Physical versus Sedentary

                    In Everyday life, I ride buses and sky trains to get to places, take escalators and elevators rather than stairs and watch movies and surf the web in my leisure time. However, doing all these sedentary activities, I still prefer physical over sedentary for many reasons.

             Many studies have shown that exercising and getting the circulation through the body is extremely beneficial for not only people, who want to be fit, but also teenagers and students with academic and social stress. When our body is in a physical activity, moving our muscles and pumping the blood through the body, our brain signals and releases a special type of hormone called “epinephrine”. Epinephrine initiates the expansion and retraction of arteries and veins, allowing a more efficient circulation and also, releases glucose, one of the essential elements for the body to function. The hormone acts as a soft drug and physically numbs the body and relieves accumulated stress. It is proven with scientific evidence that being involved in physical activities can benefit many different individuals physically and psychologically.

             To add one more thing, as a teenage student who lives in Vancouver, one of the green cities in the world, it is very hard to understand why people would sit in their gloomy room staring at a computer screen or watching a meaningless television show. With all the beautiful trails full of trees and beaches with great sceneries, it is impossible to be a “sedentary Vancouverite”.

             It is Friday afternoon, just like every teenager, I am staring at the computer screen, looking at the new iPhone 5. I get a Facebook message from my friend asking whether I want to play tennis later this evening. I give a little shrug and type “for sure, I’m down” and click send.