Many athletes will find retirement hard as they have more time, no normal routine, and the death of their identity. This addresses and identifies postretirement struggles and how to address them based on research.

 

Many athletes find the hardest thing about retirement is that they have no routine and too much empty time with no purpose to fill it with. The biggest problem and cause is likely that people just don’t have anything to do with their time. Athletics had consumed their whole life previously but now they don’t have anything to do or a purpose in doing something. Athletics provided a clear purpose, get faster, stronger, perform better, win that game, race, etc., but without it, many are then lost initially. Ways to cope with the vast amount of time are to create a new schedule to help manage time, find your new purpose as quickly as possible, but intentionally. Many people who leave athletics from high school and college will have college or a job to move into and fill their time. This helps many people as it gives them a natural sense of purpose and forces a schedule rather quickly after ending their athletic career. 

 

Another struggle in the postretirement stage of any athlete is refiguring out nutrition. Because one is no longer an athlete they likely do not train as hard and therefore need less food to make up for the energy expended. In talking to a nutritionist and former competitive athlete, she said that eating will change to reflect one’s lifestyle. As one decreases their activity levels so should their eating. When one leaves athletics they lose part of their purpose for eating. To keep eating well people need to make sure that their diet is sustainable and also find something new to drive their purpose for eating.

​

Transitioning into post-athletic life is also a shift in physical activity. Because there is no forced or set training schedule many may lose motivation to stay healthy and fit. People can combat that by getting involved in organized exercise. Some may want to stay in the sport they retired from. Many communities have recreational or club teams to join to keep people active and involved. Other athletes may find it hard to continue in their sport but there are so many other forms of exercise and activities to explore. Many cities have fitness studios that teach classes to keep people fit. 

​

The transition from competitive athletics to retirement is inevitable but there are some ways to ease into it. Preparing for the transition mainly means that one begins to decrease their athletic identity and find new passions or focuses. Many may think that decreasing athletic identity prior to retirement would lead to a decrease in performance but research actually shows that athletic performance is maintained. Decreasing athletic identity is not equal to decreasing commitment and hard work, rather it is not placing all of what makes someone themselves in their athletic abilities. Athletes can prepare for the transition by finding new passions and hobbies, making friends outside of athletics, having a job lined up for after and finding new ways to exercise. 

​

Though retirement is inevitable for all athletes the lessons and experiences learned in the athletic arena continue to serve them long after. Women with a high athletic identity are generally found to have higher self-esteem and more outlined career plans. Female student-athletes have skills such as time management, teamwork, communication, high work ethic and are highly likely to use those skills in life. Because of the experiences from athletics, research shows that female student-athletes are especially well equipped to handle life’s challenges.