# Top 10 Tips to Balance a Student-Athlete Lifestyle

__School is hard enough by itself.__ There's endless homework, important tests to study for, and a complex social dynamic that must be taken into account. Then, there's athletics. Competing in any sport, at any level, requires a dedicated focus and commitment to succeed. So how are we supposed to manage it all? This guide will give you our top 10 tips on managing a student-athlete lifestyle.

Perhaps most importantly, how do I know that these work? I'm a senior in a competitive high school with four AP classes, am in the midst of applying to colleges and universities, and compete on three varsity sports teams. I also get 8 hours of sleep each night. It really can be done!

## 1. Focus on what you need to, when you need to

Don't let your upcoming physics test distract you during practice. Likewise, don't get too distracted by the big game during your English class. If your sports practice is right after school, take advantage of the opportunity to take a break from school and focus on your sport. Then, after practice, you can get back into your __school mindset for homework__.

## 2. Prioritize

Sometimes it's difficult to know what to do when- it's Monday and you have two tests on Wednesday, an essay due Friday, and a big game Wednesday night. Take the class, difficulty, and time required to complete the work into consideration when you make a list of what needs to get done, when. Then, take the things on this list one at a time.

## 3. Plan out your week

When you start getting super busy, which will inevitably happen, make a schedule of when you're going to study for certain tests, write your essays, and prepare for your game. Know how long it takes you to accomplish each task (writing a solid essay, studying for a test in this or that class) so that you can take the time you need to get whatever it is done on time.

## 4. Plan out your day

With a variety of classes, practice schedules, game days, and potentially other responsibilities, set a plan each day of what you're going to do. Personally, I like to start my day from the morning because it's almost always the same- wake up, then go to school. After that it can take some time to work out, but be sure to make the schedule. It really helps.

## 5. Stick to your plan and avoid distractions

Ever heard of Do Not Disturb? When you get home from practice, give yourself 10 minutes to get caught up on what you've missed. Then, turn on that Do Not Disturb and get down to work. Also, placing your phone out of sight (like behind your computer) is psychologically proven to reduce the chances that you'll get distracted and want to just "quickly check" your snaps.

## 6. It's ok to say "no" to your friends

Social lives are important, no doubt. But if you (hopefully!) have a lot of friends, it can get difficult saying no to them, especially if they don't have an event when you do. If the bus leaves at 8am, don't plan to stay out later than 11pm. Strike a balance between going out and focusing on your sport (and all of that is after you've focused on school).

## 7. Get (but don't take for granted) some extra time for big assignments

Know you're going to have an overbooked week ahead? Rather than pull an all-nighter, ask your teachers for an extension. Even an extra day or two can make a huge difference. Remember, your teachers (and coaches!) are people too, who probably went through something similar when they were in high school and college

## 8. If you planned correctly, you shouldn't need to skip practice at all

Just because you have a mountain of homework and fifteen upcoming tests doesn't mean that you should skip practice- it just means that you need to plan your time efficiently and grind through the work. By going to practice, you will actually help reduce your stress, as exercise (particularly high intensity exercise in the afternoon) has a huge effect on reducing stress.

## 9. Eat healthy

As an athlete, eating healthy foods every day is critically important for proper muscle growth and bone development. This means something green every, single, day, along with proper calcium, carbohydrates, and proteins. Remember to stay hydrated- your water bottle is your most important asset during the day, even if you're wearing masks in school. Just take a minute to step out into the hall and grab a sip.

## 10. Sleep

This is another thing you can't sacrifice, but it's so important it needs to be specifically explained. In brief, sleep keeps you alive. Not only does it improve memory and concentration for your school, it gives your muscles a time to recover from practice and get ready to be exerted again. Set a "latest" bedtime that will allow you to get at least 7 hours of sleep. Students need sleep. Athletes need even more. Student-athletes need the most.

We at Inspirit want you to learn better, faster, and nothing helps this more than strong time management and organizational skills. Additionally, proper study skills are critical. If you want to ace your exams, check out our helpful [study guides](https://www.inspiritvr.com/study-guides) and cheat sheets on Biology, Chemistry, and Physics. If for some reason you don't want to ace your exams, go read this article on motivation. Then, go and check out the study guides and cheat sheets, along with the corresponding VR based live rooms!


School is hard enough by itself. There's endless homework, important tests to study for, and a complex social dynamic that must be taken into account. Then, there's athletics. 

