SPORTS
HOW TO GET THE MOST BULK FOR YOUR BUCK
Affordable workout options for high schoolers. By Lea Shaw
E
xercise is important, but exercising on a budget is difficult. Here is a list of accessible and affordable workout options for highschoolers: Planet Fitness Planet Fitness is a great gym for people who want to workout at their own pace. You can get the Classic Membership at any Planet Fitness Gym for a starting fee of $49 and a monthly fee of $10. This membership includes unlimited access to the nearest club, free wifi, a no-commitment requirement, and free access to the personal trainers at the gym who can instruct and support you throughout your workouts. Drop-In Swimming If you are hoping to create a splash in your fitness journey, try out the drop-in option at your local community center. Maddison Pool is offering Sunday morning swim sessions from 11 am to 1 pm. This class is April 2 to June 18 and $4.50 for ages 1-17, $6.50 for ages 18-64. If your weekend mornings are too important, then try out the completely free drop-in swimming at
Magnuson Community Center from 6:458:30 every Friday night for ages 13-17. Drop-In Basketball Want to shoot some hoops and meet new people while exercising? The International/ Chinatown Community Center is offering drop-in basketball games every Wednesday from 2:30 to 5:30, April 5 to June 21 for ages 10-17. All skill levels are welcome for this completely free game! Youtube Workout Channels Maybe you want to workout from the comfort of your own home. Throughout covid and with the advancement of many new technologies, it is easier than ever to workout in your living room. If this is the kind of convenience you’re looking for, there are hundreds of workout channels at the tips of your fingers… Natacha Oceane Natacha Oceane is a great option because she uses no extra equipment, all of her videos are made using just your body weight. Her channel provides free access to HIIT –High Intensity Interval Training, cardio,
POWER-PACKED PERFORMANCE
and stretching routines. She even creates no-noise workouts that are perfect for apartments. Her videos, ranging in length, cover a wide variety of topics including the diet parts of exercise as well as her workouts. You can choose any of her videos and jump right in! Juice and Toya Toya and Juice work together to bring you quality workout videos. On their page you can find a wide range of work- outs, from cardio to weightlifting, nutrition, and a beginner’s guide to stretching. You can pick your choice of length of video and follow along with your weights from home for convenience and satisfaction.
The Fitness Marshall If you are looking for something a little different than the traditional weight lifting to improve your endurance, look no farther! The Fitness Marshall group has choreographed dances to all of your favorite songs. Their moves are sure to get you moving, and are designed to get your heart rate up and work all muscles. They have many free videos for you to follow along to their fun cross between exercise and entertainment. And if you become a Channel Supporter for $6.99 a month you get access to all of their exclusive content which includes live 30-minute sessions 2-4 times a month. Art by Kailyn Shaw
How to fuel your body: An Athlete’s Nutrition Guide. By Nikhil Choudhury
F
or all types of athletes, nutrition is vital for performance and progression. So, what can you do to make sure you have a healthy diet? The number one thing to remember is to eat all your meals. “I think the big thing is making sure you are getting your meals so you’re getting enough energy to play whatever sport it is that you’re playing,” Jannet Nieves, Garfield’s nutritionist at the Teen Health Center, said. You may skip breakfast or use a caffeinated drink to replace a meal, but by doing this, you are missing out on a lot of energy. Many meals have carbohydrates in them, which then break down into glucose. Glucose is your
14
body’s primary source of energy, so you need lots of it to fuel your intense workouts. It is actually recommended that you eat
some sort o f c ar b o hy drate food before your workout. Some good options to get carbohydrates in are bagels, raisins, potatoes, bread, and rice. Another thing
that athletes should focus on is getting enough protein into their diet. When you work out or lift weights, your muscles experience microscopic damage. In response to this, amino acids in your body provide the building block for new tissue to repair your muscles. These are how your muscles grow and get stronger. This is why it is recommended that 30-45 minutes after your workout, you should eat some sort of protein. Some good options are nuts, beans, dairy foods, and any type of meat. “A lot of weight lifters don’t eat enough carbohydrates because they are so focused on the protein intake, [but] without the carbohydrate intake it’s really hard for you to be able to fuel yourself,” Nieves said. So be careful when prioritizing what to eat, and make sure to eat an adequate amount of carbohydrates to have energy. Dairy intake is another key thing to keep in mind. Dairy is a great source of calcium, protein, and vitamin D. The sun is a
good source of vitamin D, but in cloudy Seattle, dairy is a necessary alternative. With dairy providing lots of calcium, it is a good way to make sure your bones are in good health. Strong bones are essential to being able to do hard workouts and recover fully. When Nieves was asked about calcium intake in relation to weightlifting she said, “you’re still developing, your bones are still growing and if we are doing a lot of weightlifting you are putting a lot of pressure on those bones.” Growing teens should maintain strong bones that will be able to put up with intense, frequent workouts. Some good sources of calcium could be milk, yogurt, and cheese. When thinking about your diet as an athlete, you need to remember to eat all your meals to ensure optimal performance. Focus on carbohydrate intake to fuel yourself, then protein intake to help your body recover and repair, and remember to include calcium in your diet.
Art by Lily Collet