From Competition to Fulfillment: Finding Balance in Exercise After Sports Retirement
If you're a former competitive athlete who feels like you're lost in creating a new exercise routine after sports retirement, you're not alone. Many retired athletes struggle to find a new way to stay active that's both enjoyable and fulfilling. But it's possible to find a more balanced approach to exercise that doesn't leave you feeling guilty, frustrated and exhausted. In this article, we'll explore some strategies for retired athletes to transition from a competitive mindset to a more enjoyable and balanced relationship with exercise.
Retirement from sports can be a uniquely challenging transition, leaving athletes struggling with a sense of loss and uncertainty, as well as bodies and routines that no longer fit their lives. Gone are the days of intense competition and the reason for pushing the limits of their bodies. The guidance of a coach and the structure of a training schedule are no longer there. Retired athletes may also find it difficult to adjust to a new routine, especially having a lot more free time on their hands. They may also experience physical changes that make it difficult to exercise, including losing muscle mass or experiencing joint pain. These changes can make it difficult to maintain the same type of exercise activities that they were once used to.
The competitive mindset that once served athletes well can become a double-edged sword in the post-athletic journey. On the one hand, it can help athletes stay motivated to exercise and stay in shape. However, on the other hand, it can also lead to athletes pushing themselves too hard and overtraining. This can lead to injuries and burnout.
The journey from competition to fulfillment doesn't have to involve beating up the body anymore. Instead, retired athletes can embrace a more holistic and sustainable approach to exercise, focusing on activities that bring joy and improve overall well-being, rather than solely focusing on intense physical training. This shift in mindset allows for a healthier and more balanced approach to exercise in retirement.
It’s important to note that every former athlete’s journey will be different. Some will want to keep up their exact previous training routine to a T, unfortunately creating more wear and tear on the body and risk of injury. Others may not want to have anything to do with working out once they don’t “have to” anymore (this was me, by the way), which can lead to more drastic body changes that can be a major source of struggle for former athletes. This is also problematic because retired athletes are at risk of injury, especially if they take a long break and then try to jump back in. And there will be plenty of people in between who value maintaining their physical fitness but have no idea what their new exercise routine should look like.
There is no exact formula (at least that I am aware of) for the perfect retired athlete workout plan but there are strategies for figuring out what will work best for the individual retired athlete to achieve a balanced and healthy relationship with exercise and your body in life after sports. There is a way to find fulfillment in exercise after retirement without sacrificing enjoyment or pushing too hard.
Establish Your Values
One of the first key steps is to figure out what you value in your life after sports. Start by asking yourself, “What kind of body do I need now? Not for sports, but for life?” Figuring out what is important to us helps us to determine what kind of life we want to live and what kind of body we need to have in order to live that life.
To figure out what you value in your life after sports, it helps to think about the things that are most important to you. What makes you happy? What do you enjoy doing? Also, consider your goals for the future. What do you want to achieve in your life? Finally, reflect on your past experiences. What have been the most meaningful moments in your life?
Once you know what you value, you can take actions that will move you toward living according to your values.
Learn to Move Mindfully
Everything is outcome-driven in sports. There is always an end game in mind with training and conditioning for competition. The next thing to take a look at is how you experience exercise and movement when performance in your sport is no longer there as motivation. How do certain types of physical activity feel in your body? Do the physical skills and training your sport required actually feel good in your body? Did you use muscle memory from a lot of repetition? Is it a physical skill that you excelled at but wasn’t a way that you would move intuitively?
Mindful movement practice can teach former athletes how to be fully present in the moment and tuning in to the sensations, thoughts, and emotions that arise during physical activity. It's about cultivating a deeper awareness of one's body, movements, and surroundings without judgment or attachment to specific outcomes.
Mindful movement can also help the former athlete tap into their body in a new way, allowing them to discover what feels good and intuitive so that they can start to exercise and move in ways that are more enjoyable and sustainable.
Separate From Your Athlete Identity
Time for some tough love… It's natural to want to keep up with your old performance levels, but it's important to remember that your body has changed. Don't compare yourself to your former self. Studies show that the longer a former athlete holds on to their athlete identity, the more challenges they face with their relationship with food and their body.
