BECOMING PHYSICALLY FIT

When your day begins early in the morning, then you go to class or work or immerse yourself in recreational activities, and your day does not end until after midnight, you must be physically fit to keep up the pace.  Even a highly motivated college student must have a conditioned, rested body to maintain such as schedule.

OOK, let’s simplify things a bit.  The paragraph above reflects how college health professors might view the value of fitness – it helps people function well enough to cope with their hectic lifestyles.  But what motivates students to value physical fitness? 

Quite simply, students say that overall body fitness helps them look and feel better.

Many college students want to look in the mirror and see the kind of body they see in the media: one with well-toned muscles, a trim waistline, and no flabby tissue, especially on the arms and legs.  Students become motivated to start fitness programs because they hope that they can build a better body for themselves.  Through their efforts to do so, students usually start to feel better, both physically and mentally.  They realize that change is possible, since they see it happening to their bodies with each passing week.  “Go for it” and “just do it” then become more than just sports marketing phrases; they become reminders that the activities that lead to fitness are a meaningful part of their lives.  Fitness actually becomes fun.

Fortunately, you don’t have to be a top-notch athlete to enjoy the health benefits of physical activity.  In fact, even a modest increase in your daily physical activity level can be rewarding.  The health benefits of fitness can come from regular participation in moderate exercise, such as brisk walking or dancing.