Matthew Ventura ‘22
As we already know, Quarantine is “hassle” in every sense of the word. If you’re anything like me, you may miss the baseball field, basketball court, football field, or even the gym. However, this stay at home order can be a blessing for those who use it the right way and try to not let themselves go, at least not too much, when it comes to dieting properly. This article will give you very detailed information on what you can do to keep yourself as healthy as possible with the situation you’re given. It will go through many at home workouts, dietary plans, and sleep schedules from big time athletes to help make sure you don’t miss a beat when it comes to your body goals.
Due to the fact that gym’s have not opened up, we are not allowed the same privilege by our body to eat what we please and burn fat when we workout. As a result, we can’t get away much, however we must watch our diet very carefully. In an interview with all-star baseball player Nelson Cruz, he shares pieces of his diet with us– “Meat and vegetables and rice…” He states later on in the interview that he specifically tries to stick with lean meat and not red meat. This could include things such as grilled chicken, salmon, and thin cut turkey.
Another very important point Nelson Cruz makes about the way he treats his body is by making sure he gets enough sleep. As teenagers, we see all this extra time as an opportunity to binge watch that netflix series we couldn’t watch during school, or play that video game late at night that we didn’t have time for three months ago, or even just stay up late on our phones.
However, in order to get the full maximizing potential of our body we must have our head on tunnel vision, which means getting the full 10 hours of sleep a teenager should have. In the article written about Nelson, it states “The preparation for Cruz begins the night before with his sleep. Cruz said he believes in the recovery and recuperative powers of quality rest. It’s something he learned about a few years ago and incorporated it into his schedule.” What we should take away from this is that if a grown man must get 10 hours of recovery after his workouts, us as teenagers definitely need it as well.
Another famous athlete that serves as a good model to learn from is Noah Syndergaard, pitcher for the New York Mets. His workouts consist of many core exercises, he eventually goes on to explain that his trainer introduced him to “45 second increments” where he would do 5 specific core workouts that target each area in the torso. These workouts are “V-ups, sit ups, planks, mountain climbers, and leg pull-ins.” It is a great idea to try these workouts during lockdown and try your best to get those summer bodies going. This along with dieting on lean meat, small portions of carbs, and protein shakes should make your core really stand out.
Happy workouts to all still stuck in quarantine! Hopefully this article was insightful enough to motivate you to work for the core you want, and get the body you are looking for this summer from the point of view of professional athletes.
The Salesian Spectator 