Athletic Retirement: A Transition to A Physically Active Lifestyle? Dr Erin Reifsteck (Pt 1) - Meaningful Sport Series

Athletic retirement is a much-studied topic, but only recently have researchers started to explore whether sport and physical activity remains part of retired athletes' lives. Do athletes still find sport and physical activity meaningful pursuits, and if so, how do they change their practice and relationship with them? What kind of identity changes are required? And importantly, if some athletes require support in the transition in relation to these questions, how can sport psychology practitioners and others around them help them?

Dr Erin Reifsteck is an Assistant Professor at the Department of Kinesiology at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. Her research has made a substantial contribution to understanding and supporting athletes’ transition to physically active lifestyles.

In this first part of our conversation, we explore the story behind her research and key theoretical constructs that have informed her work. The second part will be focused on the intervention that she has developed with her colleagues to support athletes in transitioning to a physically active lifestyle.

The research discussed in the episode includes:

“Athletes” and “exercisers”: Understanding identity, motivation, and physical activity participation in former college athletes. Journey From Control to Liberation: Exploring Student-Athletes' Physical Activity Perceptions and Experiences in the Transition Out of Collegiate Sport

"Moving On!" - Transition program for student-athletes moving to a physically active lifestyle can be found here: https://athletesmovingon.org/