Well, there’s a superhero in all of us…
Getting results depends on how much effort you put in, how consistent you are and what choices you make. Here’s an introduction on why we should exercise by Paul Zehr, he’s a professor of neuroscience, martial art instructor and author of the book ‘Becoming Batman’ amongst others.
Batman and training go hand in hand—that is the main focus of my book “Becoming Batman: The Possibility of a Superhero”. Superheroes—especially the full-on “human” ones like Batman, Iron Man, and Captain America—need training and fitness to be the best that they can be. And to be healthy while they save fictional realities from evil doers.
Even if most of us don’t save others from evil, most of us have some grasp of what is and what might not be healthy. There is plenty of public health messages about the dangers of smoking, the importance of a healthy and balanced diet, the need to regulate alcohol intake, and the importance of daily physical activity.
While we are aware of the benefits of active, healthy living and the importance of exercise and training, many of us struggle to start and implement a new approach. If we’re being honest we can admit that exercise is uncomfortable. Pounding heart rate, sweating, and aching muscles provide a thrill of exertion and a whole host of good outcomes. You have to push yourself to get them but it feels good to use your body to do things.
This includes using your brain! You have to use your body to do physical exercise. Your brain is helping you do the activity–in fact, you are doing the activity because your brain is making it so! In turn, the training we do helps reinforce the function of our brains and overall health. It truly is win, win, win. And winning is good.
The key thing here is that our effort is involved. Wanting things to take effort runs contrary to most of the ethos in modern society. Instead of effort we want easy most of the time. But there is real benefit and value to the effort itself. Healthy body and minds are produced by steady, deliberate effort. Physical activity and exercise are the methods we can use to achieve what we want.
While I can’t promise you’ll turn into Batman, Batgirl, Robin or any of the extended “Batman Family”, I can promise that training will improve your life. Without question, though, I can promise that when Batman is in Peterborough, Bruce Wayne trains at Fengate Gym.
And so do I.
E. Paul Zehr, PhD
Professor of Neuroscience and Kinesiology, University of Victoria
Certified Exercise Physiologist
Author of: Becoming Batman: The Possibility of a Superhero; Inventing Iron Man: The Possibility of a Human Machine; Project Superhero.
www.zehr.ca
