Exercise for a Purpose

     General fitness exercising is great and important for your body, but there are plenty of different exercises that can help fix fitness problems for the individual.  

      Yoga is a perfect form of exercise that will increase flexibility.  Not only will your flexibility benefit, but it also helps prevent soreness.  The stretching of the muscles is also very relaxing.  Most people find mental relaxation during and after a yoga session.  For college students, it makes walking to class easier, and for adults, it makes walking to or at work easier on your body.  After doing a yoga session you also feel more mobile, athletic, and confident in your body.

     Running is generally the first thing you think of when you hear the word exercise.  Running is a nice way to get your mind off of something stressful, which will relax you to some extent.  You burn a lot of calories when you participate in a running exercise, therefore it helps increase your heart rate and metabolism.  Also, running increases your senses.  After a nice jog or running session you are more awake and alert.

      The best example of exercising for a purpose is weight lifting.  With weight training, you can focus on the parts of the body that you need strengthened for other physical activities.  Others just find pleasure in the tightness or soreness of the post-workout.  But the most common reason for lifting weights is the boost of confidence in one's body. 

     All exercises make you feel better about you appearance and increases the confidence in your body.  Confidence in your body leads to more energy.  When you start stressing about the appearance of your body, you start dragging and feeling badly for yourself.  Therefore, exercising can help make each day on this earth a little better for you.

     

     

Early Start

     It is recommended that a child participates in at least sixty minutes a day of exercise or outdoor activities.  If only one hour of activities can keep a child relatively healthy, then how come twenty-five percent of American child are obese?  Does it have deal with the state in which the child lives?  Is it the parents or guardians fault?  What can be done to stop or slow down this problem?

     I think that the location of the child does play some role in this nationwide problem.  Texas has a child overweight percentage of forty; while New York sits at a slightly better thirty-three percent.  These two states aren't separated that far from one another, but I believe it's because of different reasons.  Texas might possible  be higher because of the foods eaten here.  All the fried, greasy foods that are consumed without second thoughts.  New York's might be high because the majority of that state is concrete.  The children that live in the city there may not have the best places to run around and burn energy.

      As for the parents, I would place a lot of the blame on them.  It's up to the parents to provide some healthy living habits for the child to follow.  The parents also need to set a healthy example for their kids to follow.  If the youth only sees their guardians eating or living unhealthy, how do you expect the child to form healthy habits.  The adults not only need to lead by example but also by supplying healthy foods for the children.  If American parents can step-up I believe America can become a healthier place for all generations.

Problems With Obesity

     As of 2005, sixteen percent of America’s children (school age children) are obese. Sixty-five percent of Americans ages twenty and older are obese. Compared to America’s, Texas’s numbers are just as bad or even worse. Texas children’s obesity percentage is at a whopping thirty-five, and the adults are at sixty-four percent. These facts mean that Americans, including Texans, need to start considering a healthier lifestyle. Many people may think that obesity really isn’t that big of a deal, but contrary to those beliefs, obesity is the cause of several important issues.

     The obvious of these issues is being physically unhealthy. Obesity can lead to type 2 diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and some different kinds of cancer. These health issues also put a burden on the healthcare system and therefore the economy. It’s hard for me to comprehend that people don’t participate in general health activities even though they know the activities will add years to their lives. People need to sit down and rearrange their priorities. Maybe they honestly don’t care to be fit, but if something were to happen to them physically, it would put a hurt not only on them but also the people’s families and the ones that love them.

General Health and Fitness

     As a college student, it can be difficult to find time to get the right amount of exercise in on a daily routine.  But the fact is, you have to work that time into your schedule if you want to be a healthy person.  College students, along with the majority of Americans, tend to put exercise aside.  Here at Texas A&M, we are lucky to have access to the Student Rec Center and also, having parks and fields located all throughout College Station.  All of these places give our community the opportunity to stay healthy.
     Not only do I believe in scheduling time for exercise, but I also feel that more organizations or groups should have more charity runs/walks.  Texas A&M University has many student organizations that need to raise money that could host an event such as a mini-marathon.  Money would be raised and health would be supported.  Runs or walks are also great ways to collect money for fundraisers.  All throughout America, more fundraisers can incorporate exercise to promote general health. 
     On the national level, Americans need to become more active.  Participating in the right amount of activities can increase your health along with how you feel.  Small changes in your everyday life can make a difference in your general health.  For instance, if a busy business worker chooses to take the stairs instead of riding the elevator, they would be choosing the healthier way of getting to where they need to be.  There are all kinds of little decisions a person can make everyday that would be healthier, it's just up to the individual to make that decision.