Postcard

I think what motivates me health wise is just the all around benefits I see in my day to day life. I really look forward to my workout everyday. Whether I’m going for a run or lifting weights, it gives me time to think, decompress and re-focus on what I need to do. Sometimes I visit the smelly gym and I wonder why I do it but there’s something about the place that keeps me coming back. Getting that workout in before I head into work every morning is pivotal to my day’s success. I don’t know what it is, but when I don’t do something active I just don’t feel the same.

I work with post secondary students on an everyday basis. The students often struggle with managing their time and they feel stressed while being pulled in multiple directions and not taking the time to focus on themselves. I strongly encourage them to take some time for themselves and set some fitness and personal related goals. Especially when it comes to fitness, I want to ensure they are eating and sleeping properly as well as exercising regularly. I’ve been doing this for a few terms now, and students often report feeling much better on a day to day basis. I was very happy with their progress!

I’m also very interested in the link between mental illness and the impact that exercise can have on depression and anxiety. I’ve read a couple articles that correlate the link between exercise and a decrease in PHQ-9 and GAD-7 scores. At my place of work, we run a program for students who are prescribed exercise by a Health & Counseling doctor. We set them up with our personal trainers for free personal training to help them deal with their mental illness. We have had spectacular results.