Jab! Cross! Hook! Uppercut!
I am no Muhammad Ali, but you can typically find me at a local boxing gym after a long day of clinic and classes pounding away at a heavy bag with my hot pink Everest ® gloves.
At a towering 5 foot 2 inches, I am not your typical image of an Ultimate Fighting Champion. Not to mention with pieces of plaster and alginate stuck in my hair from doing lab work, I certainly do not look the part. However, looks are deceiving. I pack a mean uppercut and one-two punch.
According to the American Psychological Association the average person our age spends 6.5 hours each day with mass media and views approximately 3,000 advertisements. Often these images depict men and women as unnaturally flawless and have led to a beauty standard that is both unrealistic and unobtainable. What’s worse is that studies have proven that constant exposure to these beauty “ideals” cause internalization of damaging standards that could lead to eating disorders, anxiety and depression.
When I initially started taking fitness classes, I was intimidated by the sheer volume of classes offered by my local gym. I wished that there was a comprehensive beginner’s guide to help me choose a class that aligned with my fitness level and goals. If you are looking for a fun and easy way to stay physically active, read on to find out which of my top three favorite fitness classes is right for you.
On January 1st of this past year, like millions of others around the country, I made the cliché New Year’s resolution to eat healthier and trim a few pounds. Sounds familiar, right? But this time, things were a bit different. I had just finished my first quarter of dental school, and the dreaded freshman 15 that I had so successfully avoided in college hit me like a dormant ton of bricks out for retribution. All those free slices of pizza from lunch-and-learns definitely didn’t help my cause.
As if school isn’t enough of a challenge already, how can dental students strike the right balance between work, nutrition and exercise to lead healthy lifestyles while maintaining good grades? As I worked through my resolution, I found that these two goals, living healthy and doing well in school, go hand-in-hand in a surprising way.
Believing that dentistry was my dream job, I knew that I needed to discipline myself to maintain a healthy lifestyle by training my mind and body. Staying fit wasn’t just about succeeding in dental school. I viewed every workout session as a personal battle and challenge to endure, persevere and test my limits. As I began to improve and see results, I wanted to challenge myself further. I decided to try out for American Ninja Warrior.
After sitting through lecture after lecture from 8-5, I’m sure all of you are ready to take off and hit the gym for a long workout, right? Wrong! Sitting through hours of lecture or a long day in clinic can make you want to do everything but work out. The benefits of breaking a sweat go beyond a fit body. Your body will get a great endorphin boost, and it can be a great way to get rid of the stress that dental school can bring. Beyond the basics of hitting the road for a run, I’d like to share a few fun and unique ways to fit in exercise.
