Personal Narrative: My Life in Rollerblades
I have often felt that the people who asked me why I rollerblade were sorry they did. Perhaps they thought they were going to get a quick, canned reply like "I enjoy it" or "Its fun." Instead, they discover their question triggers a more complex response. There are various reasons why I strap my feet into a pair of boots on wheels each and every day. Rollerblading reduces body fat and strengthens the heart, improves physical health, raises self-esteem, and sets a good example. Each of these reasons is why I haven't put my blades down for more than a day in the past three years.
At the age of 16, I went to a health fair and learned that approximately 20 percent of my body's weight was fat! I was so disappointed, since that was about five percent above what was considered healthy for an average young man of my age. To add to the emotional injury, I also learned that my resting pulse rate was 80 beats per minute (bpm). A young man with strong heart muscles has a pulse rate of 70 bpm or less. I now had the evidence I needed to tell me that a change in lifestyle was required. I decided to start an exercise program using a pair of rollerblades I had received as a gift from a previous birthday. I started slow the first day, blading about a mile and almost not even making it back up the hill to my house. During the next couple of months, I gradually increased my distance to three miles, which I have maintained for about three years. As a result, I reduced my body fat to about 14 percent and my resting pulse to about 65 bpm. At last, success!
My parents frequently stressed good health as the most important thing in life. As I continued to rollerblade, I began reading articles about...
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...each year. When I think of the accomplishments of these people and the odds they have overcome, I have two thoughts. First, I laugh at the artificial barriers I had set up for myself. Second, I hope to encourage others to accomplish the things they think are beyond their capabilities. It's a tragedy that most of us don't even try the things we'd like to do because we fear failure.
If you're a rollerblader, I hope I have given you some answers in case you are ever asked, "Why do you rollerblade?" These reasons are enough to keep me going for the time being at least. Rollerblading reduces body fat and strengthens the heart, improves physical health, raises self-esteem, and sets a good example. It is the one workout for me that is fun and satisfying. Perhaps you will consider training for a marathon. If you haven't yet, search for the motivation to start now.
Dr. King and my father both faced certain adversaries in their lives, and yet they were successful in overcoming them. They used their respective abilities to overcome the obstacles, and I realized, recently that I have some of these same abilities. These two men were influences and inspirations to who I am and who I aspire to be, and I hope that one day I can become a similar inspiration to someone else.
Exercise is an easy and attainable way to lose weight. A study in Durham, North Carolina showed this. Overweight men and women aging from 40-65 were split into three groups. Group 1 had to do the equivalent of 20 miles of jogging per week at 65%-80% peak oxygen consumption. Group 2 had to do the equivalent of 12 miles of jogging per week at 65%-80% peak oxygen consumption. Group 3 had to do the equivalent of 12 miles of jogging per week at 40%-55% peak oxygen consumption. Of 302 subjects screened, 182 met criteria and were randomized and 120 completed the study. There was a significant (P<.05) dose-response relationship between amount of exercise and amount of weight loss and fat mass loss. The high-amount/vigorous-intensity group lost significantly more body mass (in mean [SD] kilograms) and fat mass (in mean [SD] kilograms) (-2.9 [2.8] and -4.8 [3.0], respectively) than the low-amount/moderate-intensity group (-0.9 [1.8] and -2.0 [2.6], respectively), the low-amount/vigorous-intensity group (-0.6 [2.0] and -2.5 [3.4], respectively), and the controls (+1.0 [2.1] and +0.4 [3.0], respectively). Both low-amount groups had significantly greater improvements than controls but were not different from each other. Compared with controls, all exercise groups significantly decreased abdominal, minimal waist, and hip circumference measurements (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/14718319).
Ringette... The sport that I live for, the sport I train so hard year after year to play, why? Because I love it, because the feeling when my skates hit the ice is like no other.
Bicycling was an exciting experience for two reasons. First, it has allowed me to travel around the city. Second, it gives me a chance to hang out with my friends. I love bicycling, I think it is fabulous! I can now observe my city, the people that lived there, the architecture, and the trees and animals, etc. Sometimes in our life, we just need to slow down our pace. We're so used to rushing through life that we don't even know what we have missed, but It's hard to blame ourselves because we're busy about our jobs especially when we were living in the city. I was once like that; I head right straight to school when it's time for school. As I walk I would only stare at my watch instead if looking to my left and/ or right.
Fear: an unpleasant emotion caused by the notion that someone or something is perilous, liable to cause pain, or a threat.
I have throughout my whole life been playing sports. I still play basketball competitively and now it’s at the university level. Basketball though was not my first love when it came to playing sports. It has though become my true focus since junior high school. Coming from Canada everybody plays hockey. Its almost as if as soon as you learn to walk you learn how to skate. Whether it is at the recreation centre or at the shinny rink around the corner everyone plays. Eventually I abandoned hockey to play basketball which I have done so for the last twelve years of my life and hopefully a few more years into the future.