10 tips cover photo 

Top 10 Tips to Balance a Student-Athlete Lifestyle

By far one of our most requested features, simulations allow teachers and learners alike to learn in an interactive way that not many have had before, especially in a virtual setting! The six simulations are below, so let's take a look. Please note, all links are to external sites that we manage. As we add more capabilities to our main website, these simulations will all be included in our website as well!

## Let's look at our Biology Simulations first

## [DNA Replication Simulation](https://www.dnareplicationsimulation.com/)

![Screen Shot 2021-11-17 at 3.22.45 PM =2000x800](//images.ctfassets.net/4yflszkpcwkt/5TFYQsAS4lkNexhrcOQ6Hd/455fa5c433c934085bb56389d5261fc3/Screen_Shot_2021-11-17_at_3.22.45_PM.png)

With our DNA Replication Simulation you can walk through the replication process that DNA goes through. Learn about how the helicase unfolds DNA, creates the a DNA replication fork and so much more!

## [RNA Translation Simulation](https://www.rnatranslationsimulation.com)

![Screen Shot 2021-11-17 at 3.27.43 PM](//images.ctfassets.net/4yflszkpcwkt/74TWAxLbqeHvA41u2angQf/f84170e46dc8e60a36ff34c41897dc9b/Screen_Shot_2021-11-17_at_3.27.43_PM.png)

Dive into the world of RNA with our RNA Translation simulation! Learn about how tRNA helps transfer amino acids to the ribosomes and more!

## [RNA Transcription Simulation](http://rnatranscriptions.com)

![Screen Shot 2021-11-17 at 3.35.17 PM](//images.ctfassets.net/4yflszkpcwkt/4kouuiuzg9w5qc4gA26GlO/ac5bb03b4ac163864a8ed4b6fb759b00/Screen_Shot_2021-11-17_at_3.35.17_PM.png)

Here's a quick description of our RNA Transcription simulation! Create an mRNA copy using a gene's DNA sequence at a cellular level. Observe the first step of gene expression and perform it by using the appropriate enzymes and matching the nitrogen base pairs correctly. 

## [The Eukaryotic Cell Simulation](https://www.eukaryoticcell.com)

![Screen Shot 2021-11-17 at 3.38.57 PM](//images.ctfassets.net/4yflszkpcwkt/1G1lxzHYmP3dItszXThm0N/5e31c3fb74053fb4fe09d3d8802945f8/Screen_Shot_2021-11-17_at_3.38.57_PM.png)

Take a field trip to the Eukaryotic Cell! Dive into your microscope and dissect organelles. Experience the impossible!

## Now let's look at our Physics Simulations - back by popular demand!

These simulations will be added to the main website at a later date as we move into physics, but we hope you enjoy them here! If you're a teacher and would like to see more of these simulations and be kept in the loop, please consider joining our newsletter [here](https://airtable.com/shrgjO82m7V7K6rdP). 

## [Projectile Motion Simulation](https://www.projectilemotionlab.com/)

In this lab you'll learn how to interact with a cannon, read about acceleration, velocity graphs and throw objects! 

![Screen Shot 2021-11-17 at 4.49.23 PM](//images.ctfassets.net/4yflszkpcwkt/5XyzjFcQXsBfBMjQFxsQiM/75e2e04d7db88f7f8d6e16b467478b14/Screen_Shot_2021-11-17_at_4.49.23_PM.png)

## [Types of Forces Simulation](https://www.typesofforces.com/)

Lastly we have our Types of Forces simulation. In this simulation you will be able to set up an inclined plane experiment, interact with graphs, and manipulate weights. Great for an intro force lab!

![Screen Shot 2021-11-17 at 4.52.01 PM](//images.ctfassets.net/4yflszkpcwkt/3WC9sgT3H8eOwy2GMZEdyr/7dc5efad5d56308aa408d3f216fbcd74/Screen_Shot_2021-11-17_at_4.52.01_PM.png)

## Wrapping Up

We hope you enjoyed the teaser release of these simulations! In the coming weeks we will be adding them natively into the website, but for now they each have their own URL's as a unique home. **Worksheets** that accompany these simulations will also be available here in the next week to help make teaching this session even easier and more impactful for your students. 

As always, if you'd like to stay in the know on new simulations, guides and features that our platform is rolling out for teachers [please sign up for our Teacher Newsletter!](https://airtable.com/shrgjO82m7V7K6rdP) 

Until next time,

The Inspirit Team

We are proud to announce the soft launch of free access simulations on the Inspirit platform starting today (well, kind of - we'll explain more below 😉)!