As long as I’ve been alive, my mom has been strong with her opinions and influential on what she believes is best for her and her family to achieve a happy and healthy life. From being a personal trainer and yoga teacher, my mom has always invited me to participate in physical activities like yoga, pilates, cross country skiing, and aerobic activities.
My mom would always push me to come on walks, or go to her yoga class. I always refused by saying, “I don’t wanna go!”
I preferred doing the activities I wanted to do and staying in my comfort zone. From the many times I would eventually give in, “Ah fine, I’ll come with,” I would complain. Feeling fatigued and not enjoying the experience of cross country skiing or walking.
Playing video games or watching tv sounded like a far more enjoyable experience. But little did I know what I was missing out on; all the benefits of exercising to improve my health were being missed out. I was oblivious, I had no idea the true meaning to getting exercise and benefits that came along with it
It wasn’t until freshman year of high school that my eyes opened up to a new world. I began to listen, take up my mom on her invitations and get out of my bubble to see what I am capable of. The spark of doing activities: working out, running and swimming turned into a ball of fire. I was hooked. The benefits I now knew were true, my energy levels increased as I engrained exercise into my schedule.
As I continued on my physically active journey, I would see improvements in all aspects of my life: improved sleep, increase in energy, and better mood. On top of all of the benefits, my diet became an important part of my life. As I was staying physically active, I began craving unhealthy foods less and began eating more whole foods like fruits, vegetables, and meats.
There are many ways to achieve a healthy body and mind. The building blocks to obtaining good health can stem from a main contributor, exercising. The simple act of taking a small portion out of one’s day to get physical activity is crucial to improve physical and emotional effects. Some people may think exercise is a job and that it is difficult for them to find a routine on a daily basis to find time and “workout.”
An easy start to getting physical activity every day is finding what you enjoy the most as well as a time that you can lock off every day to ingrain into your schedule. A pathway to getting activity everyday as well as
having fun can be found with sports. With hundreds of sports, typical to extraordinary types, there is always one to find to your liking. The benefits of playing sports is you get to interact with others, build friendships, and get good exercise all while you’re doing it. For the people that think that exercising isn’t fun, joining a club or sports team is a good start, showing up every day to participate with others while competing for the win.
The many benefits of exercise show in the research that makes it so crucial to everyone’s daily life. Being physically active can improve brain health, reduce risk of disease, and help manage weight. As you continue your journey of being active, the benefits only get easier and better. As you exercise more, you crave the benefits of how you feel, making daily activities easier as your body adapts to the new lifestyle
An often overlooked topic that’s not associated with exercising is the mental aspect that’s correlated to exercise. According to cdc.gov, benefits of brain activity happen right after an exercise session of moderate to vigorous activity. Benefits include improved thinking and cognition for children and reduced short term anxiety for adults. By staying physically active throughout your life you are doing yourself a favor of keeping your thinking, learning, and judgment skills sharp.
