a great day!
Best Wishes,
Karen 🙂
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