So you played your last game, and walked off the field- for the last time. You were likely too overcome with the emotions of winning or losing that game to pause time and reflect on the real moment you were about to experience.
Leading up to it, you were an athlete. You practiced, you sweat, you bled. You stayed up late to study and maintain your grades to be able to participate in the sport you loved. You know what it’s like to stand on a field or court and feel the stadium roar.
Now you might not realize it yet, but there is a wave of emptiness that may be approaching. The dedication and motivation you had to continue moving and improving has just vanished. Where will you spend your time? Have you thought about what you want for your body and health going forward?
Most retired athletes don’t think about this until more time has passed. They have a rude and loud awakening years later when they find they can’t go up the stairs without getting out of breath, or they experience back pain from simply picking up a dropped book.
Before this becomes you, I’d like to challenge my readers that this connects with to make a plan. To understand that while you once were in the gym to train for sport and had the external motivation to do so, you now need to continue to go to the gym to train for the rest of your life and find internal motivation to keep going. For your mental health in college and your first real job hunt. For your future spouse and children, and for yourself.
Don’t stop. Declare that you ARE an athlete still today. That you will seek continuous improvement in your movement and health. That you still desire to work hard and feel uncomfortable. That you understand how much effort it takes to be better than you once were and that this tenacity will be needed in all the challenges you face going forward.
In health,
Coach Aubrey