Call Yourself an Athlete - Just Do It

Athlete - a person who is proficient in sports and other forms of physical exercise.

Is Betty the soccer mom who trains regularly, is faster than her kids, and sometimes plays tennis with other soccer moms an athlete?

Yes

Is she really?

No

Do we really want to be the guy or gal that argues the semantics of the word athlete and crushes Betty’s dreams?

I hope not

It is annoying, like being the guy who finds a way to use the word semantics in an incredibly informal blog post.

Whether you want to spend time arguing this or not, the word athlete has power. It means someone trains for a reason. It means they start to take responsibility for what they eat, how they recover, and how they perform in the gym. The title starts to seep into their identities and that is a good thing.

Let’s throw me under the bus. Am I really an athlete anymore? I Olympic Lift 4 to 5 times a week and have a total that wouldn’t turn any heads but makes me feel a bit of alright when I go to bed at night. I am not going to argue whether I am a real athlete or not. It doesn’t matter because I think I am. That is what matters changing someone’s perception of themselves. Lifting them up so they expect more - so they strive for more than just punching the clock at a Gold’s Gym. It’s Ok - if you train like an athlete go ahead and claim it. Live it. Breathe it. What the hater non-athletes say doesn't matter. They are on their couch getting fat, drinking beer, scoffing at your instagram posts, and watching their favorite “athletes” run around in an imaginary window.