The Will to Move

The human body has a will to move. From crawling to walking to running, individuals learn how to control their body and use it to accomplish tasks and goals. Somewhere in adulthood, exercise becomes non-essential to regular life. Where did we go wrong?

Living without exercising emboldens a dangerous game: you get more time to focus on other aspects of life, though you may not have as much time in the long run to enjoy life, or to enjoy life as much along the way.

Exercise is not always fun, and it is not always easy to make the choice and effort to exercise. I always give greater weight to activities that I consider more useful, such as doing homework, because it helps my grades. This is logical. It is illogical, however, to ignore the benefits of exercising.

Exercising boosts your mood and metabolism temporarily, and has many long term health benefits. It helps to release stress and relaxes and clears your mind. It builds self-confidence and discipline. Sometimes, exercise is closely related to or is your passion.

The main idea behind exercise is pushing yourself to become a better version of yourself. To some extent, I believe people who don’t exercise are scared of this. It can be intimidating to be in a gym or any setting where everyone else seems to have a lot more experience or strength than you do. But if you let this turn you away, you are making the decision to remain a weaker person. I am not trying to condemn anyone, but that is the truth, and I will never think poorly of someone for choosing and trying to work out.

Fear might also come from the change of lifestyle that you will face if you begin exercising. You’ll start to be more conscious of the food you’re eating, and have greater respect for your body. For a task so essential to life, no one ever wants to feel guilty about eating. But you realize that eating bad foods and overeating too often is counterproductive to your new lifestyle. Once you break through the stagnation of who you once were, it is impossible to go back and feel satisfied, so accept the change wholeheartedly, and exercise your will to move.