You’re sixteen, and your body is at its prime. The crowd cheers at every good move and pass, and your family lines up the sidelines. You barely had to warm up before the game, yet you’re on fire tonight. You truly believe you wanna do this forever; this sport is your life, right?

Fast forward to ten years later…

Your body hurts quite a lot, and your knees crack at the thought of walking out of bed. No one really cares about your hobbies, and sometimes you question why you drag yourself to the gym every day to pick stuff up and put it back down. You used to love sports, but now it seems like it consumes your life rather than supplementing it. 

High school sports, or even the beginning stages of strength sports, always begin with a very idealistic approach. 

You really love it, you make it your life, and probably annoy the crap out of your friends because you talk about it so much

You may even find yourself skipping events with friends or family to stay on track with your diet, or to train. One word of advice: DON’T DO THAT.

You can always find something to eat wherever you are. If it doesn’t align perfectly with your macros, then it’s gonna be alright. Do not allow hobbies to act as a substitute for establishing and maintaining meaningful social relationships. The barbell is a resource for personal development and health, but it is not a replacement for family, therapy, or social connections. 

“So why do I have this hobby?” you ask.

Because you:

• are disciplined.

• have a sense of accountability.

• care about your physical health (disclaimer: training provides mental health benefits too, but be careful making your hobby your medicine or therapy.)

• have a desire to compete and set goals.

• have a love for the sport, even on the tough days.

Not because you:

• are lonely.

• need validation from other people.

You’re probably not going to be motivated all the time. We see fitness inspiration that preaches about motivation and how to find it, but sometimes the drive diminishes or comes and goes with the seasons.

Assess what you need to address within yourself first; don’t make a hobby a defining factor or personality trait. Your sport makes your life more interesting and fun; it doesn’t make you whole.