Remember that you are an athlete 

As college and pro athletes, we have had a different background than most when it comes to fitness. Let’s remember that and don’t compromise when it comes to our fitness. Time and time again we see athletes reaching for a fitness program or plan that isn’t tailored to a former college athlete. As athletes, we need workouts and programs that understand what we have been through, a NARP one won’t cut it. 

We’re not implying that sprints need to be involved, but we need workouts and programs that resonate with our athletic background. For example, fitness that is structured or centered around a team environment, former athletes tend to enjoy. 

Raise your hand if you or a fellow teammate does Crossfit or has competed in a marathon or triathlon. Ever wonder why that is? Is it because of the team aspect of Crossfit? Is it because of the structure and predictable/rigid training schedule of a triathlon? Is it the consistency that each of these styles brings? 

Obviously, every athlete is different, but here are some of the best workouts for former collegiate athletes. 

• Crossfit

• Strength Training

• Forever Fit

• Orange Theory

• HIIT

Remain an athlete forever by not settling for a NARP workout program, find a workout plan that is catered to the 2%. Whatever workout plan or style you decide to pursue, focus on the key factors that made us successful athletes and you will continue to find success in your fitness endeavors. 

Find your new team

Everything's better with a friend, and fitness is no different. Athletes are used to working out with other like-minded people. The power of 15-20 other women reaching for the same goal is something we thrive under. So even though you probably won't be getting the team back together anytime soon, you can still have a team behind you. 

This is a great way to enlist those around you and it will also act as a way to hold yourself accountable. We all know how much easier it is to keep going when you have a team supporting you, your team is probably just going to be a little smaller. Think about the people in your life, who would be a good person to make your accountability buddy? Who shares a similar goal? 

Athlete tip: Make sure this person is in your camp and someone that you respect to hold you accountable. Most athletes can do it on their own, but if you want a personalized plan all laid out for you, by another former athlete and certified trainer check out Forever Fit.

Create a new plan

In college, we always had a plan laid out for us, and we thrive under structure. In college, we had the benefit of just showing up and coach would give us direction. 

Now that we're on our own, start by laying out a detailed strategy and goals you can accomplish daily. This strategy streamlines goal setting and gives us fast results. 

Start with small actionable steps centered around building habits that will lead to your main goal. In college we did this all the time, remember, going to practice. Even though we would fake it till we made it on some days, ok most days, we were accomplishing our main goal. Beating smaller goals on the way to our big goal, which in turn helped us stay motivated during our long seasons. 

So what does this look like? Start simple with 2 or 3 small goals. Let’s take this example: say your goal is to lower your body fat percentage, there are so many ways to get there that it can feel overwhelming, instead, we are going to pick 3 simple tasks that will undoubtedly result in accomplishing our larger goal. 

1) Walk 30 min each day

2) Start each morning with an 8 oz glass of water.

3) Hit my protein target for the day (studies have proven that a diet higher in protein is more satiating)

Happy Training!

Share some videos of how you like to train and tag us @mpowherathlete!