Replenish The Works

Most sports require a lot of physical and mental strength. That is why it is important for athletes to take care of every aspect of their body. In this post, I will explain how you are supposed to keep your body running while still breaking it down through sports and activities.

What would you rather drive?

Not Taken-Care-of Car
Photo Courtesy of: Friedman Archives

Taken-Care-of Car
Photo Courtesy of : The Internet Pet Vet

The most important thing that your body needs to survive, even, is water. Without water in your system, your brain can't think correctly, so you get headaches, nausea, and breathing problems. This will happen if your just sitting around at home doing nothing. Imagine if you are working hard at a sport, such as water polo, for several hours a day, and you have nothing to drink. Your body pretty much shuts down because it has nothing to work off of or REPLENISH it with. I really need to start drinking more water, myself. I don't think that I have had a glass of water for the past three days. This is a really bad habit of mine, and I think I am going to go downstairs and grab a glass of water right now!

Okay, I am back.  The next important thing besides water is eating healthy. Every meal should be balanced with vegetables, dairy, protein, and carbohydrates, especially before a game or practice. I am not very big on dieting because I find that more harmful on your body than good for it. The most commonly used diet is one without certain proteins and carbohydrates. Your body needs these to perform everyday activities, so living without them should not be an option. Another meal that is important is your post-workout meal. After every practice of either swimming or water polo, I usually mix up a big glass of chocolate milk! The dairy in this is proven to rebuild all of the muscles that were broken down during the workout. Click here for an article written on all of the benefits of this amazing drink. Besides being great for your body, it tastes great, too!

The next part of your body that needs replenishing is your skin. The one thing that I can say for this is MOISTURIZE! A water-sport such as water polo requires you to be in a pool for a long time. Certain chemicals in pools can make your skin very dry and tight. That means it is important to apply lotion to your face and skin after every practice or game. Without moisturizing straight after contact with water, you are drying out your skin and basically destroying it. Your body lotion and your face lotion should be two different things because the skin on your face tends to be more sensitive. Try Nivea Soft Moisturizing Cream because it has no added scents and is great for the more sensitive-skinned people.

Nivea Soft Moisturizing Cream
Photo Courtesy of : Chandigarh Store

If I want to become the best athlete I can be, I need to keep my body replenished as well as I can.

Stay tuned for more posts coming soon, and make sure to keep replenishing the works!

Game Day

Saturdays are my favorite days out of the whole week because Saturdays are game days! Without these special days in my life that only take place once a week, I would spend my weekends in my bed on Netflix. Oh wait, that's what I do anyway. Let's get to it.

Since it is the Fall League right now, every Saturday there is a game schedule that takes place at Kearns. The games start from 7:30 in the morning and go until 4:30 in the afternoon, and, surprise, I am there for that whole time on most days. You are probably now thinking, "This girl doesn't even have a life. Like, she spends her whole Saturdays at a small, humid pool in polluted Salt Lake." Guess what? You are COMPLETELY right.

Photo Courtesy of : Keep Calm O-Matic

Now since we have finished our introductions to this topic, I will go through a day in the life of me on game day.

First things first, I wake up at around seven in the morning. I get dressed (slowly) and make my way downstairs. Next I pack my bag which includes snacks, such as rice krispie treats, baguettes, more rice krispie treats, and another baguette; two game suits; two towels (depending on how many games I have); and some lotion because that pool makes your skin fried. After my bag is packed, I make some breakfast that usually consists of a pound of bacon, a pound of bread, and a pound of juice. You want to make sure that your breakfast has carbs, proteins, and fruits for a balanced meal :).  I also make sure that I bring a full water bottle to the games so I can stay hydrated. Once everything is packed and ready to go, we leave on a 45 minute drive to Kearns.

