Athlete Elevation

09/21/2021

How often do people view calories as something scary, something that needs to be restrictive or obsessed over, something that leads to gaining weight, something unhealthy, something daunting? Wayyyy too often is the answer.

But HELLO! None of those words, phrases, or other negative correlations to calories is correct.

A calorie is something that fuels our body, gives us energy, and not only is necessary to survive, but it is also what gives us the ability to live our best lives.

And THIS is the mindset we should have when it comes to thinking about calories. It's easier said than done, but remind yourself of this next time a negative thought towards calories pops into your head.

Also thought I should throw this in here for some entertainment... On merrium-webster for the definition of a calorie, I KID YOU NOT, this was the VERY FIRST example of using calorie in a sentence is:
"White Claw has become conspicuously gender-neutral, an accessory proudly touted equally by the day-partying frat bro and the CALORIE-conscious woman."
So next time you're going for a White Claw, rather than grabbing one for the minimal calories, grab one for your genuine love for them.

09/08/2021

I personally believe that mental health is one of the most important things in life. If you're physically healthy but mentally struggling, it is hard to have an overall sense of wellbeing.

Athletes' lives are impacted so much by mental health - sport can lead to positive emotions such as confidence, joy, and gratitude and also more challenging feelings like stress, anxiety, lack of confidence, etc.

Therefore, retiring from sport can lead to many other different mental health experiences. Some positive feelings can be relief, gratitude, and joy, while difficult emotions frequently occur too - lack of confidence, self-doubt, depression, anxiety, grief, and more.

Some athletes leave sport in a great mental state, which if that is you, GOOD FOR YOU! I'm jealous...

However, it is far too common that athletes face mental health challenges after sport, whether it be towards the end of their athletic career, immediately after, or sometimes even years later. And while a majority of athletes experience this, it is something that isn't talked about as much as it should be.

First of all, it is OKAY to feel these emotions! Never ever beat yourself up or invalidate how you feel. It is completely logical that leaving this huge part of your life behind is going to take a huge toll on your emotions. Allow yourself to have space to feel your feelings and grieve. The more these feelings are suppressed, the more they will build up and stay with you.

And it is so important to know that YOU ARE NOT ALONE!

Society has been progressing on normalizing general mental health conversation, and we need to be doing the same in the world of retired athletes too.

09/06/2021

Anyone else get used to eating an entire box of pasta after evening practices? 🙋‍♀️

Nutrition can be a STRUGGLE to navigate after retiring from sport.
You probably are not burning as many calories as you did while you were still playing your sport.
You maybe got used to eating whatever you wanted sometimes.
Some college athletes, professional athletes, etc. may have been able to work with a dietician or nutritionist who was super helpful when it came to knowing what to eat, how much to eat, and when to eat.
As you're getting older too, you can't get away with eating what you did before.

Because of all these things, often, your nutritional needs change once you retire. Not only that, but you may not have the same help, resources, and accountability that you did while you still played your sport.

AND! Nutrition is so important!!!! Not only is it huge for physical health, but there are so many ways that the food you fuel your body with impacts you mentally.

Our goal with nutrition at our Center for Life After Sport is to help athletes with their nutrition - know what to fuel their body with and how to have a great relationship with food.

09/03/2021

With fitness, exercise, etc. being one of the biggest components of being an athlete, when athletes lose their sport, they often lose that thing that keeps them staying fit.

Some big challenges with fitness that can happen when retiring from sport are:
• Not knowing what to do for exercise without sport
• Not being in a consistent routine with exercise
• Lacking motivation since they don’t have the sport that pushes them
• Exercising hard without being pushed the same way that a team can push you
• Finding the enjoyment in exercise without sport
• Feeling purposeful in exercise
• and more!

Of course, some athletes leave sport and do an awesome job with all of this. But if you’re someone who struggles with some of these challenges (like me!), you are not at all alone.

It’s important for athletes in life after sport to find that “why” behind fitness, find motivation and consistency, find ways to push themselves, find joy in working out, and more.

09/02/2021

SO many different things play into the impact that sport has on career:

We all know that you learn so many life skills through being an athlete that can be so easily translated into a career - sometimes that’s easy to do, and sometimes it’s hard to know how to do that.

You maybe have gone your whole life or a very long time playing your sport, but now once you leave sport you have to make a huge decision on where to take your life now! Having this big choice can be both exciting and daunting.

