Summer for Student Athletes

This post is sponsored by BODYARMOR as part of the Mom It Forward Influencer Network. However, as always, all thoughts and opinions are my own.

Summer means lazy days for kids especially teenagers. When I was a teenager I would sleep till a ridiculous time in the afternoon and then stay up till 4 or 5 in the morning and do it all over again. I would eat a ton of junk food and the only exercise I did was walking to a fast food place to get even more food. I lived on soda. I watched too much tv and my best friends lived with me. That seems to be the normal thing kids in the summer. However, if you are the parent of an athlete you know that summer can be a bit different.

SUMMER TIME FOR STUDENT ATHLETES

My son plays football and runs track. That means that most summers he has spent getting up at 6:30 for football practice and working out till 9:30. Then he goes home and naps for awhile and does the friend thing. You know the on the phone with everyone he knows thing. And when I get home from work I get to take him to track practice, go home and cook dinner, and then go back to get him after a couple of hours. And he has to find time to work out at home as well. Its been hard on him and sometimes he gets really upset with everything. He has told me on many occasions that he hates sports and he doesn’t want to go back. Then the next day he is ready to go again.

YOU HAVE TO KEEP IT FUN

It can hard for student athletes to juggle their fun times and their ‘work’ times with summer workouts. I try to reward my son for his hard work by taking him out for a treat on Friday after his last workout. Or if he has a tough day and has to run suicides in football or stadiums in track then I get a nice movie for him and we have popcorn together. You can also get their favorite flavor of sports drink like BODYARMOR. My son likes the strawberry banana one the best so that’s a fun treat he has with him at practice.

MAKE A SCHEDULE AND STICK TO IT

I firmly believe that once kids are on a schedule they react better to getting up early. I get my son up at the same time every day because he has practice. So it messes his body up to sleep late on other days. He once cried at 6 am because I was waking him up after he was out of practice for two weeks while the coach was on vacation. He suffered for two days before he got back into the swing of things. Maybe your child has afternoon practices. Then if you go on vacation or the coach takes a break I think you should work out together at that same time in the afternoon. Keep their bodies ready. My son works out at home at 8 pm pretty often. It is part of his night time routine. He has ADHD and the workout helps him chill at night. So even when we are out of town he still goes for a run or does push ups. He tries to stay on the same schedule all the time.

KEEP THEM HYDRATED

It’s HOT! It is always hot in Alabama so I am very used to having to send a cooler with drinks with my son to practice. He will be covered in sweat ten minutes into a workout. A great way to keep kids hydrated is BODYARMOR sports drinks which you can buy at your local Kroger or Publix. It contains no artificial flavors or sweeteners and has potassium packed electrolytes, vitamins and coconut water. Plus it comes in great flavors that kids will enjoy. I know my son does. BODYARMOR water is a premium sport water designed by athletes, for athletes. BODYARMOR is the brand of choice for athletes and has assembled an impressive team of young, superstar athletes such as James Harden, Mike Trout, Dustin Johnson, Andrew Luck, Richard Sherman, Dez Bryant, Anthony Rizzo, Buster Posey, Skylar Diggins and several others. And there is a coupon out right now you can use! 

Have fun with your athlete. Work out with them sometimes. I know the body isn’t as young as it used to be but get out there and sweat sometimes with your child. I love watching my son jump hurdles for track. I tried it once and fell flat on my face. It was funny though and we laugh about it often. I even throw the discus sometimes with him. Work with them so they can be the best at whatever sport they want to excel in.

Is your young athlete working to be the best? Check out how your athlete can become the next BODYARMOR athlete here! To learn more about BODYARMOR Sports Drinks, visit them on their website, Facebook, and Twitter. BODYARMOR can be found at your local Publix and Kroger stores. 

 

This post is sponsored by BODYARMOR. However, all thoughts and opinions are my own.