To the Gym, Batman! by Britany

To the Gym, Batman! by Britany - January 2016 Scholarship Essay

My only resolution this year is to get to the gym for cardio and weight exercises at least twice a week. I know what you're thinking: “That's got nothing to do with my education unless I'm going to be a physical trainer!” But there are several advantages to getting away from the books for some physical exertion.

Now, I loathe hitting the gym. Getting up early, dressing for a workout, feeling the burn and then showering (again!) before heading out to my job or a class. Especially in winter, snuggling up in my warm blankets and hitting the snooze button sounds better and better every day!

But working out regularly will help me form another healthy habit and stay disciplined. Maybe most importantly, it will continually reinforce what I already know but am sometimes tempted to ignore: hard work pays off. When I look in the mirror, I'll remember how hard I worked to gain muscle and tone my limbs; and I can extrapolate that knowledge in the certainty that studying hard is not my idea of fun, but it too yields visible results that I can be proud of. When I earned my A.S. degree, I realized that nothing feels as good as striving toward—and ultimately reaching—a solid goal. Now that I'm working toward my B.A., I find that same thrill of meeting challenges and seeing what I can achieve when I choose not to stagnate.

As if cardiovascular health and muscle maintenance wasn't enough, other proven benefits of working out are more energy and a higher ability to focus. Undoubtedly, these two things will make class easier—especially while studying or tackling the most boring of assignments. Everybody could use a boost in energy to get through their coursework, but instead of energy drinks and caffeine gum, I would rather get active and maximize my potential naturally.

So while it's easy to assume that a physical goal doesn't impact a mental one, I am sure that a sound body helps cultivate a sound (and studious!) mind. With high expectations of myself for the upcoming semesters, I believe exercising at least twice a week will improve not only my physical fitness, but my mental fitness as well.