Rackets and Reps

Coronavirus has spread once again in Sri Lanka. Schools have closed and we are back at home.  We have moved to our distance learning program which entails sitting around and staring at a laptop for hours on end. And as expected, my level of physical activity has gone down. The month of November consisted of very little physical activity due to the immense workload requiring myself to be in front of my laptop for prolonged hours in the day. On top of that, my induced laziness as a result of being restricted from leaving my house did not help my already decreasing fitness level. Although I realized mid-November that my fitness level has dropped, I decided to wait until I approach the end of the semester and the workload to be less before creating a new workout and exercise regime.

In the last few months, I occasionally went on bike rides and walked my dogs to get away from the stress of work and life in general. In October, I went for a bike ride after more than a month, I found it to be very stress relieving and exhilarating. I ended up riding about 25km which is double the distance I normally ride. It was a way for me to let go of all of my thoughts and ride with the wind blowing in my face as well as be surrounded by nature. Currently, I go on 10-15km bike rides every week.

In addition to bike rides, I regularly go to the gym for strength training comprising of weight lifting and ab workouts which I enjoy very much as it is not as challenging for me in terms of stamina. Due to the surge of new cases in Sri Lanka, the gym closed temporarily interrupting my workout plan. I started doing at-home workouts in place of the gym in order to keep my fitness levels up but that too was affected by my overwhelming workload.

My friends and I decided to get together

every two weeks to play badminton for a few hours at SSC (Sinhalese Sports Club). I found this very relaxing and fun at the same time because not only was I able to relieve my stress but also explore my competitive side by playing matches against my friends. Since I am average at best compared to most of my friends at badminton, I feel elevated whenever I win against them. This also gives me the opportunity to bond and have more social interaction with my friends which I think is essential for one’s wellbeing and is a proven way to improve mental health.

Learning Outcomes

• Identify own strengths and develop areas for growth

Cardio and endurance are some areas that I am weak in and need to improve in through bike rides and playing badminton whereas strength training is not as demanding with regards to my fitness level.

• Show commitment to and perseverance in CAS experiences

When I play badminton with my friends, I strive to play hard and win. I am also committed to going on bike rides every week with achieving a goal of riding 10-15km every ride. Overall, I ensure that I am pushing myself and my fitness levels improve in any activity I participate in.

• Demonstrate the skills and recognize the benefits of working collaboratively

I have realized that playing badminton with my friends allows me to improve not only my fitness levels but also my friends’ as well as engage in healthy competition with one another which motivates every one of us to do our best.

• Demonstrate how to initiate and plan a CAS experience

My friends and I planned to play badminton together in order to engage in physical activity. We play every week and plan to continue in December.