Many high school athletes go to college and, for whatever reason it may be, choose to stop playing their sport at the next level.
When you stop playing a sport that basically ran your life, your routine changes drastically. You are no longer planning your days around workouts and games, and your weekends aren't dominated by tournaments anymore. It's really fun at first too! You have more time to hang out with friends and are getting a lot more sleep; but, the amount of time you spend being active decreases significantly.
I never thought I would have a problem keeping active in college because I played volleyball throughout high school and even ended up coaching it. I would do summer workouts for volleyball, play club in the offseason, and when I stopped playing for school and coached I worked out at the gyms my practices were held in.
I didn't realize how much of my exercise and activeness came directly from the sport I loved.
Getting out of shape and not being active can be really confusing for someone who has been an athlete for so long. We are so used to having a powerful body and being able to compete at a high level for extended periods of time. When you can't run as fast as you use to be able to and can't lift as much as you use to, it can be extremely disappointing.
To the college students who were athletes in high school, you are still athletes now!
Your mindset and your love for a game pushed you to better your physical health and put in countless hours outside of your games to get to where you were. If you need an extra push, coach the sport that you love! There are recreation areas, open gyms, and clubs that need coaches all year round.
Whether you just volunteer or actually get paid to coach, you will be back involved in the sport that once pushed you physically more than anything else! You could even join your school club team or get together with old teammates to play every once in a while.
You have the mindset to push yourself and put in hours of training and exercise because you have done it before.
Going to college and not playing your sport doesn't change that, it just changes the circumstances.
If you don't want to be active again, that's totally fine! Just remember that something compelled you to be active for so many years before, so what has changed?
I believe that once you're an athlete you are always an athlete.
It is never too late to pick up where you left off and give yourself new fitness goals.
Being active was once the center of your life. Just because you don't play a sport anymore doesn't mean that being active isn't still a passion of yours.
