An Athletic Venture: Joining the Football Team

Football is a unique sport in which all shapes and sizes of people can participate. Whether it is a hefty lineman, a skinny wide receiver, or a lean quarterback, there is always room to join the football team. A great strategy to make it through the first month of football involves a behavior modification program involving operant conditioning and positive reinforcement. In the case of weight loss to increase endurance, eating healthy is equally as important as exercise. 

The football program is going to involve a long offseason of lifting and conditioning. It is important for the rookie to hydrate prior to engagement. A great positive reinforcement for hydrating before practice is making a smoothie simply with ice, orange juice, bananas and any other fruits before practice. This way, the body is well nourished and well hydrated before practice. Football team lift groups are often divided based on ability and position, so the rookie does not have to worry about having to lift above his class. If ever in a position forced to exert past the normal physical limit, it is important for the athlete to notify an administrator immediately.

After a successful evenly distributed lift and cardiovascular workout, the player should feel healthy, perspiration from the body in the form of sweat and urine release toxins from the body. The energy level from the workout will result in a higher metabolic rate, burning fat off the body. Essential to development during a program is a healthy diet. Immediately the athlete should cut fast foods and junk foods. To encourage him or her, they can take an opportunity to eat their favorite foods one last time before engaging in the program. After that, a healthy diet must be integrated. It is commonly assumed a healthy diet means not eating any “good” foods, but this is a foolish assumption. A fantastic, flavorful diet can be created incorporating the basic elements of the food pyramid.

The food pyramid consists of 5 essential food groups. The first and most staple food group is the grain group and that consists of rice, breads, pastas and other carbohydrates. The daily intake of carbohydrates recommended is 6-11 servings. Above grains on the food pyramid are the fruit and vegetable groups. Apples, oranges, potatoes, broccoli and carrots belong to these groups. The recommended amount of vegetables is 3-5 servings whereas fruit servings are between 2-4. Finally, the dairy group matches the meat and protein group with 2-3 servings daily recommended. With these elements of the food group, a simple, cheap, delicious diet can be created from the local grocery store. 

First, the morning can consist of bagels and cream cheese, eggs, and/or a fruit smoothie blender. Right there is grain, dairy, protein, and fruit. To pack a lunch, lunchmeat, lettuce, tomato, and other toppings can be used to make a filling sandwich to eat on the go. This can be accompanied with any type of healthy snack on the side. Finally, after the workout, the athlete can make a large pot of salted rice with a side of steak, chicken, or fish. They can also substitute rice for pasta with a side of steak, chicken or fish. A 10 lb. bag of rice is about $3.99 at the grocery store and pasta is about $1 a box. To accompany the meal, sweet corn, mashed potatoes and broccoli are great sides with any dish. Another great recipe is ground meatballs mixed in with egg, milk, breading and seasoning with spaghetti and garlic bread. These meal options are a rewarding reinforcement for the individual’s athletic venture. If the athlete sticks to a simple, healthy, delicious diet, they will look forward to each work out as they become undoubtedly bigger, faster and stronger each day. Also, the physiological effects in the blood and nervous system from working out will likely benefit the athlete outside the scope of practice.

References

Food Groups. (n.d.). ChooseMyPlate.gov. Retrieved June 12, 2013, from http://www.choosemyplate.gov/food-groups/

Myers, J. (2003). Exercise and Cardiovascular Health. Cardiology Patient Page, Circulation. 2003; 107: e2-e5. Retrieved June 12, 2013, from http://www.cardiology.org/recentpapers/ptexercpage.pdf