Talon Issue #104 - CoEds & CoVids"

HEAD IN THE GAME

Student athlete converting to COVID lifestyle

Manny Hernandez

Before the virus my life was an ongoing cycle of soccer, school, and working out. It was a routine I had engraved into my brain. I am a part of the Avila men’s soccer team and now my spring season is gone and so is my ordinary life. The NAIA has cancelled all sports till the Coronavirus is gone, Meaning there are no sports, all school facilities are closed, weights are no longer a thing, and morning training sessions with the team is done. I had to improvise, adapt, and overcome these unprecedented circumstances. As places started to close down, my gym was one of the last places to close until it did. I began to do my own home workouts with the weights I had at home. Luckily I have enough to keep me busy till this all blows over. Gears in my head began to turn and I began to get to make a home gym. I bought pulleys, anchors and rope from Home Depot and made my own cable machine. My porch had become my own personal gym. Home gyms are not the same as an actual gym and the workouts are kinda sad. My mom isn’t too happy that I have exercise equipment all over the place either. Making sacrifices for others, working together, and practicing social distancing at the end of the day will shorten the spread of the virus. There are multiple things you can do at home without weights, you can do yoga, body weight exercises, and you can always go on a jog or run. Many “stay at home challenges” have surfaced on social media to help us and keep us entertained at home. These challenges are fun and interactive and had increased in popularity over this time. Not playing sports has given me a lot of extra time to do things that I personally never had time for, such as going on walks, spending time with family, and getting things done around the house. My work hours have also been shortened to just working weekends and school is all online now which is really different. Going from having a lot of responsibilities to almost none is a sense of culture shock. I don’t know how people do this as an ordinary life. I have to stay occupied or I’ll go crazy in my moms house. Some tips in staying occupied would be, facetiming a friend, doing your online work, and going for a run. Now is the time to clear your head and check up on your mental health. The times are tough, but everything will go back to normal sooner than later. As an athlete I’m not used to staying home and sleeping in and now it is something I’m beginning to enjoy. I hope we have a soccer season next fall and this COVID-19 outbreak goes away as fast as it came. I miss my old life and wish it could go back to normal.