Being born is Tecumseh, Ontario, ski racing didn’t seem like a natural fit. I had skis on my feet from the age of two and we took annual trips to Mt. Tremblant. In 2007, my family decided to make the move to Calgary, Alberta, from that time on, we have all had a passion for skiing. In 2008, I joined the Sunshine Alpine Race Team based out of Sunshine Village in Banff and that’s been my home team ever since.
Ever since I was young I have always loved to dance. Dance is a very social activity that also requires physical strength and endurance. I always feel happier when I dance because it’s a great way to boost endorphins and lower stress levels. Dance has also enabled me to grow as a person both physically and emotionally. I have been dancing competitively for six years now. Throughout those years I have had amazing opportunities to meet so many inspiring people and make lifelong friends. One of my favorite parts of dance is definitely being part of a team and going to competitions, it’s so much fun! At competitions, I always get the feeling that all of my hard work has paid off. Even though it is a competition the atmosphere is still outstanding as I am surrounded by enthusiastic people who all love the same things as me.
The one thing that an athlete doesn’t want to hear is that they cannot play their favorite sport because of an injury they recently got. This actually happened to me when I injured my knee while lifting high amount of weight. After my lifting class I was walking perfectly and prepared to get through the rest of the day. Only an hour later I couldn’t walk with my right leg and had to limp through the rest of the day. Two hours after I was limping and trying not to cry from the sharp, acute sting in my right knee.
... for the authors’ claim that people are more likely to stick to playing sports than to continue exercising in the long run. The approach in this study was to determine the kinds of motivation experienced by people when they engage in a particular kind of physical activity. I think an alternative approach could have been used to learn about the kinds of motivation that cause people to choose one kind of physical activity over another. In other words instead of using the types of physical activity as a starting point, the motivations themselves could be used as a starting point, to gain a different perspective. This method of conceptualizing the study is more appealing to me because it seems more direct to say that motivation leads to a particular type of physical activity than to say that this type of physical activity is associated with certain kinds of motivation.
Hockey. A sport I have always loved ever since I was a kid. It was when my dad had taken me to an open ice skate when my hockey life began. I had my first pair of skates as a present when I was four years old. I never really knew of the sport at the time, but now I was able to expirence it. No one was present on the ice as I entered the rink. The cold of the ice ran down my back as I took my first steps on. The cold didn’t stop me though. As I stepped upon the ice, I had a feeling of relief. Hockey is what let me go fast. Always have I been the fastest kid in my class and hockey let me expand on what I loved to do. One stride at a time I went, until I was able to glide upon the ice. My blades of my skates sunk into the ice like a lion tearing at its prey. As the frost beat against my face, I soon realized that I was able to skate. Even though it was all fuzzy in my memory, I remember feeling all types of joy rush all throughout my body. It was the first sign of potential in hockey. It was a first omen.
Since the dawn of humanity, exercise has been crucial for physical survival. In recent times, however, exercise is losing its significance to human survival. Some would argue that it already has lost its significance, and as exercise becomes less important, people exercise less. According to fitness.gov, only 33% of adults receive the recommended amount of physical activity each week (citation). Clearly there is a problem. However, there is still a fraction of the population that exercises diligently. Why do these people stick with it? Exercise has countless advantages that are still extremely important to our lives. So even though the need of exercise may appear to be diminishing, the practical effects should be enough to encourage people
Thin air encompasses me as I commence the final day of skiing at Vail, Colorado. Seven days of skiing elapse rather painlessly; I fall occasionally but an evening in the Jacuzzi soothes my minor aches. Closing time approaches on the final day of our trip as I prepare myself for the final run of the vacation. Fresh off the ski lift, I coast toward the junction of trails on the unoccupied expert face of the mountain. After a moment of thought, I confidently select a narrow trail so steep that only the entrance can be seen from my viewpoint.
We have all heard the lecture about how important exercise is, but do we ever really listen to why it is? I use to be like the countless other people who did not listen to why we should exercise. Exercise just seemed like such a hassle and it was never an enjoyable experience and I prefered the easier option of just sitting on the couch being unproductive with my life. I always thought this until I found an exercise I actually enjoy doing, running. I am not the fastest runner, nor do I have the best endurance, but with every run it makes me better than I was before. Everyone is different and not everyone will enjoy the same exercise as much as I do, but I do believe that there is a workout for everyone, like running is for me, that they truly will enjoy. Exercise is very important, and has countless beneficial effects on our lives that as many times as
This is an important area of health because regular physical activity keeps your body functioning properly. If you perform sufficient physical activity, you can manage your body weight better, reduce your risk of heart attacks, diabetes, some cancers, high blood pressure, have stronger bones, joint and muscles while feeling energetic, happy, relaxed and sleep better.