How Working Out Can Benefit Your Health - Jason Baldanza

         Physical exercise is a coping mechanism, use of multiple muscles, and an extremely healthy activity anyone can perform on a daily basis with extra time. Although physical exercise targets the physical health of someone, it can also benefit the mental health of someone. Working out is a temporary escape from overthinking and stressing out to certain people. After a day of hard work, it may feel refreshing to receive some adrenaline and self satisfaction in the gym. Listening to music while working out by performing various physical exercises also contributes to freeing the mind of any stress it had prior to entering the gym. Working out has personally affected my happiness levels and it also lead to an increase in self appreciation

        Many teens are unhappy in today's world and it is hard to watch close friends and loved ones struggle in finding happiness. It truly isn't an easy or fast process to find something that redeems happiness but once it is found, it can be revolutionary. Throughout the start of COVID-19 and the summer of 2020, I had little motivation and I couldn't see what made me happy a lot; my friends. Many teens fell into a deep cycle of sadness and repetition in a changed world. It is a serious problem and depending on the person, these cycles could be avoided through working out. After I had gained motivation, I began to workout daily in order to change myself for the better and have a time of the day in which I could fulfill my potential. Working out is so important to me because there are minimal downsides and I feel proud of myself for being committed to something beneficial.

        I have been working out on and off since September and since then, I have learned to respect myself and my body more and I have also gained strength in various regions of the body. I lost 20 pounds since September and I feel very accomplished in my ability to be committed to something for a long period of time. The feeling of accomplishment truly allows someone to escape that cycle or repetition and sadness I previously mentioned. If other teens really worked hard in the gym, they would realize how beneficial it is for your physical health, mental health, self value, and impression to others in a good way. Many teens are still trapped in the cycles and I am lucky to not be trapped in them because of my sources of happiness that are healthy. I am very grateful for my sources of happiness including working out because they harness the best sides of me. 

        I plan to continue to work out into the summer to have a great appearance in the summer and to remain healthy instead of sitting around all day. I used to sit around all day in a never ending spirit of boredom and because of working out, it gives me something to look forward to and enjoy in the moment of the day. I believe other teens should work out more often or find another healthy way to benefit their physical and mental health. If many teens worked on this instead of getting into trouble and making decisions they will regret later, there would be significantly less teen suicides and significantly more mentally stable and happy teenagers. It is a huge commitment in order to stay active and motivated to perform physical exercise routinely. In the end though, it is incredibly worth it and important to me as well as my journey to create a better version of myself.