Strong mind, strong body: an ethnographic vignette
Does having muscles and a flat stomach make a person healthy? Not really. Fitness is more than just being physically strong. A healthy lifestyle consists of a healthy body, mind, and diet. We need to watch what we put into our bodies and into our minds. Being physically strong doesn’t necessarily mean a person is happy overall. Mental happiness is also very important. Just like we try to eat clean and keep bad foods out of our bodies, we have to try our best to keep the negativity out.
Why am I discussing mental health and emotional stability? I’ll explain to you.
Overtime, I have noticed a lot of people began working out after they went through a break-up. They spend their newly attained free time in the gym. From the conversations I have had, some people begin working out to get in the best shape of their lives to make his/her ex jealous and others go to find a new hobby. Slowly over time, their motivation and purpose changes because the gym and fitness turns into a passion and lifestyle.
I am constantly intrigued by what drives people to get fit because the answer is not always as obvious as “to lose weight” or “to become healthier”.
Mental health is very important, especially during this day and age. A large percentage of college students experience high levels of anxiety and depression. While this doesn’t necessarily relate to physical strength, mental strength is just as important, if not even more important. A person’s emotional stability and wellbeing can determine a lot of a person’s decisions and actions. I have seen various situations in which embracing a fit and healthy lifestyle has significantly improved a person’s mental health and overall happiness. Imagining the results and efforts of hard work paying off often motivates people to push through the hardships. If exercising and eating healthy has the ability to increase levels of happiness, shouldn’t we all be encouraging others to adapt a healthier lifestyle?
Many times, we tend to overlook the benefits of getting fit and the motivation for each person. Whether it’s technological motivation or emotional drive, so much goes into answering “why” for every individual. In The Life Informatic, Dominic Boyer states, “the desire for distinctiveness has been passed along to news agencies in the form of rising pressure to provide more content-heavy and client-tailored form on news”. This was particularly interesting to me because there many television shows that revolve around weight loss journeys of individuals who either have a real story or their stories are exaggerated to seem appealing to the audience. The amount of research and information that can be acquired is endless and I’m really excited to continue my research on this topic.
