High School Articles: "Fitness Made Simple"

Originally published in Blind Brook High School's FOCUS (January 2006).

By Benjamin Engle
While perusing through the channels on T.V. one afternoon, I found myself watching a “Fitness Made Simple” advertisement on ESPN. When “Pardon the Interruption”finally came back on the air, I was immediately bombarded with sports jabber. The reporter’s first word, BALCO, the now infamous laboratory in California, was followed by the daily mantra heard so often in the sports
world: Barry Bonds, Jason Giambi, and Marion Jones, all professional athletes, each interminably related by the “s” word.

Steroids.

I couldn’t believe my eyes when another “Fitness Made Simple” commercial appeared at the very next commercial break. Along with pictures of the “buff” John Basedow, the lyrics of the song went something like this: “Fitness made simple…made for real people…changing real lives.” I couldn’t help but notice the juxtaposition of the steroid story between the two “Fitness Made Simple” commercials. Clearly, this was more than just a coincidence.

For the eleven baseball players who tested positive for steroid use during the 2005 season, the shortest route to physical fitness meant bypassing the long time it takes to get results from good old fashioned sweat and hard work and go straight to steroids. For these athletes, and the millions of Americans who have turned to steroids as a “get physically rich quick scheme,” the term “no pain, no gain” is so passé.

But why should people exercise? What incentive is there to work for long periods of time when steroids can have you built up faster than Blind Brook’s new construction project? Ok, bad example. The numbers do not lie – according to the American School Board Journal, 16% of teens are obese while another 15% are considered at risk of becoming obese; the only choice these kids see is steroids.

Those numbers made me run – literally. To stay in shape, I started to run cross-country at Blind Brook. Okay, maybe run is not the best word to use, but I did jog my way to Hillandale and back to Blind Brook during the fall. I’m not going to lie; I might not have been the fastest on the team. However, our head coach, Mrs. Judith Mella, encouraged all of us to work hard. Working hard are the key words. By playing a sport (Math team’s finger exercises do not count) competitively or just for fun, or by working out at the “Y,” or just by eating right (don’t worry, Wendy’s and Garden Catering are fine in moderation), teens and adults alike can prevent obesity and therefore preclude the need for steroids.

The difference between working hard and “juicing up” is while the former has positive physical and emotional results, the latter carries with it serious and detrimental physical side affects. Studies have shown that steroid use can lead to cancer, heart disease, and strokes (not to mention smaller testicles and breast development in men, and facial hair and deeper voices in women), while the hackneyed and outdated exercise program can lead you to enjoy a healthier, longer life.

Furthermore, a 2004 study from California found that the students who eat nutritious diets and engage in moderate exercise have higher test scores. The National Association of Sport & Physical Education says that exercise has been shown to lower stress, boost alertness and energy levels (great for Mock Trial), and improve sleep.

While Congress and professional athletes often get mixed together in the maelstrom of steroid use, the truth is that high school students use steroids as well. Teen surveys of personal steroid usage range from as low as 0.5% to as high as 11%. Either way, something needs to be done. Professional sports, such as the Olympics committee, are trying to set a good example by enforcing stringent anti-drug policies. Blind Brook, too, has a drug policy that mandates if one is “under the influence of drugs, alcohol, or other substances while on school grounds or at any school activity…will be suspended from school…and prohibited in all extra-curricular activities.”

Board of Education policies are one thing, but what are your values and the values of your community? Why risk getting sick or being suspended from school to make your body look like John Basedow’s? There are better ways to achieve a level of healthiness. Let’s face it: driving over walking is inevitable, particularly in a suburb, and eating a burger is bound to be chosen over a fat-free yogurt, but there are steps to live a healthier life. While Blind Brook has already taken a major step with the soon-to-be built fitness center, it is only a small first step in the right direction.

Fitness is a community goal. Together we can live healthy lives for years to come, so what are the possible next steps? Perhaps the institution of “Open Gym and Fitness Center Nights,” a weekly event that would virtually cost nothing and would give students the opportunity to build life-long exercise habits. Different community groups and student clubs could sponsor it; varsity athletes could help middle school and elementary students with their jump shot, speedball technique, or exercise regimen. While the fitness center will be incorporated into the general physical education curriculum, it’s only a first step because, as proposed, the after-school fitness center will only be available after school hours to athletes of Varsity teams. One possible solution would allow all students to use the fitness center after school two times a week as costs and space availability for every day use just are not practical.

In order for people to live healthier lives, we must trade the “couch potato, gameboy” culture that currently exists for a “sweat potato, play the game” attitude. This requires a community effort. Having gyms and a new track is nice, but it is enhanced when the community can use them together. Will we all look like “Fitness Celebrity” John Basedow? No, but we will begin to look and feel better.

And our testicles won’t shrivel.

http://www.blindbrook.org/our_schools/high_school/Focus/archives/05-06/FOCUSJan06.pdf