Hi everyone! Welcome back to my blog. This week, I wanted to talk about fitness. I get a lot of questions about if I still workout even though I'm no longer an athlete. The answer is yes! Working out is one of my favorite things as it helps me boost my confidence and is important for my physical and mental health.
Running came naturally to me. I've always run with my sister Carley who now runs at the collegiate level. I also naturally have the body type, as I have long legs, slim, and I'm very tall.
Field hockey is a sport all about running, especially since I played forward and was constantly running back and forth on the field trying to score. The running side of field hockey came easily to me but the skills and the technical aspect were more challenging for me. I was never the “gifted” or talented athlete. Some girls I played with were amazing and their skills came easier for them. It was not like that for me. If I wanted to feel like them, it took frustratingly long hours of practice and endless feedback to make any kind of progress
A lot of my summers, I spent lots of time running. On the track, trails, or around my neighborhood. Running became my go-to way of exercising. However, I wanted to find other ways to exercise, especially to gain muscle since I honestly didn’t have any, and my arms were always known to be “twigs”.
During my senior year of high school, I decided to get a gym membership. I started to get into different ways of exercising. I started doing some forms of cross-training such as; biking, elliptical, and the StairMaster. I also wanted to try lifting weights. I never had any experience with lifting weights. Gaining muscle was very difficult for me, as I had a very hard time gaining weight in general. I usually gain 1-2 pounds each year.
I started lifting weights by starting easy, by focusing on my triceps. I then moved on to using the weight machines. Here’s what a typical day at the gym looks like for me:
Stretch (use foam roller & do simple stretches)
15-20 min on the treadmill (run, fast pace)
Cool down on bike (around 15 min)
Rowing machine (5-7 min ish) *hard*
I try to switch everyday between doing weights, core, and leg exercises
For weights I like to use:
Lat pull down
Cable bicep bar
Regular weights for triceps
For core I like:
Penguins
Russian twists
Planks
Squats
Sit-ups
crunches
For legs:
I like using resistance bands! Check out my Instagram @head_inthegame as I will be posting a video of what resistance band exercises I like to do.
I am not a college athlete anymore, but exercising will be something I will always continue to do. It helps with not only my physical health but also my mental health. Exercising helps boost my confidence and helps me set goals for myself.
I think everyone should check out this link (below), as all of these benefits have helped me better my mental health, and has helped me in several ways. Happy exercising!
Here is an example of one the weight machines I use at the gym.
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