Edmond Life & Leisure • February 17, 2022 • Page 21
Mental health part of fitness journey By Brian Attebery Some people may say that being a personal trainer can be much like being a “bartender.” We tend to talk to people about lots of things. Obviously, health is the primary one. Within that realm, we are not just talking about building Attebery muscle tone and losing weight. Health expands into “wellness” and that includes mental and even spiritual health. They all tie together at various levels. I have seen and heard multiple stories of struggles throughout my career as a fitness expert and I am empathetic. We tend to get stuck emotionally and physically many times in this journey of life. These past couple of years, I have heard more and more stories of young kids and teens primarily, struggling with depression and stress. While I am not a Psychologist, part of my education is in that and I understand that many times the most important “muscle” we need to strengthen is the one between our ears. Our mind determines much of where we our bodies and health are able to go. Stress is a killer. The struggles in your mind can lead to physical manifestations in our physiology. High blood pressure and heart disease are in the top of the spectrum. Many teenagers sit around on their phones and video games. They have this anxiety and stress but have no one to place it. In addition, those same electronic devices are creating and building up more stress in their bodies. We focus a lot on exercise for weight loss but what about “anxiety” loss? Exercise is a Catharsis. It is a positive way to help you purge some of your emotions, fears and anxiety. I see many people that need to exercise for that alone. There are other ways to release this but for my realm, exercise is where I focus on. I recently had a conversation with a mother whose teen boy was struggling. Like many teen boys, he played a lot of video games, looked at his phone constantly and was not very physically ac-
tive. I explained to her that the physiological process that our bodies go through to release stress are similar towhat our bodies do when we exercise. Even if we still have the thoughts in our heads and the stresses we are facing have not gone away, at least we are physically releasing some of it. I use the analogy that your body is like a sponge that can only soke up so much fluid. Exercise helps to wring out the stresses we accumulate physically in our bodies. I have personally witnessed teens that get off their video games and start being more active have major positive shifts in their attitudes. They feel better and are enjoying life. For you adults, substitute those video game examples with the news and you can see how it is important for us too. We all need to exercise for more than just weight loss. Getting exercise for stress relief can look as simple as going on a walk daily. It could mean running in place, jump rope or some basic stretches and along with some push ups and sit ups daily. Group exercise classes are fun and provide a social element we all could use. I love lifting weights and then doing the Elliptical or Treadmill while watching some fun shows or hobbies I am interested in on YOUTUBE. Combine another catharsis, music with your exercise and you have a double positive activity but just be aware of the type of music you are listening too. Wellness is a full spectrum of health that we all need to address. Stress, anxiety and depression are a missed portion of this for many people. We have tools in fitness we can try but sometimes that is not enough. If you are dealing with depression and anxiety, don’t hesitate to contact a mental health professional as part of your journey. This is a great thing to do and just like a personal trainer, they are trained in what they do for a reason. Don’t hesitate to start your journey into feeling better today. (Brian Attebery is a Degreed/Certified Trainer. He owns and operates Results Fitness and Nutrition Center, L.L.C. in Edmond. www.resultsfitnessusa.com)
PHOTO PROVIDED/CADET RYAN RIGGA/EDMOND NORTH HIGH
R. Wayne Barron, Director, Region 7, announces Geno McCary and Sally Son's Selection for HQ AFJROTC's 4 Year J-100 Character in Leadership College Scholarship."
Cadets & elite scholarship Two outstanding Edmond North High School Air Force Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps (AFJROTC) cadets, Eugene "Geno" McCary and Kyumbee "Sally" Son, earned an Air Force Reserve Officer TrainMcCary ing Corps (AFROTC) four-year college scholarship. Headquarters (HQ) AFJROTC, uniting with Air University, the Holm Center and AFROTC, selected Geno and Sally as well as 98 other high school cadets for the J-100 Character in Leadership Scholarship. Just in its second year, AFJROTC's J-100 identifies stellar high school senior cadets for the character and leadership that is embodied in AFJROTC and affords them the opportunity to compete for an invaluable commission as a United States Air Force or Space Force officer. This ROTC college scholarship includes four-years of full tuition/fees; 4-years of on-campus housing ($10K max per year); books and a monthly stipend (between $300-500/month) at any college or university with an AFROTC program. Major (Ret) Eric Weingaertner, Edmond North High School’s OK81st Senior Aerospace Science Instructor and his fellow instructors CMSgt (Ret) Corey Bowen and SMSgt (Ret) Roy Martos nominated Geno and Sally for this opportunity.
The cadets passed a comprehensive initial qualitative review, and were then interviewed by a three-person panel made up of active duty officers and senior non-commisSon sioned officers, and chaired by HQ AFJROTC civil servants. Geno and Sally earned their scholarships through their sustained performance in high school, solid essays and excellent interviews in front of a HQ AFJROTC panel. In coordination with Edmond Public Schools, HQ AFJROTC established the OK-81st in 1973. OK-81st cadets, alumni and instructors are proud to be a part of Edmond North High School's team since 1993. There are almost 120,000 high school students enrolled in AFJROTC programs at approximately 870 high schools in the U.S. and overseas. The mission of AFJROTC is to develop citizens of character dedicated to serving their nation and community while instilling values of citizenship, dedicated service to the United States of America, personal responsibility, and a sense of accomplishment. AFJROTC provides a well-structured program consisting of topnotch curriculum, unique leadership opportunities and high standards of excellence.