Students have started going to the gym more in the past years than many students used to. Back in 2017, only 26.1% of students have lifted, 2024 showed as many as 40% of students began weightlifting. This is possibly due to the increased number of students trying to improve themselves or to find peace. Beginning to lift is a very good thing for a ton of reasons.
One reason that students should start lifting is because it is good for not only the body, but the mind as well. It is proven that 75% of people who lift are happier than others. Not only that, they are more likely to be successful. When somebody works out, the body releases endorphins. These endorphins are all essential; however, one chemical in particular is very important, dopamine. This is the chemical that causes humans to feel satisfaction and excitement. The reason this is so important is because by scientific study working out causes people to feel happier and more excited.
Another reason to lift is the fact that people are able to change how they look to fit what they want. Many people don’t realize this, but bodybuilding is the way of sculpting the body to look any way you like. Aerobic exercise is not enough to tone a body. Sure some things simply aren’t achievable but muscle size and proportions as well as body fat and several other factors are all able to be altered through lifting. Many students use lifting as a way of coping; stress and anger can be removed from the body through weight lifting, and this allows the dopamine to truly play its role throughout the body. A scientific study listed the benefits of weightlifting as follows: bone health, better mood, gaining confidence, managing weight, improving strength, psychological benefits, metabolism and increased energy, all of which are purely beneficial for us humans.
I began weightlifting around the beginning of my junior year of high school. I started because I wasn’t happy with how I looked and needed a way of coping with stress. I went to my first gym, Planet Fitness, and didn’t know what I was doing. I picked up some weights and started doing random workouts I’d seen on the internet, I realized something in that moment. I was doing it completely wrong and was still enjoying it. I went home and looked into different exercises I could do, the right way. I started lifting at my house, then the gym and at my house again when the gym closed. I became hooked on it, but not in a bad way. I became in love with the idea that an hour or two of my day could be so enjoyable that I did not want to leave. In the gym, I felt like a different person, and I was happier than I had ever been.
The main point of all this is to tell the story of how I became obsessed with the gym and how I want other people to experience the feeling it gives. Many people today have an issue with complaining about a problem but not doing anything about it, and this is a way of doing something about it.
