Strong Body, Strong Mind – Why it’s Important to Stay Physically Active

Written by Emilia Mehrabi

With the closure of gyms and fitness centres due to the COVID-19 pandemic, it’s no surprise that a lot of people seek the outdoors as an alternative to maintaining physical activity. I, myself, have noticed I’ve spent more time outside – I’ve been on more bike rides this summer than I have any other year, I picked up skateboarding, I have discovered my passion for hiking (turns out my puppy loves hiking too!), and so much more on top of that, to name a few. As an associate at Sport Chek, within the first few weeks of quarantine, I’ve noticed that our bikes, rollerblades, and dumbbells/free weights were the first to sell out, as many of us were pursuing methods of exercising at home, which is excellent determination.

Physical activity cannot be stressed enough. By maintaining fitness and exercising, not only do you reduce your risk of cardiovascular diseases, cancers, and type 2 diabetes, but this also positively impacts mental health and provides you with an excellent roadmap to wellbeing. That being said, mental health and physical health and activity correlate to one another, with one supporting and benefiting the other.

Now, with some fitness centres slowly re-opening, some of us are quick to jump back in to maintain that healthy habit, although there are others such as myself that don’t feel quite safe to head on back to the gym, as the threat of COVID-19 still lurks, which is understandable. It’s human nature to find alternatives to get back into well habits.

I encourage each and every one of you to sustain your levels of physical wellbeing coming the Fall semester, whether that’s to go on a daily walk around your neighborhood, go to the gym, or practice yoga, the options are endless. A more physically active self promotes a more mentally stronger mind, to better support us during these potentially stressful times in university.