How the UNC Rec Center Transformed My College Experience

I was a bit lonely in my first year as a college student. I didn’t put any effort into making friends, and honestly, I just wanted to be focused. One day, I opened the big blue doors that led into the University of Northern Colorado’s recreational center. My eyes shined as I walked into the building. Seeing the variety of machines, the four shiny squat racks, a line of cardio machines, and an indoor track made me realize how lucky I was to have complete access to a complete gym. This made me believe I could implement new habits into my new life as a college student, which I have done ever since, every single day.

Suddenly, I became dedicated and consistently went to the gym. At the same time, I was on top of all my assignments. I established a daily routine that I set myself to accomplish daily. This benefited my success in school and at the gym. Fitness gave me the “succeeding feeling.” No matter what I had experienced throughout my day, staying active motivated me to do better in life and college. There were times when assignments or studying stressed me out. Whenever I felt this way, I knew that working out would reduce that feeling of stress.

This worked out perfectly and motivated me to complete all my homework after accomplishing a good workout session. I got a 4.0 GPA that first semester of college and felt great about myself. This was the moment I realized I had become a healthy human being, physically and mentally.

Fitness is often advertised as a difficult challenge that not everyone can achieve. When most people hear the word “fitness,” they can only think about heavy metal music, dark gray weights, dark rooms with great lighting, and thin bodies. Yes, the listed things are part of the fitness industry but are not the official definition of fitness. According to the dictionary, fitness is the condition of being physically fit and healthy. This doesn’t mean you have to look a certain way.

No definition that describes a specific type of body measurement a person is supposed to have to be considered fit. According to the Mayo Clinic, the measures of fitness involve aerobic fitness, which involves how the heart uses oxygen. It is also determined by muscle strength, endurance, and flexibility. In an article published by The New York Times, an exercise test indicated that heart rate and physical ability can talk more about a person’s health and overall fitness than the scale. Body weight is never mentioned in the information above simply because weight does not determine your level of fitness.

Whenever the word fitness comes to your head, think of all the physical activities you like to do. This could be running, walking, yoga, pilates, Zumba, weight training, high-interval training, or any other type of exercise. When it comes to staying active and fit, don’t do what everyone else is doing; do what makes you happy because fitness is not all about physicality but also about mentality.

Fitness will not only improve a person’s physical health but also mental health. They will find motivation to do well in their everyday lives. When college students implement fitness in their lives, they establish a routine to better themselves. They have something to look forward to after a long day of classes. Not only that, but the instinct of constantly wanting to be better attracts them to do well in school. In general, fitness can improve an individual’s life by making them feel better about themselves and giving them a sense of success.

Haire Mercado, a junior majoring in finance and accounting at UNC, often finds herself stressed with homework and weekly quizzes. She said fitness is a good way to get stressed out of her body especially when she’s academically stressed.

“Fitness has inspired me to do something every day even if I don’t want to,” Mercado said.

Fitness goes beyond a person’s appearance. It affects our thinking process and mental health in a good way. I see fitness as a superhero. When I was feeling at my lowest point, it came to rescue me and motivated me to keep going no matter the circumstances.

Gabriela Lopez is a recent graduate with a Bachelor's Degree in Journalism from the University of Northern Colorado.