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Run for your life (literally)
You gave us 7 ways fitness fixes (almost) everything
- Creativity: Artistic expression and creativity
- Emotional fix: I wouldn’t be exaggerating to say it has saved my life
- Survival: Rule #1 of the zombie apocalypse: cardio
- Opportunities: Increased confidence to try new things
- Physical upgrade: Maybe reduce your future use of canes and scooters
- Self-belief: Your body is a miracle
- Mindfulness: Be present, in the moment, feel alive
Students’ stories:
How exercise is saving my life
“As someone who has struggled with disordered eating and body image, I understand the temptation to punish my body, to push my limits in a negative sense. Physical exercise forces you to come to terms with the fact that your body is a miracle.”
— Name and college withheld
“The more active you are, the better you are at being active.”
— Kyle W., first-year undergraduate, University of New Brunswick
“You are in a situation where you must lift a heavy block of concrete off of a youth. Luckily you have been hitting those dead lifts and squat-cleans. Your ability to save the youth earns you the title of hero in the newspaper. Had you not been able to do this, you would have been a bystander who was moderately responsible for the child’s death. The stress from this guilt will translate to disease, and you will die young because you were not physically prepared.”
— Eric V., first-year undergraduate, University of Massachusetts Lowell
“It gives me new physical capabilities, which in turn, open many doors. Activities that I couldn’t participate in before are now an option. I feel more confident in my ability to step out of my comfort zone.”
— Emily D., first-year graduate student, Mohawk College
“You can use your time exercising to think and be alone in your mind. You can shut off your brain and just ‘be.’”
Sarah K., fourth-year student, University of Waterloo
“Being fit is putting me through school on a track scholarship. Without that, I wouldn’t be able to afford the education I’m getting, and the alternative would look like the future that many of my high school friends are facing: unemployment, welfare, and never leaving our small town.”
— Regan Y., second-year undergraduate, Trinity Western University
“Exercise allows you to be free.”
— Aubrey V., first-year undergraduate, Pittsburg State University
“I was diagnosed with chronic depression as an adolescent, and looking back at the most severe bouts I have had, they all coincided with lack of exercise. Since realizing this, exercise has been an incredible deterrent for depression. I wouldn’t be exaggerating to say it has saved my life.”
— Name and college withheld
“I am diabetic, so it can actually save my life. I try new workouts often and hope to use the university facilities more in this coming semester.”
— Isabelle G., third-year student, University of Regina
“If there is a fire in the building, your ability to run may save you.”
— Monica C., first-year student, University of Guelph-Humber
“Working out gives you the strength to run away from zombies in the case of a zombie apocalypse. Or just increases your life span.”
— Anushka A., fourth-year graduate student, University of Alberta
“I have struggled with several mental health problems over the past 10 years, and physical exercise is one of the most effective ways that I have available to me of managing it.”
— Name withheld, Memorial University of Newfoundland
How important is exercise to well-being, health, and lifespan?
91 percent of students who responded to our survey rated the importance of exercise at 7 out of 10 or higher.
Source: Student Health 101 survey, December 2014. 2,033 students answered this question.
