Garrett Oleson

PHYE 160
Mat Erpelding
Reflection Essay
Reflection Essay
Physical activity has always had an impact on my life whether it!s playing a game of
foot"all with my friends going to the gym to get my physical activity and wor#o$ts for the day
or simply wor#ing aro$nd my little ranch at home% &early everyday ' am always doing
something physically active whether it is simple or stren$o$s physical activity and it will
contin$e to play a role all thro$gho$t my life%
My childhood consisted of physical activity in many different ways "eing it r$nning
aro$nd and playing with friends at the par# o$tside playing foot"all at school d$ring recess or
even having f$n ($mping on a trampoline% )ports ' played were "ase"all and foot"all to start o$t
"$t ' only played two years of "ase"all "eca$se foot"all seemingly had more "enefit to it and it
was a sport that ' tho$ght was more engaging than "ase"all% ' played foot"all ever since ' was
eight years old and all thro$gho$t high school $ntil ' grad$ated% 'n elementary school my
physical activity came from physical ed$cation class and recess%
*etween my childhood and my adolescent years in terms of physical activity my
physical activity increased drastically in high school "eca$se ' had a physical ed$cation class
weight lifting class and ' was involved with foot"all more than ' $s$ally was and ' started to
feel that ' was getting more into "eing physically fit than ' ever was "efore% +here were m$ltiple
activities that ' was a"le to learn a"o$t as well rather than ($st "ase"all soccer foot"all or
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simply ($st r$nning% +a#e dodge"all for e,ample% +hat was a new sport for me that was learned
my sophomore year of high school since ' had never heard of that "efore%
+oday ' c$rrently do anything that wo$ld involve physical activity s$ch as wor#ing
aro$nd my ho$se and fi,ing things $p aro$nd o$r two-acre ranch ' weight lift if there will "e no
o$tside wor# for the day and for cardio ' sometimes will ride my "i#e or r$n aro$nd the roads
near"y% 't is never stressed eno$gh that physical activity can and will increase yo$r well-"eing
and overall health as ' am contin$ally told "y teachers and m$ltiple so$rces% 't comes as a
nat$ral ro$tine when it comes to ma#ing time for it "eca$se no matter what day it is it seems
that there is always something to do to engage in physical activity witho$t really having to plan
on what e,ercise or physical activity that ' will do in an average day "eca$se ' "elieve that if
yo$ let it come nat$rally there will "e more motivation to "e active rather than planning it o$t
and #nowing when yo$ will stop% 't is "etter if yo$ don!t plan to stop in my opinion yo$ stop
when yo$ feel it necessary and that is where ' "elieve yo$ will get the most o$t of yo$r physical
activity%
.hat made physical activity "ecome important to me is when my ($nior year of foot"all
had started and that s$mmer ' had allowed myself to get la/y and pic#ed $p "ad eating ha"its
($n# food wise and "ecoming a m$ltimedia ($n#ie% ' had gained well over forty po$nds in a
matter of three months going from weighing a"o$t one h$ndred twenty to weighing one h$ndred
and si,ty si, po$nds% .hen ' reali/ed how o$t of shape that ' really was ' #new that ' needed to
change my ways "eca$se it too# a"o$t three wee#s for me to get "ac# into shape in order to feel
li#e ' was ready to play foot"all and practice thro$gho$t the season% 'n the three wee#s of getting
"ac# into shape ' had lost a"o$t twenty po$nds and ' felt "etter than ' had ever felt a"o$t "eing
physically active "efore "eca$se ' reali/ed that witho$t it ' wo$ld not "e ready to play in a sport
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s$ch as foot"all that ' loved so m$ch% +his is when ' reali/ed that physical activity is going to "e
a necessity in my life and ' have placed m$ch emphasis on e,ercising almost daily regardless if
it is stren$o$s or light activity don!t ($st sit aro$nd and do nothing and p$t yo$r health at ris#%
1rom my e,periences with physical activity ' wo$ld say that ' have learned many lessons
from the time ' was more involved with it to when ' had my own physical inactivity period and
even $p $ntil now where ' am still c$rrently physically active% ' learned that lac# of activity can
and will ca$se weight gain and $nhealthy ha"its if yo$!re not caref$l 2coming from my own
e,periences #now that each person has their own e,periences3% Even from physical ed$cation
classes ' have learned a"o$t social responsi"ility and sportsmanship are important factors when
wor#ing with fellow st$dents in a physical activity class or setting% More is accomplished when
everyone can get along help and enco$rage each other and ma#ing s$re that everyone gets the
most o$t of their physical activity%
+wo people that have had the "iggest impact on my life a"o$t "eing physically active are
my dad and my grandpa who are always teaching me a"o$t different ways to do similar
e,ercises s$ch as a different way to lift weights and what m$scles that each wor#o$t is meant to
strengthen% .henever ' loo# to try something different for wor#o$ts or ' need help $nderstanding
the importance of certain things ' $s$ally will cons$lt with them first "eca$se they have
#nowledge a"o$t some of what ' am c$rrently going to school for and they will $s$ally tell me
their e,periences and if a certain wor#o$t does or does not have "eneficial profits as far as health
is concerned% Ever since my dad was retired from wor#ing at the )na#e River 4epartment of
5orrections he has "een more physically active than he $sed to "e% He will either "e wor#ing
with me aro$nd the ranch or helping others with pro(ects that need done and he is consistently
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active doing all of what he does and he is someone ' loo# $p to when it comes to "eing
physically fit%
One thing ' defiantly learned a"o$t myself and physical activity is that the less it is done
the less fit ' am and the less motivated ' feel to "e active% ' also learned from writing this paper
that there was more that infl$enced me to "e physically active and more to what ' have gone
thro$gh than ' have ta#en the time to reali/e% *y loo#ing "ac# at my own e,periences ' feel that
these can "e $sed as tools to help inspire the f$t$re generations 2or at least provide and e,ample
of why physical activity is important3% +he reali/ation of what ' have gone thro$gh is also an
inspiration for me to contin$e to "e physically active and never going "ac# to the way ' was ($st
"efore my ($nior year of foot"all%
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