I already yapped a lot about my mental health; let’s talk about physical health.
I hated being sick or injured, especially when my parents were not around. When I was sick by myself, with no help, things that used to take 1 minute now take 1000 years. From that one day in my freshman year, I realized that no matter what, I wanted to prioritize my health. If I am having 1000 problems on my plate, and one of them is my health, then the rest seem meaningless. This is only the sequential thought after a 20-year habit built in my family.
Growing up in a family that cares about physical health, if not to say, physical appearance, trains that inner spirit in me to be active. So I decided to continue that habit when going to college.
I was badly nervous in my freshman year that I just worked out in my bedroom, and quickly pretended I was not doing anything when my roommate stepped in. I started going to the gym for the first time in my sophomore year. That first time was so scary, it felt like everyone else was looking at you. But if you asked whether I tried this new experience rather than awkwardly being interrupted by my roommates, I would choose the former. I luckily had a little physical foundation from my years in cheerleading, and doing badminton when I was in Vietnam, that created me the advantage to pick up new exercises more easily.
I seriously consider going to the gym every day as my mandatory activity, not just a leisure hobby. I will mention how I achieve this “everyday mode” in the acceptance part below. But once you get the feeling of it, it is even harder to quit.
I have to admit that physical appearance used to be my sole reason to go out and exercise. The more I train, the more I realize appearance is just a bonus gift for that hard work. Indeed, the most important value is the discipline I earned that can be applied to other aspects of my life, the nutrition knowledge I gained during the research that I can use to educate my family, the stamina and endurance increase that boosted my confidence to join the taekwondo club at USC, and so much more.
I fully respect and always want to help the newbie who goes to the gym for the first few times and still chooses to push through it, joins their first trial day at USC Taekwondo, or basically goes out of their way to try new things. I am not bragging that I am at a level above anyone. I’m saying that looking at those people really reminds me of my first days doing sports, and there were experienced people out there who helped me, too. Interacting with them also reminds me why I started in the first place, and those reminders persistently and magically appear on my way whenever I lose motivation.
Some people might question the obsessive correlation between health and going to the gym. Yes, the gym is popular, and that’s my experience too. But there are tons of ways out there to sustain better health. And when you know what fits you, make sure to do it forever.