My Experience with Sports

So after I came to Canada, I did figure skating for a few years, then quit. I also did recreational dance on the side as well as some swimming lessons. I also used to do tennis (but my teacher was super mean and it ended up with my friend and I crying because of him so we quit). Afterwards, I got super interested in dance and I wanted to join the competitive team. So I auditioned and joined. Around after I joined was when I started to develop an eating disorder: my obsession over exercise started.

This is how a day in grade 9 looked like: I got up at 6a.m. and exercised (whether it was a workout video or up and down the stairs). I then put cereal on the kitchen counter to pretend that I had eaten. I went to school super early, then walked around the halls and up and down the stairs to burn off more calories. I also threw away my lunch. Then I went to dance. Before dancing, in the washroom (because I needed to change) I would do pushups and crunches before my class started. I also went to the studio every weekend to do 2 hours of intense practice and also did more exercise at home on the days I didn't go to the studio.

My head was basically: exercise, count calories and study. To be honest, I don’t remember what I studied during the year. I somehow maintained my grades because I stressed about my grades. I put WAY too much stress on my body and afterwards during recovery, I really felt how TIRED I was and how much rest I needed.

Afterwards, I continued dance but I got really busy with school and dance was blocking me from doing new extracurriculars that I was interested in. Furthermore, the dance community was not really full of supportive individuals, and being there triggered a lot of past experiences with my eating disorder. Quitting dance was a difficult decision; but I do not regret it: I was able to go through with so many new opportunities and have diverse experiences after I quit and I wanted to be around those that supported me.

Now, I do at home-workouts and go on runs 3 times a week, doing what makes me happy in order to stay healthy to a moderate degree (:

Make sure you are drinking enough water and taking care of your body, whether that is some rest (make sure you guys are getting enough sleep!!) or a quick walk to acquire some fresh air<3

-C.