Exercising on our Own During the Pandemic
Photo Courtesy of Shreya Bengali
December 17, 2020
Have you ever tried out for a sport? Or have you ever conditioned for a sport? Well, this time, it is much harder for athletes now due to the pandemic. The pandemic is starting to affect athletes and because of this it’s “extremely impactful to a student athletes’ mental health and detrimental to their motivation if handled the wrong way,” as told by Speed/Power Development teacher, Mr. Casey Wichman. Most athletes do not have the equipment they need to train for any upcoming games. This will be more difficult for their physical health and they sometimes need extra help in classes. It makes it harder for them because they are “being forced to hold themselves accountable on work,” said Wichman. Athletes get as much work as any other students, making it harder for them to manage time.
It’s also very important to take care of our physical health. Our physical health is just as important as our mental health. Some activities that you can do for your physical health are ride a bike, take a walk, stretching, etc. Some ways that benefit our physical health are better health, greater strength, more flexibility, increased energy, improved appearance and a more positive attitude and mood. Our physical health is very important to us and our bodies.
Junior Caleb Fernando said, “Life as an athlete during quarantine was not easy at first. I went from working out after school with Coach Casey and going to track practice to staying home all day and working out in my room by myself. At first it was challenging because all I had was a 30 pound dumbbell in my room. I went from having all the help and equipment I needed to just a dumbbell and it was very challenging. I would look at NFL highlights of my favorite football players, Aaron Donald, Kam Chancellor, and Ray Lewis and watching them gave me motivation to keep working hard and to stay on track. I bought cement and two buckets from HomeDepot and made my own weights, 60 pounds each bucket that I use to do squats. I had a workout routine that I felt worked for me and was consistent with it. I work out 4 times a week and Coach Casey gave me a workout to do at home right before quarantine and i use it every time I workout.”