For some people, sports are a huge part of school. Sports help kids stay in shape while also having fun hanging out with friends and doing the things they love. Sometimes, though, important things can get set aside because students’ schedules get so full, whether it be sleep, a healthy diet, homework, or just downtime in general. Personally, I think that if you are unable to find these things in your schedule, something needs to change. You need to be refreshed and ready for your sport, and if you aren’t, that is unfair for you and your peers.
The article “Sleep your way to a better athletic performance” posted on Monday, December 18, 2023 talks about the need for sleep. It talks about how sleep helps your body rewind and reset, “When you sleep, your brain processes all the information you’ve taken in during the day. It filters out and deletes some information while storing other information in memory.”
When your schedule is full with sports, you’re pushing your body to be stronger and faster. Sleep gives your body the energy to repair the physical damage. If you don’t have enough sleep, you can’t do that. It is recommended that teenagers ages 13 to 18 need 8-10 hours of sleep. The link above gives different tips and tricks on how to achieve a good and healthy sleep schedule that will help you feel refreshed.
Aside from sleep, diet is huge if you’re physically active, even if you’re not it’s still a big deal. If I ever have a game or practice that day I try not to eat as much unhealthy sugar or things I know won’t make me feel good. It’s different for everyone, but if you don’t have some source of protein, you won’t be able to function. Your diet all depends on your sport, the amount of training you do, and the amount of time you spend doing the activity or exercise. Personally, I think diet is everything, whether in or out of a sport.
The article “Nutrition and athletic performance” explains why diet is so important and how people don’t realize how much it matters, “People tend to overestimate the amount of calories they burn per workout so its important to avoid taking in more energy than you spend exercising. To help you perform better avoid exercising on an empty stomach. Everyone is different so you will need to learn how long before exercising is best for you to eat and how much food is the right amount for you.”
Overall, CJHS 9th grader Payton Erkfritz explains how sports affect her life, “My sleep schedule definitely has been affected through I love my sports. My sleep schedule and diet is poor because I am so busy with everything.”
She also feels that although she loves her sports she wishes she had more time to do necessary things including getting more sleep and a better diet.
