Maintaining exercise routines and watching diets often seems irrelevant during the hot summer months.
However, that’s not the case for St. Thomas University’s student athletes, who find it important to stay in shape while beating the heat.
Second-year student and men’s rugby player Andrew Daniels admits that working a full-time job that involved heavy physical labour, as well as having a home gym at his disposal, made exercising easier. Daniels was also a member of the Nova Scotia Senior Men’s Division 2 league, which is part of the Valley Bulldogs Rugby Football Club in the province’s Annapolis Valley, where he grew up.
“When it comes to staying in shape, your diet is a huge part of it,” said Daniels. “No matter how hard you work to stay in shape through exercise, if you eat greasy food all the time, it’s going to work against you.”
In terms of maintaining a positive physical condition, third-year STU student and men’s volleyball player Sean McCullum also says his summer job came in handy. As a lifeguard, swimming and body weight exercises made staying in shape easier.
“What’s nice about volleyball is that, once the court season is over, the beach season is only a month away,” McCullum said. He found he was able to train, but not as much as he wanted.
McCullum said he played in a small summer volleyball league in his hometown of Quispamsis, New Brunswick. He feels that if he doesn’t take his physical fitness seriously, he won’t be able to keep his game at the high level it needs to be.
Second-year student Luke Garagan made this year’s men’s soccer team after playing soccer, hockey and basketball at the intramural level last year. Garagan ran for 30 to 45 minutes every day over the summer, worked two jobs, and played in a summer league in Nova Scotia’s Annapolis Valley.
“My soccer team was involved in two tournaments,” he said. “We qualified for provincials and were the runner-ups.”
Garagan acknowledges that it was tricky for him to eat healthy while he worked in a restaurant and fast food place, but he feels planning and preparation are of the utmost importance.
“Bring your own meals and stay focused on your goal, whatever that may be,” Garagan said. “I found it easy, as my goal was to go to tryouts and give my best effort. I worked hard and ate healthy, which paid off.”
