When discussing health, I think it is important to address both the physical and mental aspects. This is why I chose not to focus on one or the other when inquiring about student health on campus. First, I asked students if they regularly exercised. If they said “yes”, I asked them why they choose to. I was hoping I would get some responses that went beyond the physical health benefits and talked more about the mental side of exercising.

The first person I talked to was my roommate, Christian. He told me that he works out mostly to stay physically healthy and look good. He also acknowledged that it makes him feel more confident. I was quite intrigued at one particular part of our interview where he explained to me why he thinks working out is good for our minds. He stated, “Since our bodies are resisting the motion and our minds tell us to push through, the completion of an exercise allows us to recognize our willpower and feel in control.”

The next person I interviewed works out more than anyone I’ve ever met. My suite mate Ryan is a powerlifter, so I was very interested to hear about the mental benefits from what he does. Basically, lifting weights has become such a big part of his life now that he would feel lost without it. “Besides training to put up big numbers in my competitions, I powerlift because it gives me a huge sense of accomplishment and purpose.”

I wanted to make sure I was getting a sample size of both boys and girls, so after Ryan I interviewed my other suite mate’s girlfriend, Emma. “If I go too long without working out I just start to feel like a big blob,” she told me. From our conversation, I gathered that long periods of inactivity make Emma feel insecure and physically unhealthy. Whether her health is actually suffering or not, her mind is telling her she should go exercise.

My final two interviewees were my friends Luke and Hannah, who both ran club track in the fall. Luke said he just joined because he wanted to stay in shape and be a part of something on campus. Hannah, however, told me that she values running mostly because it helps her with stress by clearing her head.

Overall, I was very pleased with my findings. It seems that everyone I spoke with could recognize a mental benefit to their exercise. I found it fascinating how certain kids like Ryan genuinely enjoy exercising and pursue it as a passion, while others like Emma treat it more like a chore that they have to do in order to look good. Whichever type of person you are, I think that both your mind and body will benefit from exercise.