Persuasive Essay

Fitness

         A lot of people think that when they are training to run, all they have to do is run everyday to reach their goal. Although they most likely will get fit doing this and they also might reach their goal, they wont be reaching their full potential. It has been proven that when someone is training for something, like running a 5k, they need to do more than just run. Running is a great workout, but it wont work all of your muscles fully. When training to run, if you want to reach your full potential, you need to add some workout exercises into your routine.

Yes, running does work you core, legs, arms, etc... But when you are constantly running with the same routine everyday, your body gets used to what you are doing and running not only becomes dull but it also becomes ineffective. For example, if you run at the same speed on a treadmill for 30 minutes each day, you will begin to see that your body is showing little to no change. If you want to reach maximum potential, than you need to change things up. Create a strength training routine that goes along with running, increase the time and speed that you run, or just find a way to challenge your body. Basically constantly make your body work while training. Like they say... No pain, no gain.

Most runners add strength training to their routine because it helps them to run faster, longer, and more efficiently. The Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research conducted a study that showed that runners who added three days of strength and resistance training to their weekly routine not only increases their overall fitness strength, but also enhanced their endurance. Along with that, strength training also helps to prevent injuries. "If you increase your strength, you'll also increase your joint stability, reducing your risk of repetitive stress injuries," (the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research).

Along with adding strength training to your routine, you should also add before and after stretching to your routine. I have had a few people comment about this subject, so that reminded me that stretching is a huge part of training, especially if you want to reduce injury. Warming up before you workout, also known as before stretching, helps your muscles rise in temperature and helps to make them loose, supple, and pliable. It helps prepare your body for exercise by increasing your heart and respiratory rate.It also increases blood flow which increases the amount of oxygen and nutrients being given to the muscles being worked. All in all, stretching before and after your workout is something you should always do.

In conclusion, to reach your full fitness potential, you should add different exercises to your routine. I highly recommend adding (at least) strength training and daily stretching to your weekly routine. This will help you to stay safe and be the best that you can be. You never want your body to find your workout easy. Working out and training should be a challenge for your body. Adding different exercises to your training will increase your overall level of health and fitness.

So Far So Good

Reflection

                  So by this point in my project I am supposed to be able to run 1 mile, as my first goal for my project was to be able to run 1 mile by April 15th. Well, I am happy to say that I met that goal and I am on the right track to meet my second goal, which is to be able to run 2 miles by April 29th. My only concern is that I live in a kind of hilly area and am constantly running up and down long steep hills, so considering the fact that the actual color run is going to be over a flat area I fear that I will not be used to the terrain of the actual color run. I realize that the hilly terrain is good for building muscle and stamina, but I also don't want to be unprepared for the color run. My plan to fix this is to start going to a track to run or run on the Sundial Bridge (place where the color run is going to be held) to prepare for running on a flat surface. My other struggle is that I have a busy schedule so it is hard for me to find the time to go and train. In relation to this, I am going to explain why I hate running by myself, mostly because I need more word count for my post (my next point will relate to the point that I just made after I explain myself). So if you know me, then you know that I hate being by myself. Now I am not talking about being at my house and alone, even though I don't necessarily like that either, I am talking about being in a situation where I feel unprotected.To further explain... Along with living in a hilly area, I also live in a sort of secluded, foresty area too. Now every ax murderer horror movie that I have ever watched has the ax murder secretly living in the forest or woods, you know, waiting to murder people. So having a busy schedule leaves the only time for me to train at night, or as I call it, the murdering prime time. So every night when I go to train I am in hopes that I don't get murdered, the usual. A lot of you guys probably think I am overreacting, and I definitely am. But do you ever expect getting murdered by an ax murderer? No. Are you ever like "oh the ax murderer is out tonight, probably should stay inside"? No. Do ax murderer's ever announce that they are in your backyard? I think not. So, in conclusion, that is why I hate running by myself. I realize that I have a problem and should not be thinking like this, but in the world that we live in today where bad things are always happening by bad people. the fear of the unknown daunts me. I promise I am not crazy, I have just always feared being by myself because I don't know what the actions of other people are going to be. So that has been a struggle. Besides that, though, I have been on track with my whole project plan and I have no intention on changing up the plan. As for my mentor, in my last post I explained why he was a good fit for this project and he has proven me right. He has definitely pushed me and motivated me to do better. Honestly, while I am running and he is telling me to keep going, I kind of second guess my decision for having him as my mentor... But then I remember that he is just doing what I have asked him to do for this project, and I realize that he is the best mentor I could ask for and that I am very happy that I chose him. He has definitely been a great help for this project. 

