Walking Through a Marathon
by Genie H, a volunteer with the Edgemont Youth Press
People often assume there exists a divisive distinction amongst the population. On one end, there appear to be individuals who train equally hard as athletes would, and others who simply do not have neither the time nor inclination to train. In other words, there are those who are athletic and enjoy various forms of physical activity, such as running, and those who do not. Or so it appears. But what if the world did not have to be so black and white? What if there could be people who partake in physical activity, who do not have to go all out? Such groups of people exist not only in theory but actually make up a large chunk of the population. “Casually active” is the new trending phrase that describes these types of individuals, and it appears that there has been a surge in the rise of “casual actives” through social media. From playing pickleball, to walking through a marathon, this new wave of physical motivation could be largely beneficial for society on a holistic note.
It appears that a new movement on social media has taken the world by storm, turning formerly mundane aspects of life, such as working out or consistently walking over ten thousand steps per day, “cool” again. Additionally, more awareness has been brought to various forms of exercise, where full commitment is not necessarily required for the larger audience to participate. Rather, things such as people actively training to keep a consistent walking pace throughout the course of a marathon they registered for, or investing in a walking treadmill and a stand-up desk to utilize during their working periods have become increasingly developed ideas.
Physical activity does not have to be overtly strenuous or difficult, it can be as simple as finding joy in involving oneself in their newly found and favoured form of movement. Whether that be following along to a Just Dance video, zooming up and down the stairs in one’s very own living quarters, picking a pair of sneakers and opting to go for a run, there is surely a lesson to be learnt through this snowballing movement that encourages more movement, regardless of personal situations.
Ultimately, it is an investment in the personal health of ourselves, and it is quite motivating to view this encouragement of deliberately choosing to stop gluing our attention to our devices, and instead, go outside and enjoy the pleasures of activity. Moreover, it is the stepping stone for being gratefully appreciating the various capabilities of the human body and recognizing the privilege we possess in having the choice to participate in physical activity in the first place. This coming May, consider taking one additional step outside, and perhaps, just perhaps, begin to observe the budding flowers, the greening of the leaves, and the ever-so-slightly warming and winking sun.
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