You're An Athlete (yes, you 👀)

You Are an Athlete. Here’s How to Treat Yourself Like One. 

Hey you, how was your 5K? Did you have a good acro yoga class? How’s that new strength training program going? 

You might think because you’re not competing like you did in college that you’re not an athlete anymore. Maybe you only work out because you want to stay healthy, but nothing “too extreme”. Don’t make a living on sports? Right, so… not an athlete. 

I disagree. 

You’re the kind of person who seeks self improvement. 

You get excited when you PR your mile run, or squat more than you did last month, or gear up for your next New Hampshire 4000 footer. Maybe for you, it’s sending it down your first black diamond, or playing tennis with your friend, or lifting your grandkid off the ground when they fall off their bike. 

You want to be able to physically perform the best you can. 

You’re an athlete. 

Okay, maybe you’re not a PRO athlete, but you care, and you try, and you spend resources to invest in your fitness. Good. You should. We’re here to support you because inevitably, at some point you’ll hit a road block. That’s normal. 

Here’s the thing though, if you frequently find yourself dealing with chronic aches and pains, or you’re struggling to keep up with what you love to do,  you not thinking of yourself as an athlete might actually be part of the issue. As a physical therapist, I see this frequently: 

I’m not an athlete, so I don’t need to think that hard about recovery. 

I’m not an athlete, so all I want to do is play in my volleyball league once a week for 3 months a year. 

I’m not an athlete, so I don’t need what an athlete needs. 

FALSE. Stop that. Think again. 

You can totally just mildly exercise and live a balanced lifestyle and have great health. But if you’re pushing your limits somehow, in any physical context, you’re now living in the realm of performance. 

Performance is not the same as health! These two things can help each other out, but they aren’t one and the same. Performance requires a smidge more on our part. 

I encourage you to think of yourself as a star athlete. Give your body and mind the things an NBA or NFL or MLB or some other three letter sport organization’s star player does. Let me spell it out for you: 

Recovery: 

Without it we’re just breaking down. We have to build back up and maintain healthy tissues to deal with our activities!

1. Sleep hygiene. Get good quality sleep. Go to bed and rise at the same time. Chill out at night. 
2. Nutrition. Too much focus is on weight loss in my opinion. Not enough people talk about getting enough fuel and nutrients to support a healthy body. Eat protein with every meal. Eat mostly whole foods that you can recognize without a label. Eat enough to feel satisfied and don’t skip meals. 
3. Hydration. Sip water consistently throughout the day. Easy as that. 

Self care: 

Yeah, it matters. And when we’re busy, it can be the first thing to go. Remember to refill your cup and save even just a few minutes for yourself! 

1. Mindfulness. This can be a journal, it can be a meaningful chat with a loved one, it can be some stretching, deep breathing, and relaxing music. Whatever makes you feel mentally refreshed. 
2. Stress management. Life is crazy. Sometimes we need to do more than chill out. If we’re really overwhelmed, we might need to get organized, compartmentalize, and delegate in order to stay within our mental and emotional means! 

• Treat yourself! It’s just one piece of the puzzle, but body work and physical therapy can be a great way to keep us high functioning. Physical therapy doesn’t have to just be reactive! Keep your body feeling good when it’s feeling good. Check out our partner Release for other methods like massage and contrast therapy! 

Training: 

A huge missing piece for lots of “everyday athletes”. Rec sports and life stressors can be a lot on our bodies. Whatever it is we’re doing, our bodies only speak the language of force! Preparing for these forces in ways that suit us best is the best way to minimize injury and maximize performance. 

1. Strength training. Even if until now, you’re someone who doesn’t lift. You don’t want to get bulky, or you’re bored by it, etc. I hear you. But if you’re untrained, even just a 30 minute resistance training program 2x per week can be a game changer. 
2. Mobility. Honestly, just move intentionally more often. There’s lots of routines out there, but for those of us with relatively sedentary lifestyles, getting up and moving your arms, opening the chest, doing some squats will keep things moving nicely! 
3. Variability. A consistent program is critical. Occasionally changing it up, adding new movements, changing intensity, taking deload weeks helps us prevent overdoing it. 

The more you push your body, the more important these things are. Show it some love and give it what it needs to stay functioning well. You got this, and if you need support, come see us at Ripple!