My Major Goals ~
I am currently pursuing a major in Exercise Science (Bachelor of Science in Kinesiology) in the School of Health & Human Sciences at IUPUI. I am also minoring in Art as it is one of my closest hobbies that I'd like to hold onto in the future. I am pursuing a degree in exercise science because I find it fascinating how our bodies respond to exercise and what motor parts of the body help us achieve the physical goals we aim for. I love the fact that exercise science is built on the foundation of exercise physiology, anatomy, physiology, chemistry, physics, biomechanics, nutrition and so much more. I think this major can really help me achieve a better understanding of my exercise physiology.
Ever since I started exercising last year due to covid-19 quarantining, I have been fascinated by how my body is capable of doing such difficult exercises. Along with bodyweight exercises, I did many strength and conditioning workouts which only peaked my interest further. My interest was intrigued more, especially after I had lost so much weight. I weighed almost 230 pounds in the junior year of high school and now I am at 170 pounds by maintaining my weight through exercise and nutrition. I also chose this major for the simple reason being that it consists of the majority of the required courses needed for my career path.
P403 Course experience: Classes such as P403 (Theory And Practice of Cardio Exercise) have made my experience in this major more memorable and efficient. For example, this course not only taught me the importance of cardio but also the importance of what exercise means to each individual. This course taught me that exercise can be what you make it out to be. An experience from this course that's a perfect representation is the video project we recently created in groups of 4. During the process of planning for our step-cardio routine, my teammates and I realized that we had never truly done any sort of step-cardio. So, watching some videos on YouTube and a quick internet search helped us create a "fun" step routine. When we actually filmed it, we couldn't believe how effectively sweaty we all were. we underestimated the routine but ended up enjoying the workout way more than we could have imagined.
My career goals ~
I chose the career path of Physical Therapy. After I have completed my bachelor's in Exercise Science, I would like to apply to PT school and pursue becoming a Physical Therapist. So, why am I interested in this career path, if I seem to like the concept of strength and conditioning more? Well, the simplest answer to this is that I want to help heal people who want to start moving and exercising again. Or this can also apply to people who just want to get past their physical limitations that have occurred through a vital injury or something in relation. Movement is the most precious gift from our body to us as individuals. Being able to walk, lift weights, get on our tiptoes to reach for books on a bookshelf, or evening having the ability to perform heavy weight-bearing exercises at the gym. Our body does so much for us but sometimes, under unfortunate circumstances... that gift can be snatched away easily if we're not careful with our injuries that may have occurred.
I want to be able to give back control to individuals over their bodily movements. I want my future patients to understand the science behind the exercises they'll be performing and how it will help them recover from whatever physical mobility issues they might be suffering through.
I lost my power to do certain exercises I wanted to for a few months due to an injury to my coccyx because of a fall down the stairs on my tailbone. That might have been the worst stopping point of my life because not being able to exercise the way I wanted, frustrated me beyond imagination. After being put in that situation, I also want to help others to overcome it if I can through my learned knowledge, my schooling and experience.
In Conclusion
Even if I am attracted to strength and conditioning, as of my personal physical goal, I want to become a physical therapist for my personal preference of giving back to the community. My body connects to strength and condition where my mind and heart connect to physical therapy. I have the aim to be a physical therapist because I relate to the patients and can understand the psychological war they go through during rehabilitation. Even if my injury set me back for merely eight months, I can at least empathize a little bit with the constant internal battle. Some patients will be in rehabilitation longer than others but the emotions are what connects most of the patients' experiences in rehabilitation. I want to help better their therapy process both physically and mentally. This is why I believe that physical therapy is the best career path for me.