Your athletic and professional careers are not the only important things to plan for. You should plan for your health, too. Part of being responsible means taking care of your body. As an athlete, you not only have a responsibility to your team to keep your body in good health so that you’ll be able to perform as required in your sport, you also have an obligation to yourself.
We were all about to sit down to play cards. One of the people visiting the apartment brought a pack of cigarettes. I was the youngest among them, so I felt that was my chance to please them. So, I took a cigarette. Besides the occasional cough in between puffs, I didn’t see any harm in smoking just one.
I thought it was harmless, but it wasn’t. I had no idea how that one little cigarette would affect my performance.
The next day, I had one of the worst practices. My chest felt like it was stopped up. With every sprint and play I ran, I found myself desperately gasping for air. I couldn’t breathe. I knew I was in shape, but I just couldn’t keep up. It had to be the cigarette. My body was not used to it. It didn’t like it; that response proved it.
Your body is the only one that you will get. Take care of it not just for your sport but for yourself. You owe it to you. Things you do that you consider fine now, may have damaging effects to your body later. Remember, each level of your life is a stepping stone to the next.
What you learn or build on in one stage prepares you for the next. Your health is no exception. Loss of health can harm your success because without good health, it would be difficult to do anything physically, emotionally, and sometimes financially.
What you put in it, or do to it, today will affect it tomorrow. The effects of the feel good experiences you are having today are not going to feel the same later. Depending on what it is, the more you use or participate, the less enjoyment you’ll get, and you will eventually need more to get the initial effect that you enjoyed, which damages your body more.
In other word, you may be having fun with things that you know you should not be doing or consuming now, but how will you feel later on in your life?
Therefore, I encourage you to develop habits now that will keep your body healthy for your years after sports. This includes eating as healthy as you can, eliminating or lessening consumption of toxic substances, and limiting other activities, such as not getting enough rest, that could potential damage your health in the future.
What are you doing that may be damaging your body? Let me know if you dare at. Follow me https://www.facebook.com/geralinelhandsome/
