Alternative Exercise

Normal exercise and I do not necessarily get along well. I have always been active, but not in a traditional way. I have played sports my entire life from soccer to volleyball to softball to track. I am a very competitive person, and I do not like to lose. Although my track record does not necessarily reflect that, as the Rolling Stones love to say, “you can't always get what you want”. Anyways, I have found two simple ways this year to stay active despite my schedule and lack of enthusiasm to run on a treadmill.

The first is walking. An article from Harvard Health says, “In a report that included findings from multiple well-done studies, researchers found that walking reduced the risk of cardiovascular events by 31% cut the risk of dying by 32%”. I live off campus, and my house is exactly a mile and a 20-minute walk to the Cathedral of Learning. So automatically I am always walking to class based solely off of necessity. How I add a little extra walking to my day is by walking home around 4 times a week. I live on upper campus right near Trees Hall, so it is a pretty heavy walk directly up from lower campus, where my classes are. This article also writes, “And if cardiac protection and a lower death rate are not enough to get you moving, consider that walking and other moderate exercise programs also help protect against dementia, peripheral artery disease, obesity, diabetes, depression, colon cancer, and even erectile dysfunction”. I personally am not affected by erectile dysfunction, but I know, just like any other person, I am at risk of all of the other diseases. Walking has also given me a way to unwind after a long day of classes, or to set up the day for success just by listening to a good song or an inspiring podcast.

The other way I have stayed active this semester is by playing racquetball with my best friend here. What is racquetball you say? Not exactly sure. My father has played this sport for decades, and he loves it. I have learned the general gist of the game through YouTube videos and practice. Both my friend and I have some experience with tennis, so we caught on to the fast-paced game pretty quickly. I stole some of his old racquets, and we go to the Pete’s gym where they have racquetballs and 3 courts to play on. If you do not have racquets to use, do not fear. The Pete rents them out for one panther fund. We play best of 3 games, and I usually lose, unfortunately, but it is such a fun way to get some exercise.

There are always ways to add exercise into your life to live happy and healthy, but it does not always have to be traditional. So go for a walk or pick up a new sport and have fun with it because you cannot be physically healthy if you are not mentally happy.