Blog #9 Argument & Counter-Argument

Argument

The stress levels of students are now being taken very seriously today as the importance of mental health has skyrocketed. Exercise is often misconceived as only beneficial physically however it is just as beneficial psychologically. The article, Exercise and Mental Health, by D.M.W. de Coverley Veale highlights the importance of exercise as a therapeutic experience. With the burden of doing well in college, students can easily find themselves discouraged or depressed. The article highlights the psychological benefits of exercise and how it can be used as a form of therapy. Although colleges already provide mental health services, there is a stigma around seeking outside help as "weak" or "shameful". This strays students away from seeking help but can be very helpful. The research provides information that exercise does indeed hold therapeutic properties to relieve stress levels. Courses having students exercise could have them benefit physically as well as psychologically. Overall, it would be an avenue for students to access an array of benefits whiles staying active and present in school. Stress levels and physical activity levels seem to have an inverse relationship, therefore by increasing physical activity levels around campus there would be a decrease in collective stress level by those students. 

Counter-Argument

Some students may stress that education is far important than exercise at the moment. They would argue that they can focus on exercising and their bodies after they are done with school. Exams usually happen once where exercise can be done other times. The educational demands would outweigh the exercise demands on health. While they aren't in any life-threatening danger, it would not be so bad to gain a few pounds. Others might argue that exercise-based courses would not make a difference. There is a study on decreased physical activity levels of medical and nursing students. These are students who are prospective medical professionals and still do not meet the proper physical activity recommendations despite learning about proper health behaviors. I would then argue that education is just as important as exercise and they should be supplemental to one another, not prioritized over each other. I would then go on to give examples of schools and colleges that have successfully implemented these measures to combat the decreasing physical activity levels and why it can work!

Blog #8 Case

Case

Case study done by Susanne B. Racette and her team, Weight Changes, Exercise and Dietary Patterns During Freshman and Sophomore Years of College, they investigated information on weight gain and behavioral patterns of college students. This is important for my paper as it explores the dietary aspect of health. Some major points include students not meeting the daily recommended levels of physical activity. The pressures of academics cause these students to put all their effort into their grades. Unfortunately healthy practices must be sacrificed sometimes to devote the time these students have to school. The most dangerous part is that the negative behavioral/dietary patterns in college can contribute to overweightness and obesity in adulthood. This case displays the significance of long term investments in health to develop proper health behavior which would reduce future health risk. Colleges should take notice in order to do their part in this situation. 

Blog #7 Frame

Theoretical Frame

Claim: In order to combat decreasing physical activity levels in their students, colleges and universities should implement exercise-based courses into their curriculum requirements. 

The largest rate of physical activity level decline occurs between the transition from high school to college (roughly ages 18-21). A number of factors lead to students exercising less and less. Edden and Brudzynski explore this in their article, Motivation and Barriers to Exercise Among College Students. Some barriers they identified are as follows "no time", "school workload is too high", "studying for exams", laziness" and/or "multiple commitments". These are some of the many factors that come into play when asking why students exercise less. It seems that other priorities take over in place of their health. My thesis would be that implementing mandatory physical education would allow students to gain benefits physically, mentally and academically all while benefiting the environment of the college surroundings. 

Literature Review #4

Exercise and Mental Health -- Literature Review #4

Citation:

Coverley Veale, D. M. W. de. “Exercise and Mental Health.” Wiley Online Library, 1987, onlinelibrary-wiley-com.proxy.libraries.rutgers.edu/doi/abs/10.1111/j.1600-0447.1987.tb02872.x.

Summary:

Many people think of exercise and right away think of building muscle. There's this stigma that exercise is when you want to get bigger. When in reality, "exercise" is an umbrella term that encompasses the well-being of health. Surprisingly exercise has been known to have great psychological benefits. Author,D.MW. de Coverley Veale, reviews the mood altering properties of exercise and its potential in the prevention and treatment of mental disorders. From the findings, exercise has been proven to be a great form of therapy in response to stress and other mental health issues. The main benefit is that exercise provides a "cathartic" function for the discharge of negative emotions which lifts the moods of individuals engaged in it. It is a simple form of therapy that many people already practice regularly. 

Authors:

D.M.W. de Coverley Veale

Academic Department of Psychiatry, The Royal Free Hospital, London, UK

Key Terms:

• psychological
• of, affecting, or arising in the mind; related to the mental and emotional state of a person
• psychotherapy
• the treatment of mental disorder by psychological rather than medical means
• mental health
• a person’s condition with regard to their psychological and emotional well-being

Three Quotes: 

1. "While it is established that regular exercise results in physiological benefits of use in the rehabilitation and prevention of coronary heart disease, peripheral vascular disease, mild hypertension or obesity, the benefits to mental health are harder to evaluate and less well documented"(de Coverley Veale).
2. "One effective procedure taught to patients is distraction, in which the patient forces himself to attend to something other than his or her depressive thoughts. A common observation amongst runners is that exercise allows their thoughts to drift."(de Coverley Veale). 
3. "As an additional benefit it seems that a subject learns to associate the usual physical symptoms of sympathetic activity and hyperventilation with a normal health state, rather than with anxiety"(de Coverley Veale)

Value: 

This article is valuable to my research because it highlights the psychological benefits of exercise. It is another reason why exercise is so beneficially and why colleges should take it seriously. Exercise provides people with an outlet for stress, anger and negativity important to balance out our experiences day in and day out. By using this article to support my argument, it adds strength to the healthy aspects exercise can bring to college lifestlye. 

Blog #6 -- Visual

The visuals I have chosen represent project show a yoga class. This is an example of the exercise-based courses that colleges should implement into their curriculum. It would be very advantageous for both the students and the institution. It offers required/elective credit for students who partake and invest into these classes while improving the college environment overall. Yoga is a simple yet relaxing style of exercise that puts emphasis on releasing energy from the body. It could be an important tool for stress management for college students who become pressure by the demands of their lifestyle.