The passion you had for your sport was so strong, and it’s not always easy to translate that passion into your career.

Your sport was maybe something that brought you confidence, and finding that confidence in your career can be a big change.

ALSO - identity plays a huge role in this! How does transitioning into a career play a part in who you are?

Career in life after sport is something that some athletes may have no problem with, while others have a hard time with it. While it might not be the quickest process in the world, it is so possible to find that same joy, passion, confidence, skill, etc. in a career!

09/01/2021

Identity can be one of the most challenging things to navigate after retiring from sport. But while it can be hard...
Once athletes discover this about themselves, identity and purpose outside of sport can be one of the most empowering and beautiful things about life.

Common questions athletes ask are:
• Am I still/can I still be an “athlete”?
• What else am I other than an “athlete”?
• What am I good at outside of being an athlete?
• What do I bring to this world?
• Who do others see me as?

Again, all common and all NORMAL! Exploring questions like these can be a huge first step in finding identity outside of sport.

Also - one of my biggest beliefs is that YOU ARE STILL AN ATHLETE! Hence “life after sport” versus “retired/former/ex athlete.” But what is imperative to this is not letting “athlete” be the only identity.

08/31/2021

Introducing…. The Center for Life After Sport’s 5 pillars of success and wellbeing!!!
Identity, career, fitness, nutrition, and mental health are all different components of life that are hugely impacted by sport, being an athlete, and the transition out of sport - whether it be good, bad, positive, negative, something you love, something you dread, etc.

These 5 things are central to our core focus - empowering athletes to find success in these areas after sport and helping them find the positive impact it has on their overall well-being.

Throughout the next few days, we will be diving deeper into more specifics of each of these topics, so stay tuned!

08/30/2021

SMOOTHIE SUNDAY IS BACK!!!! 😋

Sweet and simple but we love a good blueberry banana smoothie:
1 banana
1 cup frozen blueberries
1/2 cup plain greek yogurt
Handful of spinach
1 Tbsp chia seeds
1 Tbsp flax seeds
1 Tbsp h**p seeds
1/3 cup water

I love being creative with smoothies, and if you want some ideas too, I have a smoothie guide available with all different kinds of ideas and examples of how to be creative with your own smoothies!
Link in my bio 😋

08/27/2021

Some people think I'm crazy for my 4 shots of espresso with cold foam at Starbucks, but HEY! It's within what the FDA says is safe. But my 4 espresso shots + cup of morning coffee really feeds my strong addiction to caffeine. Not great.

I will also add that another potential risk of caffeine is... the INSANE amount of money you can spend on caffeine. 😂 That might be my personal biggest culprit here. (That never seems to stop me though).

What's your relationship with caffeine like???

P.S. Yes I like Starbucks. I'm slightly embarrassed by that but also not at all.

08/25/2021

One of the most common things that athletes struggle with when retiring from sport is their identity as an athlete. Their whole life has been identified as being an athlete - but now without sport, there is the question of "who am I?".

Firstly, YOU ARE STILL AN ATHLETE! Losing your sport does not mean you have to lose this big part of who you are.

And secondly, this is why it is so important to recognize the other ways to identify yourself. What else do you value in life? What is important to you? What are you good at?

While it is okay to consider yourself an athlete after retiring from sport, you need to recognize that you are SO much more than JUST an athlete.

(Even if you still play your sport, these are things to think about now... Sport can be a big part of your world, but if it IS your world, that is not sustainable).

08/23/2021

Hi everyone! I'm looking for as many retired athletes as possible to help me out by filling out this 15-20 minute survey!

https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/2FMZ3MQ

I’m giving out 3 $50 Amazon gift cards, so anyone who completes this survey by September 4th will be entered in a drawing for a gift card!


(ANYONE counts as a retired athlete. Whether you played a sport 30 years ago, played competitively growing up, competed recreationally, just graduated college, have played at the professional level, and everything else, your help is so valuable!!! The more variety, the better.)

Thanks in advance! :)

Take this survey powered by surveymonkey.com. Create your own surveys for free.

07/20/2021

I have been pretty absent on here for a while - most of my attention has been directed towards this super exciting announcement: the new Center for Life After Sport that is coming soon!
Athlete Elevation’s Center for Life After Sport’s mission is to provide tools, resources, and support for athletes who have retired from their sport. So much more info on this exciting program is coming soon, so stay tuned!