Her Campus Logo Her Campus Logo
This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at CU Boulder chapter.

During my adolescence, I was a top-level athlete. I trained almost every day of the week to be able to compete to the best of my ability. Soccer was the light of my life, but training at such a high-intensity for such a long period of time stole the love I once had for the sport. 

Up until I graduated high school, I was always training for soccer, no matter what. In the beginning, I really enjoyed it. But, the pressure and toxicity of high-level sports can take a toll on your mental health, especially when you’re constantly being told what you should and should not be doing, eating, saying, and posting. 

soccer ball at empty soccer stadium
Photo by Pixabay from Pexels

Once I graduated high school, I knew I was done with soccer. I no longer had the same passion that I once had for the game. When this happened, I completely fell out of working out and staying fit. I had been forced to train at such a high intensity for such a long time that my body was tired and needed a break, a break that coincidentally lasted almost two years. 

When I got to college, I was introduced to freedoms that I wasn’t accustomed to in high school. I could eat, do, and act however I wanted. I was no longer working out, and I was OK with that. 

When COVID-19 started to get bad in March, I decided to return home to New Jersey to be with my family. For the most part, I wasn’t allowed to leave my house for two months. I had more free time than I knew what to do with. It was at this time that I started to feel depressed and anxious like I did in high school. I was falling back into the hole that I tried so hard to get out of.  I was wasting my days, and not doing anything productive. Each day was the exact same, and I desperately needed to change that. 

Girl doing push up
Pixabay

About a week into quarantine, I knew I had to come up with a hobby, or else I would go insane, staring at my bedroom walls and computer screen all day. After struggling to come up with an idea, my parents suggested that I started working out again to clear my head. I audibly laughed out loud when they said this. I hadn’t thought about working out in so long that I was worried  I forgot how to run. 

Because of the boredom, I decided to actually give working out a fair shot. During my first workout, I tried to run as much as I could, and as you can probably guess, it did not go well. I was exhausted by the end, but, in a weird way, it felt good to sweat and clear my cluttered mind. 

Tennis Shoes And Water Bottle
Her Campus Media

The next morning when I woke up, I actually wanted to run. It was astonishing. I began to crave working out and the feeling of accomplishment once I finished a workout. 

After that first run, I became obsessed. Running was the only time I was able to leave my house, and I enjoyed the time alone with my thoughts. I went from hardly being able to run a mile, to be able to run six-plus miles every single day without even thinking about it. 

I ran almost every day I was in New Jersey from March until August. I don’t think the girl who left Boulder in March exists anymore, in the best way possible. I feel happier and am in significantly better shape. I feel more confident, and it shows in my demeanor and attitude. I started to really think about the things I was putting into my body, how I was treating it, and became more mindful. 

morning stretch
Bruce Mars via Unsplash

Running helped pull me out of the deep hole I was in during the beginning of quarantine. My mentality about running and working out has changed dramatically. I no longer associate working out with something I have to do, like when I played soccer. Rather, working out is something I want to do for myself and will continue to do. 

Isabella Silber

CU Boulder '22

Isabella is a senior at the University of Colorado Boulder. She is a Strategic Communication major with an emphasis in Public Relations and a Journalism minor. When she is not flipping through fashion magazines, she can be found obsessing over a pair of sneakers, running up the Flatirons, and reading in a nearby coffee shop.
Sko Buffs!