Paul Benson
Reporter
According to TheStateofObesity.org, 80% of American adults over the age of 18 do not meet the government’s national physical activity recommendations for aerobic activity and muscle strengthening. This statistic is quite frightening, as it shows that the majority of Americans are physically and mentally unhealthy. It might be surprising to know that the amount of people who die from physical inactivity per year is similar to the amount of people who die from smoking tobacco every year. This not to say one is more risky than the other, but rather that they are both very unhealthy habits. In this new age of inactivity, it’s important for everyone to know that even the smallest bit of exercise per week can go a long way towards improving your overall health.
While exercise is recommended for almost everyone, it is especially useful and important for college students. Parkland’s Wellness Coordinator, Sara Maxwell, had this to say about the benefits of exercise for college students, “a lot of people don’t connect exercise with cognitive abilities, but exercise has been proven to increase cognition and it does it directly and indirectly. So, directly it increases vascularity of the brain, it decreases inflammation, and it actually encourages neurogenesis or like the creation of your brain cells…. Indirectly it helps with mood regulation, it can help with sleep regulation, and just overall body functions.” In short, exercise helps students cognitively as well as physically. Some of the best ways to prepare for a test involves getting enough sleep, eating a nutritious meal, and exercising weekly. Exercise helps prevent a majority of diseases and early death. The leading causes of death globally, (such as the top killer: heart disease), are mostly preventable through exercise.
There’s no denying the clear evidence that exercise can help anyone’s overall well being. Most people are aware of the benefits of exercise, but don’t workout because of time constraints or they find excuses not to. When asked about staying motivated, Sara Maxwell said, “motivation is finding an activity that is something that you’re going to enjoy, that you don’t feel is a chore.” Exercise can be very rewarding. The most encouraging piece of advice from Sara is that “people will think ‘well, I haven’t reached my goal, because I didn’t lose that 20 pounds,’ or ‘I’m not able to run that marathon yet, or lift that weight yet.’ What they don’t realize is that they really are reaching goals all along the way as they are completing each exercise session. So instead of feeling down on yourself, because you’re not yet where you wanna be, people should really start taking stock of the fact that every time they complete an exercise session that’s a huge accomplishment and that’s getting them to where they want to be. They should celebrate those small achievements along the way.” Exercise takes time, but it can be rewarding every step of the way. If you put in the time to reach those big goals you will find that it is only a matter of time until you can get to where you want to be. It’s important to be dedicated to staying healthy.
Exercise can help most anyone at any stage of their life. The benefits will help keep you alive and significantly more productive. Exercising at least two hours a week is a healthy amount, especially when split up by a couple rest days. Every bit counts. Being more active is as simple as parking farther away, or walking to a farther bathroom, or taking the stairs. As Sara makes clear, “the small things add up.” There are great resources at Parkland available to students who want to improve their physical and cognitive health. A course in kinesiology or community education will give students access to Parkland’s wonderful fitness center. These courses only require that you work out a few times a week and they’re also an easy way to slightly boost your GPA. For more information on wellness here at Parkland, contact Wellness Coordinator, Sara Maxwell at: SMaxwell@parkland.edu or visit her office in the student life center.
