Once senior Royce Yang stepped into the clamorous weight room, a wave of insecurity washed over him. Looking around, the exercises done by the primarily male students seemed routine and almost effortless. But he had a promise that couldn’t be fulfilled by itself, and so, he got to work.
2015 has come to an end and students, teachers and family members are taking the opportunity to not only have a break from strenuous studying and demanding deadlines, but also to improve their lifestyles for the new year. These improvements include setting the ever so familiar goal of getting fit or simply exercising more. As usual, many MVHS students are not ones to slack off, especially on setting targets for 2016 that are ambitious and that require commitment. And, in the end, a resolution is a resolution — a decision to do or not to do something. Whether that fitness decision lasts a week or a lifetime, it’s a means of motivation and a step towards improving someone’s well-being.
MAKING TIME
It had never crossed freshman Rana Aghababazadeh’s mind that her workload would affect her ability to make time for exercise until high school. For her, the beginning of 2016 signaled a change in her eating and exercising customs. She realized at the end of middle school that she needed a method of maintaining her fitness outside of school PE.
“Just having a healthier lifestyle,” Aghababazadeh said. “Not necessarily losing weight, but becoming more fit, changing my eating habits.”
The transition from middle school to high school brought about an increase in her workload and a resulting inconvenience for things like working out or getting fit. She does, however, believe that tasks such as making healthier food choices can be done without altering one’s schedule.
“It might be harder to make time to work out,” she said. “But every day, in the lunch line, making healthier food choices, you don’t have to have time to do that.”
In spite of the seemingly excessive time required for exercise, Aghababazadeh believes that fitness not only improves physical strength, but also mental strength by overcoming problems of laziness and a poor mindset. Though it may be more of a challenge now, she is determined to make time to exercise in addition to eating healthier.
“No matter how fit or unfit you are, you’re the only one who can push yourself to do that last rep, to do that extra crunch, to sprint the final lap,” Aghababazadeh said. “Sure, you might see some inches off your waist, but you’ve also gained the mindset to work hard and do what you couldn’t do before.”
THE MILESTONE
Sophomore Albert Yang, who is currently in PE Weight Training, strives to accomplish a more specific, challenging resolution. He feels that, though weight training has enabled him to push himself outside his comfort zone and work hard, running would help improve other aspects of his cardio.
“I think it’s really important because fitness stays with you your entire life,” Albert said, “so there’s no reason to not get fit, and it helps you feel better about yourself.”
His goal is to run two miles every Wednesday and Saturday morning. However, even he himself can detect self-doubt through his surface determination. He acknowledges the dedication and self-control required for getting up twice a week to run on mornings when he could be sleeping.
“I think the main obstacle will be my own attitude and motivation for achieving this New Year’s resolution,” he said.
And, despite his conviction, he believes his chances of not going through entirely with the resolution are “80 to 20”. Factors like running exactly two miles, making enough time to run and even being able to get up are almost solely reliant on his mindset and condition that morning.
“But, I will do my best, and in the end it’s my best the counts,” Albert said. “So no matter what the end results are, I will have tried my best and that’s what matters.”
Photos by Justin Kim.
RECURRING RESOLUTIONS
While many are generating new objectives for the new year, Royce takes the opportunity of now being a second semester senior to work towards a recurring resolution of getting fit. In his prior years in high school, his focus was almost entirely centered around academics and coping with the stress and competitive nature of MVHS.
“All the past years, the ‘I’ll go out to exercise every day’ never happened because ‘there’s too much homework’,” Royce said.
This new year, after reflecting on his previous years of high school, he hopes for a change. His goal is to lose 20 pounds before college starts by taking the time to engage in more physical activities, such as going to the gym, running on the treadmill and playing badminton, one of his favorite sports. Just like the year of 2015, Royce’s former attitude is now behind him.