An ah ha moment for me came from one of my yoga teachers. We were moving through some challenging balance poses in class and I was struggling to maintain one that I thought I should have no problem with and the teacher could tell I was getting frustrated. I was a competitive gymnast my WHOLE childhood and beam was one of my strongest events. In my head I was saying “I was a gymnast and did flips on a beam that was 4 inches wide! I should be able to stand on one foot without falling over!” The teacher asked me what was wrong and I told him my frustration. He said, “You are not a 14 year-old gymnast anymore. You are someone else now and you don’t have the same body. Move on and be who you are today, right now.” Reality check…but a very effective one. It helped me be more accepting of my body and what it can do right now. I also started to be more compassionate and kind to myself, especially when physical challenges came up. Being able to observe and be with how your body is in the present moment is a powerful skill that can be extended to many areas of life in a beneficial way.
Starting to loosen the grip of your athlete identity can be a challenge and a process. This short meditation is designed for the former athlete in mind, to start the journey of letting go of the athlete identity and tapping into who you truly are and want to be in your next chapter. See if it resonates with you.
Be Reasonable
Find ways to exercise where you aren’t kicking your own ass. Be nice to your body. It did amazing things and likely took some beatings in the process. Now is the time to treat it more gently so that your body can continue to serve you well in the next chapter of your life.
As you are exercising, listen to your body (another lesson I learned in yoga). If you need a break, take one. You are the one that knows your body best. Start to learn your new post-sports body through mindfulness. And treat it nicely when it needs it.
Retired athletes who push too hard, trying to maintain their previous routines, are at a higher risk for injury. As an active athlete and also in retirement, being injured was such a miserable experience for me. When I was recovering from an injury and couldn’t move and be active the way I wanted, I struggled hard. Injuries still may happen in sports retirement, but why make it more likely by going beyond reasonable limits. You can still be healthy and fit without setting yourself up for a huge setback from an injury. Take a breath and engage in some self-kindness. It will serve you well in the long run.
Develop a New Routine
Once the routine of training for competitive sport is no longer there, it can be difficult to establish a new and more moderate routine. Note what you enjoy the most and set a specific day and time each week to do it. Whether it’s taking your pup for a nice, long walk, a fitness class or a strength training session at the gym, make it a regular routine. Add it to your calendar or set a reminder on your phone and do your best to stick with it.
Get to know your body again after sports retirement. What feels good physically and what doesn’t? What leaves you feeling energized and what leaves you in pain? Finding the activities that benefit your body and mind will help ensure that you can maintain them.
Remember, in your life after sports the goal of exercise is to improve your health and well-being, not to compete with others or achieve perfection. If you can find a way to make exercise enjoyable and part of your regular routine, you'll be more likely to stick with it in the long run.
Vary it up
A good way to keep exercise enjoyable and consistent is to do a variety of different activities. There is more and more support for the benefits of strength training as we get older, so incorporating this into your exercise routine will likely serve you well in the long run. Other important factors to maintain as we age are stability and flexibility. Yoga is a fantastic way to work on balance and range of motion, while also experiencing the benefits of stress reduction and mindfulness.
If you value staying involved in the sport you retired from, finding ways to participate through coaching or a recreational league can be a great way to live by your values and stay active.
And finally, be flexible and open-minded. Try out different things. If something doesn’t resonate with you initially or after a while, move on to something else. Our values can change over time. If your values change, don’t be afraid to change your actions accordingly so that you continue to live a fulfilling life after sports.
As an athlete, we worked hard and were tough on our bodies so that we could perform to our fullest potential. Thank your body for giving you the opportunity to do so. In the next chapter of your life, it’s time to practice self- compassion and self-kindness so that your body can continue to serve you well. There is a way to find balance in maintaining your fitness and treating yourself well. It requires a shift in mindset to one of flexibility, mindfulness and a new perspective on fitness.
I truly believe retired athletes can get there and they deserve support in that transition, whether they just retired from their sport or have been navigating that transition for years. If you're curious about how to make this shift, using the strategies and tools discussed, check out The Vintage Athlete Awakening, a free, 3-day series developed for just this purpose. Sign up here.
