Blog Post #11: Athletics

Today's Topic: Staying Safe and Doing your Best During Sports

Lots of us participate in sports, and whether you do track or or soccer or dance or softball or anything else, practices can be tiring, long, and tough on your body. Staying physically active is crucial to living a healthy lifestyle, but it is important that you take care of yourself, so that you can be your best!

Before practices, you need to be hydrated, and you need food in your stomach. Doing intense workouts and cardio on an empty stomach can lead to a lack of energy and can be super dangerous during games or competitions, when your body is under a lot of stress. Water is imperative, especially if you are outside in the heat, as you will get dehydrated even fast, so make sure you pack those things to help yourself out.

If you feel pain, or worry that you might have gotten injured, don't push your body farther than it can go safely. Sometimes, you do not know how serious an injury is until it is too late, and then the consequences might be really tough. Tell your coach that you need to rest for a bit, even if you are scared. They want you to stay safe too, and they would rather you rest now then not be able to compete or play later on.

Any sport or physical activity where you are put under pressure can be really tough, so remember that your mental health is important too. It can be easy to get caught up in being the best, but as long as you are continuously making progress towards your goals, then that's all you can do, and you shouldn't be down on yourself. Your hard work will pay off and having a good work ethic is the best thing that you can do for your skill level.

All in all, I am so proud of you for staying active and participating in athletics! The lessons you learn from it are so worth all of the challenges along the way, and you will grow as a team player, and as a person. Just remember to always take care of yourself along the way!