Anyone who says that sports aren’t important during a time like this is lying to themselves. Ever since organized sports began, it has served as a bridge of cultures. No matter what country you belong to or what race or religion you follow, sports have served to be the global bridge.
Ask those who follow international soccer or even the NBA: sports have an important role in society. That’s why athletes should take care of themselves. The pandemic has provided a good time to care for the self. For these athletes, they can secure an appointment with a trusted chiropractor, as well as tend to any procedures they need to have done on their body. It should make them ready for when contact sports are allowed again.
Sports can also help you stay active and fit while sheltering in place. Exercise has a very good benefit in fighting against COVID-19. Aside from keeping you active, it also helps the immune system and keeps your body healthy. Take a look at the many other benefits of maintaining an active lifestyle.
Start at your own pace
There are many people who see the benefit of working out and are eager to get started on doing it. However, most start at the wrong speed. Most people start at an intense pace that makes them burned out immediately, making them beg off from further exercise and quit entirely.
People are built differently, and their bodies handle different exercise intensities at their own speed. If you think you can start at a slower speed than usual, you should do that. Starting at the wrong speed can make you end up quitting even before you begin. You should keep this in mind when starting an exercise regimen.
Create a ‘Commitment Compact’ with yourself
Sometimes, it’s easy to shirk off practice because you feel like you’ve earned a rest day. This can lead to slacking off, which shouldn’t be tolerated, especially if you’re trying to set a regimen that’s going to be a consistent thing.
You should create a ‘commitment compact’ with yourself to set expectations and arrangements. This should be done even before you start working out. It should also govern what time you work out, where, and what intensity of exercises to do.
You could also broaden the scope of this compact. It should also include provisions for actions to do should you feel you’ve been infected. You should also actively keep people around you safe when working out.
Keeping social distancing in sports
If you’re working out with other people, it is important to maintain your distance. As detailed by the authorities, keeping your distance from others is still a good way of making sure no one of you goes home with the coronavirus.
It depends on which sport you’re playing. There are ways to play contact sports like basketball and soccer during the pandemic without having to come close to one another. If you’re jogging or going cycling, you can easily keep your distance from other people. Be proactive in making sure that social distancing is still in place.
Sports as a platform to help
During the pandemic, organized sports took a hit in that most events have been canceled. The NBA has been suspended for a time following the infection of some players with COVID-19. There are others, like FC Barcelona president Jordi Cardoner, who got the COVID-19 virus after it first was announced on the news.
While there are no organized sports, athletes and sports executives alike can focus on reaching out to those that need help. Some NBA players got together and donated to cover the expenses and salaries of hourly workers at their respective home arenas.
Others, like NBA player Pau Gasol, worked with the Red Cross through his Gasol Foundation to help people — especially kids — to reap the benefits of staying active through the pandemic.
Competitions that espouse sports and social distancing
There are ways to stay active even without organized sports as a whole. Team competition can still be managed with the introduction of creative ways of doing familiar sports. A socially distanced game like an obstacle course and a skills-and-drills competition are good ideas.
It could be any activity as well. If you’re working out and getting together with a group, you could organize a fitness competition through online apps. You could agree upon a prize and a goal to aim for, such as being the fittest or having the lowest weight.
There are a lot of sports activities that can help you stay fit without being close to other people. Remember that the name of the game is staying safe during the pandemic, and you’ll be able to work out with ease.
