Buy Walking VideosWhy Physical Fitness Is Just As Important As Intellectual Training
When I was in junior high and high school, I begrudged every hour spent in gym class. I did my best to avoid the “real” gym classes and took the specialty classes like Dance, Jogging, Weight Training, and Swimming. I would complain to any adult willing to listen about the injustice of having to take gym classes. I was a straight A student, shouldn’t I be exempt from gym classes?
The answer I got was: Shut up and quit sloughing gym!
This is the answer that I should have gotten:
There is a saying, “Sound body equals a sound mind.” Hey! Don’t roll your eyes at me, girl! You asked this question and now I’m going to tell you the answer. Listen up!
When you start to get older, your body starts to feel the effects of everything you’ve done to it over the years. You’re not into cigarettes, drugs or alcohol, so you think that you’re just going to be healthy your whole life, but I know you, Laura Lund. You can eat an entire box of Twinkies in under thirty minutes. You think that’s not going to hurt your body? Guess again!
At this point, I would have listened. I had no idea that there could be physical repercussions to my bingeing back then. All I had heard about was “Binge and Purge.” I didn’t do the purging part, so I thought I was alright.
To be healthy, you need to make yourself sweat every day. EVERY day, do you hear me? What are you going to do? You think you liked that Jogging class? What are you going to do when your knees start to hurt? Is there any other sport that you like that will give you a good workout?
Swimming? You like to swim? Are you still going to like to swim when you’re so blind that you can barely see your hand in front of your face? You can’t wear your contacts into the pool. What happens when you can’t run or swim? How are you going to keep yourself healthy?
What’s the point of your straight A’s if you’re dead from a heart attack at age 35? Will you have written all the books that you want to by then? Maybe you won’t be dead. Maybe you’ll be in so much pain that you can’t even think straight. What’s the benefit of all your intellect if you can’t spend 24 hours without some pain infiltrating your life?
Truth is, you’re going to need this body for the next sixty years or so. You have to take good care of it and there are lots of people out there willing to give you bad advice about how to take care of your body. Gym class is your chance to try out a bunch of different sports that you can enjoy for the rest of your life.
Now, shut up and quit sloughing gym!
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December 13th, 2005 at 9:26 am
In those days, I was slim and muscled and in excellent shape from constant activity in sports (organized and neighborhood). I couldn’t even imagine a time when I would not be that way. How different would my future have been had I learned that it was not a matter of following rules, but of respecting myself.
April 1st, 2006 at 5:13 am
If only we could combine ourselves!. I was a straight “c” student that spent more time and energy playing organized sports (soccer) most of my life. Istead of spending time with the books I spent time with the soccer ball. I thought my way to the top was not my brain but my brawn and my speed. But your right. I had my shot. I went to the Olympic tryouts and thats when it happened I blew my knew and after that Nobody wanted me. I was a washout. I joined the Marine Corp because I didn’t have the mind nor the money to get into college. I fought in The Gulf War and lost some good buddies as well as being wounded myself twice. After getting discharged I was lost for awhile so I turned to the thing I knew best. Working out and staying in shape. It just makes me feel better about the mistakes I have made in life.
April 13th, 2006 at 12:16 pm
As a “bookworm-since-birth” I identified with this post. I started working out almost a year ago and found I had to “get out of my head” so I could “get into my body.” Have found more overall life balance in the past few months than I have ever… working on my body in the gym and on my Ph.D. in the library… every day.