Athlete for Life

Hi! Just joined :) I played soccer at Eastern Illinois University, loved it! I went into fitness after college, personal training and teaching group fitness. This had helped me stay in a routine and on track. I currently still play rec soccer and I have recently began training goalkeepers for soccer. Which has been better than I had expected. Although my body has told me to slow it down, from years of diving upon the ground as a goalkeeper, my back, shoulders and currently a torn meniscus has forced me to re-evaluate how I train and workout. The life of an athlete!!

Hi all! I ran track at the University of Alabama (200m, 400m) .. Roll Tide! Crossfit has helped me a ton. I love having my workouts planned out for me (just like showing up at practice) and working out with others (feels like a team) and the community + encouragement Crossfit is built around.

Hi there! Thanks everyone for starting this conversation. I played basketball at the University of Kansas & then played professional beach volleyball on the AVP Tour, Manhattan Beach was my home beach. Something that has helped me has been volunteering as a basketball coach on a local HS girls varsity team, but it hasn't been a viable consistent outlet as I have 2 young kids now. Honestly I'm excited for what Kristen said, to find out that it's not a "you" thing. To use this as an outlet to just speak to people who understand the frustrations & deep internal identity crisis athletes go through.

Hi All, I was a competitive dancer from early childhood on, received my degree in dance from the University of Arizona and then danced professionally before making an unexpected move into the finance industry. What has helped met he most is Coaching a (very talented) HS Team, keeping my competitive spirit alive with Orange Theory Workouts (pre-covid) and then taking opportunities to dance when I can. The coaching is the most rewarding and possibly the most stressful! Personally, I feel like the two biggest struggles I have faced have been the loss of the routine(even after 15+ years) and the loss of the reward. I could work my tail off dancing, and be rewarded. At work, I can work my tail off, and it is just another day...the position and the pay remain the same! Looking forward to meeting you all and hearing what has helped you!

I'll kick things off :) I was a swimming and swam D1 for SJSU, and retired after competing at Olympic Trials in '12 What has helped me, most recently has been starting to have conversations with other athletes and realizing, the struggles I experience(d) are SO common. There is a sense of comfort in knowing what you held inside isn't just a "you" thing.