NARP stands for Non Athletic Regular Person. There is no shade in this acronym for non athletes, it’s just what ex-athletes use because we simply don’t know how else to refer to ourselves. It’s basically a coping mechanism for no longer being able to call ourselves athletes. I’m slightly offended by the term myself, but it is what it is. I spent the first year in denial that I was no longer an athlete, and I honestly sometimes still can’t believe I’m not. I missed being one so much that I decided to pick up basketball for my 5th year of eligibility at UWF, but that’s a story for another time. The point is, I have always loved calling myself an athlete and being known as one. I love working out, and I honestly enjoyed harder practices or lifts where I felt like I was achieving borderline cardiac arrest the most. The post workout feeling is something my body craves, and I love to push my body and get some type of sweat in every day.
When I was done playing, none of this changed for me, I just no longer had a structured workout schedule set in stone. On top of that, the hardest part for me was finding the motivation to workout on my own now for essentially no purpose at all, and not having anyone to tell me when, where, and how I was going to workout. We go our whole lives with every rep, every set of our workouts planned for us, and all we have to do is show up. Then all of a sudden that changes, and we are left to figure it out on our own. I once heard someone say they had convinced themselves that every workout they did as an ex athlete had to mimic the intensity of their college days, and I couldn’t relate to that more. Although I often still fall into this way of thinking, I’m realizing that not every workout has to be the hardest one I have ever done, and sometimes it’s enough to simply show up and move for the day.
I never really took any time off from working out after my career ended, because I thought that I would never start working out again if I did. For a while it honestly felt mindless, and I never truly stopped to think about why I was actually there without being forced. Looking back, I have identified that for many months I was solely showing up out of habit and routine (and a fear of weight gain), rather than personal desire to stay healthy in my new life away form sport.
I was so afraid that taking any time off would cause my body to completely transform, and I would lose all muscle on my body within a few weeks, even a couple days off...but I have learned that’s not quite how the body works. Since then I have maintained a pretty consistent workout routine. I typically workout 5-6 times per week, which is my ideal schedule in a perfect world. But, what I’ve learned is that I do not live in a perfect world. Life happens and sometimes I’m not able to train as frequently as I’d like. I would be lying if I said that I don’t get anxiety whenever I’m not able to workout, because that’s just the way my mind is wired. Whenever I go on trips, I immediately try to figure out when/where/if I’ll have gym access and if not, I become very stressed. Almost so stressed to the extent that it has the potential to ruin my whole trip if I can’t workout. Sometimes I do truly enjoy working out while on vacation, but it can also feel like a burden. As I talked about in a previous post, I’ve been working on allowing myself to rest and not beat myself up whenever I miss a workout, but I still have a tough time with that.
I am not motivated every single day to workout. There, I said it. In fact, it’s actually quite the opposite. Some days I just really do not want to go to the gym, and I imagine how much more free time I would have if I simply didn’t do it. Ironically, the days I dread it the most sometimes end up being the best workouts. Over time I’ve realized that consistency and routine keep me going to the gym regularly. If we only did things whenever we “wanted to,” I imagine we wouldn’t get very much done, or at least I wouldn’t! Working out is no different. I have never regretted a workout, and I always feel so much better after. Being in the gym has always been my outlet, and that still holds true today. The difference now is that I do the workouts that I actually want to do, and nobody is forcing me to do anything I don’t want to. I’ll probably never go workout on a track again, and if you see me there call the cops because I’ve been body snatched.
Honestly, at this point in my life I feel like I need to workout to maintain the ability to carry all of my groceries up to the 3rd floor in one trip, without needing a respiratory therapist.
This post isn’t just for ex-athletes, but for everyone out there. I am not writing this to try to force everyone to workout 5/6 times a week. Rather, I want to encourage all of you to find some type of exercise that serves as your stress relief, and helps you feel confident in your own skin. This will look different for every person, because we are all different people with various needs and enjoyments. Whether that means that you stop making excuses and simply go to the gym, join a yoga class, start lifting weights, go for a run, or go outside and get a daily walk in, find what brings you joy and pursue that. I think we over complicate fitness and moving our bodies so much that it becomes intimidating and unappealing to many. I would like to announce that those days are over, and from now on we are doing things that make us feel alive, excited, and help keep us in shape to carry our groceries in one trip. Also, gotta stay ready because you never know when you’ll get called up to play a sport you haven’t played in 5 years!