Many Camas High School (CHS) students have been incorporating consistent exercise routines into their daily schedules. This consistent exercise schedule can improve students’ mental health and performance in academics.
“[Exercise] can release feel-good endorphins—natural brain chemicals that can improve your sense of well-being,” CHS fitness teacher Leslie Albert said. “It can increase your self confidence as well as take your mind off worries and allow you to cope in a healthy way.”
Exercise can also help students by giving them a consistent schedule and something to do.
“When I started going to the gym, I was able to create goals that turned into habits and eventually cascaded into a well-organized day that greatly benefited every other aspect [of my life],” Jesse Summers, a CHS junior, said.
It can also give students a sense of accomplishment each day they workout. Whether it is a quick walk outside or an intense workout, people can feel as though they did something productive with their day.
“It’s a great feeling to end a run or a game being proud of how hard I pushed [myself] and being able to feel my progress,” Suvi Laukkanen, a CHS junior, said.
These benefits are visibly seen in teenage students who are able to take these mental health improvements and incorporate it into their performance in school.
“When people exercise regularly, they tend to sleep better and have improved cardiovascular health, which benefits brain function,” Albert said. “Studies show students who exercise regularly tend to do better at school.”
Exercise can also improve a student’s dedication and work ethic, which can be seen in various aspects of their life.
“The discipline of pushing past the pain of growth carries on to every other front in my life, and my ability to push through difficult things has greatly expanded,” Summers said.
Despite all these mental health benefits, some students report experiencing mental struggles due to exercise.
“If I would miss a day, there would be guilt or feelings of failure that I wasn’t able to work out,” Laukkanen said.“Even if I did, I would sometimes feel like this if I performed badly.”
While exercise is very healthy, it is also necessary that people approach exercise with a healthy mindset in order to achieve the best possible mental benefits. People can use many strategies in order to start incorporating exercise into their life in a healthy way.
“Students should start by setting reasonable goals and making a schedule for exercising that works for them,” Albert said. “One day a week is better than none, but for optimal results, students should aim for at least three days a week. The most important piece of setting a schedule is to make it doable.”
Exercise has proven to be a great way to incorporate healthy habits into one’s daily routine that can consequently improve many other aspects of life.
