It’s just about that time of the year where the ARC and CRCE grow quiet. The clanking of weights isn’t so noisy, the tracks become less crowded and the spurt of gym rats hell-bent on fulfilling their New Year’s resolution of getting in shape quickly trails off. But don’t get used to the spacious feel the gym has now, fitness fanatics. There’s a new flock of students who are about to make your Mondays even longer; that’s right, the spring breakers. 

As the chatter gets progressively louder with spring break only a month away, more and more students are taking advantage of their paid-in-full student fees, hitting the weight room and sauna. With the hope of developing those washboard abs and toned legs, students seek comfort in knowing that soon they will be laying on a sandy beach with all of their friends, skimpily dressed, soaking in the sun. It’ll undoubtedly be a trip of a lifetime, filled with plenty of laughs and lots of booze.

But, is there a mentality we as students are adopting that makes us believe that a hasty solution to changing our body image is plausible, or even acceptable?

Are we striving to develop the body image of a King Leonidas (“300” is a sweet movie by the way) to impress the ladies and stand out amongst our friends?

It makes me wonder if we conform to the notion that we must look good in some fashion. Or maybe that going to the gym provides a sense of achievement to those spring breakers, who then look to the trip as the real reward. However one chooses to frame it, there’s a real issue going on that we seemingly forget to address: health is an all year round thing, not a convenient fix.

While there are plenty of students who are dedicated to improving their overall health and are committed to incorporating the gym into their hectic college schedules, this recurring wave of aspiring health enthusiasts are missing a common patience shared among the devoted few. Surely, the squats and deadlifts must wait; the glamour muscles have to come first. 

It’s no secret — our need to have a great-looking body comes from numerous influences in popular culture. We see it in the movies, the magazines, on YouTube and from an influx of junk mail promoting fat-burners and the newest dietary plans. By those standards, if you don’t look like a fitness model, you clearly aren’t a healthy person. 

But the problem with this craze is dual-pronged. 

The first issue being that the actual construct of the “perfect” body isn’t entirely a result of tireless hours spent at the gym aided by risky supplementation. If this were the case, every single person could grace the cover of “Muscle and Fitness” or put out their own home-workout DVD set. The second issue is a relative effect of the first, where people seek a “quick fix.” Similar to the diesel fuel a Mercedes requires to run efficiently, our body’s design has much to do with proper nutrition more so than routine exercise. 

The irony of students who yield to such a capricious ideology — that they can remodel their body quickly — is detrimental to their physical and mental health. More often than not, one does not take into account other behaviors that hinder their health, including binge drinking, recreational drug use and sleep deprivation. Perhaps if we were to re-evaluate our actions, we could foster an appreciation for how invaluable our total health really is. It’s a test of character, no doubt.

And despite various constraints that shackle us into adhering to the financial burdens that we face as college students, we all have a choice to live a certain lifestyle. It’s with this that I must say there is no quick fix. The path of unwarranted supplementation can be a slippery slope. Life, like college, is tough. We must accept that anything you want to do in life will take hard work and an unparalleled work ethic if you want to achieve your dreams. The difference in the dedicated gym rats vs. the spring breakers speaks volumes of who they are and what they embody. 

This spring break, I won’t be enjoying a game of beach volleyball and a night out on the town with my friends. Instead, I will read a book or two, with the hopes of improving my spiritual self. I will eat a balanced and fruitful diet that will positively contribute to a greater overall health. And again, it will be a time where the gym grows quiet — where you can find me working hard now and forever. 

Imran is a sophomore in DGS. He can be reached at [email protected].