Have you ever wanted to go on a hike or do some sort of physical activity, but felt discouraged by your physical fitness level? We all know the feeling: The group is going for a hike, run, or a pick-up game of hoops, and we opt out knowing we will be too out of breath or just not be able to keep up. Physical activity and working out are designed to alleviate this and bring joy to daily lives by making us feel better about ourselves physically, mentally, and spiritually.
This summer, New Hope Christian College is introducing a new workout program that takes place on Tuesday and Thursday mornings, which gives our SCP students and summer interns the opportunity to get active. The heart behind this program is to teach our students how to care for their bodies in a way that reflects 1 Corinthians 6:19: “Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own.” This program is designed to teach the fundamentals of weight training and exercise through guided workouts. Furthermore, trainers will give brief descriptions of which muscles are being targeted with each lift. These workouts will be an hour-long, with 30 minutes dedicated to weight training and strength and 30 minutes of high-intensity interval training (HIIT) to work on cardiovascular.
A lot of people have the misconception that working out or exercising is based solely on making oneself “look good,”, but in reality, it has been proven through multiple studies that exercise, specifically weight training, has many health benefits.
“I’ve found that exercising is one of the most transformative things you can do to improve cognitive abilities, such as learning, thinking, memory, focus, and reasoning — all of which can help you become smarter and live longer” (Armstrong).
Physical fitness not only inspires us to push past boundaries, but it also inspires others around us to do the same. As we grow in our fitness levels, we become inspirations and teachers to others who were once in our position. No matter your fitness level, there is always room for improvement, and there is no better time than now to get started!
Citation:
Armstrong, Brock. “How Exercise Affects Your Brain.” Scientific American, Scientific
American, 26 Dec. 2018, https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/how-exercise-affects-your-brain/#:~:text=It%20increases%20heart%20rate%2C%20which,cortical%20areas%20of%20te%20brain.
