Click play to listen to “Opinion: Exercise and Discipline is Essential for the Modern College Student’s Success” narrated by Sean Moran.

It took billions of years for the atoms of dead stars to build human anatomy. The result is a near-perfect vessel capable of surviving in nearly every environment on Earth. You are nothing short of a miracle, and one of the most important things you can do for yourself and your body is exercise.

Exercise is medicine for your body

Starting your morning by physically challenging yourself will make every task throughout the rest of the day feel like a breeze. However, committing your free time to some form of exercise requires discipline.

A key part of building discipline begins with your mind: making the executive decision to plan your exercise and committing to it is the first step. From there, you will formulate a new mental strength by holding yourself accountable and following through with your physical activity.

Mental strength will help you push through obstacles during workouts, master stress in your life and open a path toward academic success. Motivation can get you started, but you have to actively commit to starting your day by moving your body.

There are a number of outlets where you can build the skills necessary to become a thriving member of the community. For instance, SCC offers extracurricular activities geared toward facilitating academic and community development. However, it is vital to instill personal habits that will help you extract the maximum return from all of your social interactions.

“Modern luxuries make it easy to fall into unhealthy habits with low returns of self-worth or accomplishment.”

Curiosity didn’t kill the cat — convenience killed the cat

Up until recently, human beings were hunter-gatherers for approximately 90% of our existence. The daily life of a hunter-gatherer was constantly in motion, facing regular challenges that tested the boundaries of human comfort.

Modern luxuries make it easy to fall into unhealthy habits with low returns of self-worth or accomplishment. Like your hunter-gatherer ancestors, you need to actively find ways to challenge yourself physically.

There’s nothing wrong with indulging in outlets that offer relaxation and escape, but the issue lies in the ease of spiraling into an imbalance of habitual patterns characterized by complacency and low mobility. Western culture celebrates the ability to binge-watch TV through streaming services, and there isn’t enough conversation about the negative health impacts of that behavior.

Exercise can start with just 10 minutes a day and your body will thank you for it. Walking, running, stretching or light weightlifting are all ways to get started. Presence of mind and building discipline will keep you going.

In the end, food will taste better, days will become more fulfilling and life will begin to present a beautiful glow around the simple things.