While sports are in season, students at Air Academy High School practice and compete hard. But when their sports’ seasons have come to an end, what comes next is the mystery. For students trying to improve as much as possible, staying fit and healthy year-round is a real priority.

The importance of maintaining fitness year-round is undeniable both in the short and long term. In order to ensure that real progress is achieved, consistency is crucial across the year.

“It’s absolutely imperative. I think that people have to understand that seasons, especially seasons in football, are not just football seasons. It’s what you do from one season to the next that makes the difference, so we have an extensive offseason program,” AAHS football coach Scott Grinde explained.

This kind of regular exercise is crucial because it has many benefits. According to Grinde, all the studies show that it helps one be a healthier person.

“Being physically active can improve your brain health, help manage weight, reduce the risk of disease, strengthen bones and muscles, and improve your ability to do everyday activities,” according to an article by the CDC titled “Benefits of Physical Activity.”

In any context, when looking for an example, one helpful solution is to take a look at people who are professionals. This is no different for sports— and knowing what the lives of professional athletes look like.

“I mean, we’re talking 40 hours a week,” cross country and track coach Catherine Webber added.

Although busy students cannot do everything possible in the realm of sports, they will simply have to try their best and devote whatever time they do have without sacrificing the other aspects of their lives that professionals do not face.

“[Professional athletes] are there all day. I’ve spent some time with the Broncos, watching practices, and… some players are in there from six in the morning and leave at nine at night. They’re working out, practicing, watching tape, studying their opponents, so in that respect it’s a lot different, and those guys take a lot of pride in what they do. I think the same is true for high schoolers but the time frame is different. The first priority is to be the best student they can be,” Grinde noted.

For an athlete, nutrition is a necessary part of somebody’s daily life. Good nutrition involves getting the right nutrients to fuel your body’s exercise and its recovery.

“Huge. It’s absolutely huge,” Grinde stressed.

However, it is as aforementioned, impossible to eat perfectly while at school, but students will need reasonable habits.

“It’s really difficult, as a high schooler, to get the right kind of nutrition and food, but it is super important, just as a living person, to eat the right kind of stuff,” cross country and track coach Chuck Schwartz explained.

Now, spring sports participants will be preparing for the season, and with great reason. While balancing this training with busy high school lives, with great importance and benefits, good habits in the offseason will result in better health and better improvement in sports, to the benefit of students across AAHS.