Dear Editor:
We need a gym.
Many people have wondered why the town of Gore Bay doesn’t have a gym, when it is in desperate need of one. Exercising improves mental health, helps promote long lasting healthy lifestyles, and reduces obesity. Your body feels great after a workout and you also feel better about yourself.
How exercise benefits your mental health: A workout helps you feel good about yourself and it improves your mental health. In today’s society, teens and adults are struggling with anxiety, depression and other mental illnesses. It’s said that just walking fast for about 35 minutes a day at least five times a week or 60 minutes a day three times a week has significant benefits to your mental health. Youth are at a higher risk of depression and the problem keeps growing. Exercise can help improve mental health, even by just walking.
Living a long lasting happy life: We need to start promoting a healthy lifestyle at a young age. That means eating healthy, following the Canadian food guide, and exercising daily. Without a public gym in Gore Bay part of this is not possible. It’s said that just walking for 20 minutes an evening can help prevent the chances of a heart attack or stroke, so if we promote a healthy lifestyle then our youth will have a better, healthy life. It sounds easy enough to just walk daily, but this becomes difficult in the winter, so with a gym in Gore Bay the public would have access to treadmills.
Obesity is bigger than you think: Obesity can lead to larger health issues like high blood pressure, diabetes, and many other issues. It’s said that around six million Canadians are living with obesity. About one in every four adults and one out of every 10 children struggle with obesity in Canada. Without a gym in Gore Bay, these statistics are going to keep growing.
We definitely need a gym in Gore Bay to help reduce mental illnesses, promote a healthy living lifestyle, help prevent obesity and help people who are already are obese. The town even has the space for it, which could be in the old fire hall or the red roof tea room. Both are older, which would mean lower costs to rent and lower gym membership costs, which could potentially cost nothing if we get the right sponsorships and complete fundraising initiatives. These buildings are also located in town and would be very accessible to the community. The more affordable and accessible the gym is to the community, the more people will use it.
Sincerely,
Alanna McFadden
Gore Bay
Grade 11 student
