Brahmas staying active at home

Deesha Pathak, Asst. Sports Editor|June 16, 2020

The Covid-19 pandemic has thrown the whole athletic world into disarray, but being homebound hasn’t stopped many Diamond Bar High School teachers, athletes and coaches from working out. Even though this might seem like a monumental challenge to some, these Brahmas are focusing on fitness during  this time of uncertainty.    

Health teacher Rebecca Bevans said that her physical fitness has actually improved during this social distancing period. She has been utilizing the equipment she has at home including running on her treadmill and lifting weights. 

“I do exercise for all areas of fitness: cardio, muscular fitness, and flexibility. I jog on my treadmill, swim, walk my dogs (one of my dogs has lost 15 pounds since quarantine!), ride my bike, and hike for cardio,” Bevans said via email.

        “I have also found a lot of great workout videos online for cardio and other areas of fitness. I lift weights and do a lot of core exercises for abs,” Bevans said. 

However, track and cross-country coach Malinalli Cooke said that her level of fitness has decreased since the quarantine started.  

“Even though I don’t think I’m as fit as I was before the quarantine, by staying active and continuing to work out throughout the quarantine I know that I’ll be able to return to my pre-quarantine fitness levels easily when it’s finally over,” Cooke said via email. “In general, I believe that exercising is important for being healthy, (physically, mentally, and emotionally), and has many long term benefits.” 

Fall athletes face the particular challenge of not knowing whether they will be able to compete in their upcoming season, as the schedule for fall athletics remains uncertain. 

Football player Dylan Sowell, who is a rising sophomore, said that he had been working on his fitness during the shutdown. 

“Now less because of summer school, but before that I did a lot to stay active,” said Sowell. “Different weight lifting, push ups and sit ups, and getting stronger and faster so basically weight lifting and doing cardio.”

Rising sophomore volleyball player Adrean Sitthiso said that maintaining physical health is important to her.

 “I have continued to exercise in hopes to not lose,” she said via Instagram. “I do some of the workouts that my coach assigned and some other ones. I like to stay active because it improves my well-being and makes me feel productive.” 

Another volleyball player, rising junior Gizell Lien, relates to Sitthiso’s mindset during this time.

“Every Sunday I go to the park with my friend and we practice volleyball and occasionally I practice with my dad…I think it is very important to stay active because you don’t want to be completely out of shape when sports start up again,” Lien said via Instagram.