With the new year upon us, many people like to make unrealistic goals pertaining to fitness. This could be losing 30 pounds in a month or working out every single day.
I have somewhat held myself up to these harsh and far-fetched goals. Having done this before, I can tell you that it’s not healthy to work out every single day or to beat yourself up over not being able to achieve these types of goals. However, it is beneficial to exercise regularly, about 4-5 days a week, to stay healthy and live a long and fulfilled life.
According to the Center for Disease Control, regular exercise can prevent conditions like obesity, high blood pressure, and poor cholesterol levels, which can all lead to heart attack and stroke. Exercising regularly can also provide plenty of benefits, ranging from weight loss to improved mental health and increased energy levels. Examples of exercise include yoga, weightlifting, running, dancing, and pilates.
Many students at Loy Norrix like to exercise regularly for a variety of reasons including preparing for sports, stress relief and alter their physique.
“I exercise because one, it will probably make me a better athlete, and two, I think that it’s healthy for people to work out because it’s healthy for your body, and you will probably have less risk of body problems as you get older,” said senior Haile Andrews.
Andrews works out four times a week and his training consists of strength training, dividing his workouts into upper and lower body, as well as core work. Running is also a crucial part of Andrew’s routine. Doing sprints is his favorite in order to maintain his stamina and keep him in shape for future soccer seasons.
According to Ace Fitness, it is important to vary your workouts to help get through a weight loss plateau, continue exercising regularly, and most importantly have fun and maintain motivation.
Some ways that people can try to switch up their normal routines are to accelerate the intensity of their workout, consider cross training which is utilizing two forms of exercise at the same time, and incorporating new exercises.
“Exercising keeps me healthy and I love exercising,” said junior Zeke Link.
Link likes to incorporate different types of exercises to have fun and build muscle in creative ways. Link likes to rock climb three times a week at Climb Kalamazoo with his brother. He enjoys rock climbing because it’s fun and strengthens his forearms. Link also runs two miles a day to stay in shape and healthy year-round.
Powerlifting is another very popular form of exercise that consists of progressively lifting heavier weight through squats, bench press, and deadlift. Powerlifters reap many benefits such as increased strength, mental clarity, and boosted confidence levels.
According to Psychology Today, powerlifting can even help to suppress symptoms of depression and is an outlet to relieve pent-up stress and anxiety.
“Powerlifting is my favorite because it challenges me, makes my day better, and makes me confident in myself,” said freshman Neida James.
James exercises five times a week by practicing volleyball, running, and powerlifting. James’s favorite form of exercising is powerlifting and believes that exercise is beneficial for people because it is good for one’s physical and mental health, and it pays off in the long run to live a long and healthy life.
In addition to the physical and overall health benefits of exercise, there are a multitude of mental health benefits that can come from exercising. According to the Better Health Channel, these benefits include regulated moods, increased self-esteem, stress relief, and an overall improved outlook on life due to the release of endorphins, which makes a person happier overall.
“I started exercising because I was overweight, and wasn’t happy with myself and how I looked. It’s turned out to be a good outlet to get rid of daily stress and anger,” said senior Chase Wagner.
Wagner likes to exercise by lifting weights and doing cardio six days a week. Wagner would recommend exercising to everyone because it’s good not just to stay healthy because everyone should want to look and feel their best at all times.
“Exercising and lifting have bettered my life in a lot of ways. It’s helped me lose weight, gain muscle, and also build bonds with people I probably would’ve never met before,” said Wagner.
In my experience, exercising has become an outlet for me to clear my mind from daily stressors and exert my energy into something that I’m very passionate about. Switching up my routine, trying new things, and taking proper rest when needed helps me to stay motivated and enjoy my workouts, which in turn keeps my moods elevated and I always find myself in a good mood. I would recommend exercise to anyone who wants to better themselves in various ways and try something new.