So in conclusion... my project is going well. 

The Interview

The Interview

       So I conducted an interview with my mentor, which is my dad, and I transcribed it below. It goes in depth as to why I think that he is a good fit for the job of being my mentor. Also, you might want to keep in mind that although my dad was being serious during most of the interview, he still had his random bursts of rather humorous sarcasm, so you might see a little bit of that in the interview.

Q: First of all, what is your name and occupation?

A: My name is Tosh Johndreau, and my occupation is a paramedic... I save lives for a living.

*Also, as a side note, I would like to add that my dad has a phone and tablet repair business, called Mobile Device Medic. So if you have a broken device, don't be afraid to hit him up. Sorry, I just had to get in that promo for him.

Q: What started you on becoming a paramedic?

A: Well, you see, the year was... Actually I don't know the year. Um, I always wanted to be a chef, so I got into the restaurant and hospitality business. With one of the restaurants I managed, they wanted the managers to get their first responders. So in doing that it got me interested in furthering my education in the medical field. I went and talked to a counselor about becoming a paramedic and they told me I should become a firefighter first, because I would get burnt out with being a paramedic and I needed something to fall back on. So I went and got my firefighter and EMT basic. While I was working as a firefighter, I decided that I really liked the medical side more and wanted more understanding of it so I went on to become a paramedic.

Q: What level of fitness did you have to be in to go through fire academy and be a firefighter?

A: During fire academy we had to run a minimum of a mile a day and did an average of 2-3 hundred push-ups a day. It took a lot of motivation, effort, and not only pushing yourself, but others. We were tested before fire academy for our physical fitness and then after fire academy to see how much we improved. I improved significantly by the end of fire academy and was able to go from running one mile to ten miles, along with more push-ups and other exercises. 

Q: Do you feel like the skills that you have acquired make you a good mentor for my project?

A: I feel like it could make me a good mentor, but also motivate me to be where I need to be physically.

Q: How exactly will you use those skills to guide me?

A: All it takes to be physically motivated is to mentally motivate yourself first. So I think working together we can be a motivation for each other. Maybe get some others in the household to jump on the little bandwagon too.

So I think that this interview kind of shows why I chose my dad as my mentor. He not only has the experience of being healthy physically, but he also has experience in motivating others and helping them push themselves. I think that my mentor will be a huge motivation and help for my project.

The Proposal - 20% Project

20% Project

The Proposal

1. What is your project?

For this project I will basically be training for a 5k run, called the color run, and I will just be preparing for that. Also for anybody who does not know what a color run is, its just like a normal 5k race but you get colorful powder shot at you. Fun, right?

      2. Who will work with you on this project?

On this project I have chosen to work by myself.

      3. Who is the audience for this project?

The audience for this project is anyone who wants to run in a race type thing, like what me and my people are doing, or someone who just needs motivation to be more active. 

      4. Why is this project worthwhile?

This project is worthwhile because it will help prepare other people who want to be in a race and also help those signed up a race to not feel like they are going to die during the race (which is always a plus). 

      5. What do you expect to learn from this project?

I expect to learn more about having a healthy lifestyle and the different ways that you can be active and train. 

      6. What product will you have to show at the end of the year?

Ummm.... Uhh... A color stained t-shirt...

      7. What sort of expenses will be involved in your project and how will you cover them?

The only expense is what it took to enter the actual color run. Besides that, though, there will be little to no expenses, thankfully because I am cheap. 

      8. What sort of equipment will you need and how will you get it?

The only equipment that I really need is training equipment, like running shoes, a jump rope, etc.. But I already have all of that. 

      9. What is your timeline for completing your project?

Well the actual color run is on May 7th, so I have to be ready to do that. I hope to be fully prepared for the run on the 7th. Hopefully I can continue to train after the run and not immediately go back to the couch.

Now for my action plan:

My goal is to run the color run on May 7th. I am going to reach my goal by training everyday for the race. I plan to be able to run a mile without stopping by April 15th, then be able to run a full 3 miles without stopping by April 29th, and finally be able to run in the color run without stopping on May 7th. I am thinking about asking my dad to be my mentor, because he likes being active but he also will push me past what I think I can do or accomplish. The obstacles that I expect to face include finding the time to train that doesn't interrupt the other things that I have going on during that day, trying to not be lazy, and also staying motivated. I plan to overcome these obstacles by planning out my day and finding the right time to train, by not allowing myself to watch a season of Grey's Anatomy when I should be training, and lastly by realizing that I have to stay motivated in order to get a good grade on this project *sigh*.