Athletes need a hobby outside of their sport — Revel Racing

Being an endurance athlete requires a lot of demands on your time, but what do you do when some of that time is suddenly freed up?

Training for endurance athletes can be upwards of 20 hours a week, especially when you factor in things like travel to and from the pool, bike maintenance, etc. Between spending time with loved ones (friends and family), worship (if you are a believer), and work, athletes often find themselves with very little excess time. Due to the cyclical nature of training for an event, you can go from feeling like you have no time to yourself during peak weeks to having ample free time during taper or the off season.

All this free time can often lead to anxiety. Athletes may start over-analyzing their training, questioning if they have done enough, and wondering if they are ready for race day. Worse, whether due to anxiety or just out of boredom, they may start tacking on extra workouts, potentially compromising their recovery or risking injury.

So how do we manage this? One strategy is to encourage athletes to have activities outside of their sport. Having a hobby gives athletes a mechanism for mental release and physical recovery by giving them another outlet for their down time. As a coach, I recognize that having other activities sets the athlete up for long-term success, and where necessary, I need to build time into their schedule to accommodate those activities even if it means sacrificing some short-term gains.

Cooking – Improving your skills in the kitchen is a great outlet for athletes. Not only is cooking a great way to relieve stress, working out new recipes is great way to improve your nutrition.

Yoga – Yoga improves strength, balance, and flexibility. A regular yoga practice has bene found to help you relax, sleep better, give you more energy and improve your mood.

Reading – Reading is a great way to escape into other worlds or dive into a topic you want to learn more about. Reading has been shown to lower stress and calm your brain.