When I first get there, it is either my game to start getting ready for, or we are watching the high school boys team play. It usually depends on the day, but for this post we are going to start off with the high school boys. I usually film their games so their coach gets a better idea on what they need to work on at practice the next week. They usually lose (no offense) so then the girls team starts getting ready for their game. We stretch and do exercises on land until it is time to jump in and warm-up. For warm up we usually swim a few laps, egg-beater a few laps, pass for a while, and then shoot. When our warm-up is finished, we put on our caps and talk about our game strategy. When the 45-minute game is over, we talk in a circle about what we did well and what we could improve on. Since players usually have up to 4 games in a day, it is important for us to revive our bodies with water and food. If there is a lot of time in between games, we usually go out for some lunch or Jamba Juices. My favorite smoothie is Caribbean Passion... mmmmhhhh!

Water Polo Cap: I am usually #11
Photo Courtesy of : Olympics Time

After a long day of games, I go home, rest, and usually stretch out whatever I need stretching like a good athlete. Haha, just kidding! I am really not that good about my body, so I actually get a huge bowl of ice cream after dinner and finish it while watching my new favorite TV show, Grey's Anatomy.

Well I hope that you got something out from this post, and stay tuned for more coming soon!

If The Suit Fits

The most exciting day for me is when I walk into practice with a new and vibrant suit. The one suit that everybody is soooo jealous of, and that they wish they had (well at least I think). Now that we have come upon this topic, there are two main types of suits: practice suits and game suits. Then, there are all the categories that fall under them. Game suits are usually chosen by the team manager or coach, so you don't have very much say when it comes to choosing those. It makes sense to talk about practice suits since there is one for any individual! Since I have been splashing around in the water for a decade by now, I feel like I have something to share. I will be covering the different materials, colors, shapes, prices, and basically the overall appearance.

Practice suits are the one thing that you can be creative with. They range from a wide price range and types. First, the materials that make up a practice suit are important to consider. Lycra is a type of material that is soft and comfortable with a great stretch. A suit with this material lasts about 6 months if taken care of properly, something that a certain person by the name of Blaire might need working on.  Contrasting from lycra, polyester last years with proper care, but isn't quite as comfortable. It's itchier and not as stretchy, but is a money saver. The last material that I will be covering is nylon. This is a very strong material but has incredible comfort at the same time! It's lightweight and dries very quickly which is helpful for days when you have a double practice. It lacks elasticity and the ability to hold color which may be a problem for certain people.

Lycra Suit (notice the shiny, stretchy looking material)

Nylon Suit (notice the shiny material, but not as stretchy)

Polyester Suit (not as shiny or comfortable, but durable)

Thin Strap, Medium Back

For water polo games, you want suits that have the tightest and most coverage possible. With more keyholes and straps, there is a bigger chance that you will get pulled under. Those people will grab anything they can get their hands on, and I mean anything. Practice suits come in many shapes and sizes which is great for all different types of people! The back of a suit tends to vary the most. There are high backs, medium backs, or low backs. I personally like suits with low backs and thin straps because I find them most comfortable. Thin straps tend to have more elasticity than thick straps which allows for more movement which is probably better when playing water polo. You want as much rotation of the arms and torso as possible for better shots, passes, and the stroke of the player.

Thick Strap, Low Back

     

Thick Strap, High Back

Prices range anywhere from $25-$80. Different brands have various price ranges. I say that any practice suit over $60 is outrageous, no matter the quality or pattern. Dolfin, a popular swimsuit brand, tends to have cheaper prices, most suits made up of polyester with not as many color patterns. Nike and Speedo, also popular brands, are usually more expensive, but they have a wide range of patterns. Overall, the best brand that I would recommend is TYR which has the best prices for the patterns and fits that they provide. TYR is usually made up of lycra, as well, which is a good material.

Patterned Color (contrasts with skin-
tone : good!)

You never want to choose a color that is close to your skin tone because then you look unattractive and naked. I tend to choose colors that contrast with my skin tone, but also don't make me look to white (especially in the winter when I look like a zombie).

                             

Nudish Color (blends in with skin-tone : bad!

Solid Color (for the more serious)

Well, I hope that you learned something from this, as information or help. To the side of this post there is a pic of my current practice suit. It can be found here. Stay tuned for more posts coming soon!

(All photos courtesy of All American Swim)