Being a Division 1 Swimmer: 3 Things I Took with Me and 3 Things I Left Behind 

Swimming was my life from the age of 7 until finishing my college career being a division 1 swimmer. As you can imagine, that meant double days starting at age 10, no big family vacations like my non-swimming friends, countless hours training in and out of the pool, and the appetite of someone twice my size. Being a collegiate swimmer, like any other sport or serious life commitment, comes with its pros and cons, and you learn to adapt so you can continue doing what you love.

I Learned a Lot

Looking back, now fourteen years after college swimming, I can say I learned a lot from my experiences. And there are a few important things that I kept with me, and a few things I left behind.

Competitive swimming allowed me to hone my competitiveness and drive and helped to develop the motivation I needed to succeed both in and out of sport. I developed these traits at an early age, and they have since become a part of my decision making and daily interactions. It’s what keeps me going to be the best sports chiropractor for my patients, to keep my body performing at its best, and to just live my best life.

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Pulled in All Directions

As a student-athlete you are being pulled in all directions of life: practice, classes, study time, social life, work, and sleep. Yes, I had a job for most of my time in college, which meant that I had to work on and perfect my time management skills. Being able to easily plan out my day, week, month has made life much easier post-student-athlete life. I find that using a planner and sitting down weekly to carve out time for workouts, food prep, work obligations, and family time is a key to my time management success. Making the time to fit in both large and small priorities within my week allows me to use my time effectively and fit in everything that’s important to my life and goals.

Lastly, being a college athlete brought me so many memories (both good and bad) that I can learn from to help me make better decisions in life and in training. I also love to relive the good times as it reminds me to find the joy in sport and training. Along with my memories, sport helped me to create and keep life-long friends living across the world. 

A Few Traits Were Best Left on Campus

Just as important as the positive traits I developed during my swimming career; a few traits were best left on campus. Firstly, the need to do every workout that is scheduled. Now that I am training for myself, it is totally okay if I need to skip a day, realizing that there is no need to be scared or punish myself for missing a workout. I have learned to listen to my body and what it needs, without pushing it beyond its capacity. By doing this, it decreases my chances of burning out.

Secondly, I left my voracious appetite. While training at school I ate 5000-6000 calories a day without hesitation; if I was hungry, I ate. For better or worse, I never thought twice about what I was consuming because I would just burn it off at the next practice. I was one of the lucky ones that was able to adapt my eating habits to my actual energy expenditure after my last season ended by becoming more aware of what and how much I was eating. I understand the difficulty in this task, I was extremely fortunate that it came naturally to me.

Lack of Recovery Periods

Lastly, I left the lack of recovery periods during training season behind. Since getting into half marathons and triathlons, I have since learned the importance of recovery periods while in and out of season. This helps me keep my body and mind fresh and ready to push the next cycle of training. I cannot stress enough how important taking care of your body and mind in and out of season is to your overall performance.

Truly Grateful

Most people do not have the chance of being a D1 Student-Athlete, and I am truly grateful for my time being able to do my sport at the collegiate level. I have learned a lot from my experiences in and out of the pool that I continue to take with me on my fitness journey, and in life. I am honored that I can share my journey of being a division 1 swimmer.

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