Better, Faster, Stronger

            When we were first asked to think of something that would make the world a better place I automatically thought of the cheesy quote from Miss Congeniality, “world peace.” Though I do think this is extremely important I thought it would be more valuable and interesting to talk about something different: sports. Watching sports games is one of America’s greatest pass times, but what about playing sports? As a kid, I tried almost any sport I possibly could (within the range of my mother’s budget of course). After years of being involved in multiple sports teams, I decided to play both lacrosse and swimming at the collegiate level. Both sports are very different but have taught me valuable lessons that I think would benefit a lot of people.

            So, my proposal is that everyone should be involved in some sort of physical fitness activity. This is asking quite a lot, and will not be easy, but is possible and could better many lives. Like I said earlier, I personally participate in two completely different sports, but enjoy them both very much and have learned beneficiary things from both. Lacrosse is a new and coming team sport (for those of you who don’t know, it’s the one where people run around with sticks and throw the ball into the net). Team sports such as lacrosse teach people many valuable lessons such as how to work with others to reach a common goal, how to motivate others and yourself and push each other past your limits and it gives people the opportunity to feel what it’s like to be a part of something bigger. Swimming is more of an individual sport. Yes, there are relays when people take turns swimming their butts off, but swimming is very much an individual sport. Swimming teaches you lessons that you can’t necessarily learn in a classroom. Above all, swimming and individual sports encourage self-motivation and teach people how to push themselves, believe in themselves, and want to be their best. As my Coach says far too often, “You can lead a horse to water, but you can’t make it drink.” Swimming and other individual activities teach you how to motivate yourself.

            In addition to all of the previously mentioned benefits of physical fitness, there is a more obvious very important reason to exercise: to benefit your health. Physical fitness is beneficial to people of all ages. It is proven to make you feel better and makes your body healthier both internally and externally. Okay, I may be slightly addicted to exercise, but please keep in mind I’m not saying you have to do something extreme like run a marathon or an iron man or be a professional athlete. All I’m saying is some sort of physical fitness, whether it be taking a long walk by yourself or a Zumba class with all of your friends, will benefit your life.

            How can we do this? Perhaps the best way is to start with children and work our way to adults. PE is required at most schools now. In addition, kids should be required to join a sports team or fitness club at their school. Having fitness clubs can be a lot less intimidating for young kids and a lot more fun. We need to encourage children that exercise is something fun to do! As kids get older it becomes a bit more difficult because some people simply aren’t interested in playing a sport. Since this may be the case for many, we need to spread awareness of all sorts of activities rather than just the typical football or soccer to spark peoples’ interests. Once kids turn into teenagers and young adults, they start to be more aware of their physical health. We need to spread more awareness of all of the benefits of physical activities, not just with your physical health but socially, emotionally and cognitively too. I know this isn’t something that can change over night, but I truly think people would be happier if they had more physical activity in their daily routine.