I’m convinced that the sight of me struggling underneath a metal bar that weighs half of what I do has been soliciting looks equivalent to “WHO is this dude and what the HECK is he doing here?”
But my current foray into the gyms around campus isn’t the first time that I’ve set out to try to get fit. In fact, I’ve tried quite a few different forms of exercise in my seemingly never-ending quest to feel my “best,” be it physically or mentally.
Throughout high school, one could often find me working out with the football team, despite the fact that I was forever barred from padding up by everyone that’d rather me NOT get killed in a football-related freak accident.
Back when I was attending community college, I was into various types of spiritual exercises like mediation and yoga. I feel that making these part of my daily routine helped make me “mentally buff,” if that’s even a thing, by improving my focus, mental clarity and inner-peace.
Having explored a wide range of exercises prior to starting this project, I’ve realized just how far the benefits of taking time to work out while in college can reach.
On one hand, taking about an hour every other day to pause the pressures of student life has brought me back to my spiritual roots. Getting into loose, comfy clothes in the weight room and letting the rhythmic pattern of counting reps focus my mind helps me slow down and clear my mind.
At the same time many of the exercises my trainer, Eli, has taught me are like the fast-paced lives that students live; they revolve around multi-tasking, working on a variety of muscles at once and saving the practitioner precious time.
Squats, which involve holding a heavy weight, squatting down (surprise!) and standing, are great for working multiple muscle groups, as they strengthen the quadriceps, hamstring and gluteal (or butt) muscles.
But even those strapped for cash have plenty of natural options when it comes to multi-tasking drills. Adding a slight twisting movement to the beginning of a crunch, which is like a mini sit-up, includes an oblique exercise to the standard core/abdominal workout, and push-ups are one of the best ways to work just about every muscle group in the upper body.
So turn off that taped episode of MTV’s Buckwild and get off your lazy glueteals for a bit, because I promise that your body and mind will thank you later… especially if you were actually watching Buckwild, in which case you can thank me.
jd202409@ohiou.edu
