Lately, as our slots for PS have decreased I started to become more lethargic. In order to keep my body in shape and even make my mind fresh I started with extracurricular activities. I have joined a gym where I workout for 5 days a week. (Monday-Friday). On Saturdays and Sundays, I go to play football.
LO 1:- Identify own strengths and develop areas for growth
It is important for an individual to identify their own strength and weaknesses. Because of decreasing stamina and an increased irregularity in my diet, I saw that my body wasn’t going in a right direction and soon I will end up having different injuries and problems. I got a wake-up call when soon I was dethroned from the position of captaincy in my Football team. Soon I saw that after running 2 rounds, I felt tired, and needed water breaks at quick successions. I saw that even my football dribbles were getting bad. I developed a heavy touch on the ball and almost lost control each time I used to shoot the ball. These points hindered my mind and gave me the motivation to again succeed. Gave me the strength to again rebuild myself and gain the position I deserved. In the gym I started my lower body workouts, I started developing my calf muscles and my hamstrings which helps me develop my speed. In football classes, I used to do training instead of just playing a match. I worked through cones and learned new techniques from my coach Ashwin Sir. Within months I could see the results. My fantastic performance in PS classes and my good scoring rate made me earn the captainship band again! and even today I haven’t stopped working hard and improve on my weaknesses because I know I can’t be perfect! but at least I can be the best in the team.
LO 2:- Demonstrate that challenges have been undertaken, developing new skills in the process
I started gymming 3 months ago and I have made sure that I never miss out on any important day of workout or become lazy and not go. Looking at my decreasing body strength, irregularity in diet and decreasing stamina I decided to start gymming. The first month was really tough for me. I used to come home by 4:00 from school and then from 6:00 to 8:00 I used to go to the gym. Intense workouts left me really tired and thus I was not able to do any other activities after reaching home at 8. Like homework, submitting assignments, and extra practices for different subjects. Even the next day used to start with a body ache and was not able to concentrate in school hours too. But soon everything started to become a routine soon I then decided to wake up early in the morning if my assignments or homework were incomplete. I changed my diet and only ate junk food 3-4 times a month. Going to the gym also made my mind fresh and within months I found that I was able to concentrate on my studies better and felt happier and alive.
On the other hand, I was always good at football and I was playing this game from grade 6. So I knew that my caliber was really good I just had to maintain it and not loose on my dribbling skills and shooting which I have been practicing for years now. While I go to play football during my weekends I have to miss out on many things such as Family outings, Friend get-togethers, and even on recreational activities such as going to movies and shopping.
Recently, I was again selected as the captain of my football team and this could only have been possible because of the constant efforts I put in for my body. It feels good to gain something when you really have worked hard.
LO 4:- Show commitment to and perseverance in CAS experiences
Both this activity require constant inputs and efforts. On the other hands’ results that we get aren’t rapid/fast thus making us think that is it worth putting so much effort into this?
Going to the gym every day and spending two hours on your body seems to be easy. But actually, it is not. From last one month, I have been facing a lot of problems in order to maintain this routine. Because I have my economics and Hindi’s submission of WA’s and IA’s. Also, it became difficult for me to do extra studies and solve extra math questions because of a lack of time. In fact, even spending 1 hour for football seemed to be a big deal for me. I even felt sometimes to skip my practices and study instead. I felt irritated with so many things to do, and with so little time and energy in hand.
I have a goal of playing nationals in football for once. If I want to achieve that aim, I am sure that at least I had to spend 2 hours in the gym and regular football practices should also be in my routine to keep those legs running. Intense dedication and commitment to spending 2 hours in the gym every day and following a strict diet were required.
These 3 months have been exciting and to be honest I am facing hard times to be persistent with this routine. But I have a clear determination to succeed and I have a goal in front of me as Nationals Selections are approaching too in this March. So I am all set to undertake these challenges and balance my time between studies and fitness.
Final Takeaway:-
These are the best lessons to learn from life. The satisfaction I get when my coach or friends appreciate my physique is beyond words. Thus I will continue with these extracurricular activities. I won’t set my standards for just becoming the captain of our football team but also have plans to play nationals.
