While it is easy for us who are asked to stay home and self-quarantine during the days of COVID-19 to not stress about those potential extra couch pounds being added, it is a completely different story for athletes around the sports world who need to be staying in shape.
For athletes, there is still mystery looming, as it is still unknown whether sports will resume for leagues like the NHL and NBA. This unknown can unmotivate some athletes, as, throughout the year, they will grind and stay in tip-top shape to perform at their best each game. It all changes though, as when a stoppage lasting months happens, some athletes may resort to early summer shenanigans and forget about working out and eating healthy.
Take the Islanders, for example, if the season were to resume and everything proceeded as normal, they would be in a heated playoff race with other Metropolitan Division teams. While the stoppage will help, as Casey Cizikas should be healthy when and if play resumes, if their stars like Mathew Barzal or Anders Lee are not staying in game shape, their season could collapse in front of their very eyes. 
Another problem facing many athletes is the accessibility to work out, as many gyms are closed due to the COVID-19 outbreak; however, most athletes usually have some resemblance of a home gym, allowing them to stay in somewhat good condition until gyms reopen. Whether it is bike machines, weights, or even make-shift dumbbells, all this will help benefit players’ health for when play eventually resumes. 
Robin Lehner, a former Islanders goaltender, suggests that the season should be cancelled entirely
“No, I don’t think it is possible to shut down (the league) and then run again when you have 100,000 cases of the coronavirus,” Lehner said. “Safety goes first. You can’t turn 180 degrees and start playing again. I see a zero percent chance that you can save this season. Now I hope that next season can start as usual in October.”
This quote can be taken many ways, obviously for the fact that he believes that the sport of hockey should play second-fiddle to the health and safety of millions. Although, one can also look at this and wonder if Lehner is still staying in game shape and keeping up with his physical health.
As Islanders fans know, Robin Lehner is one of the hardest working athletes out there, but he clearly is concerned about the status of the NHL. So, while we all reflect on our favorite moments from the past few years in sports, it is still good to keep up with exercise, and practice good social-distancing so one day we can see our favorite athletes back on the ice on Long Island.

John Smark