Exercise, Exercise, Exercsie

When I came to UCSD one year ago, I was skinny, frail, and less than confident. People would always talk about being worried about the "freshman 15"; I actually wanted to gain the freshman 15 — 15 pounds of muscle! High school wasn't the best time for me, physically. Sure, I did some parkour here and there, some karate, PE, but I didn't feel healthy or sexy. (Now, of course, I've learned that there is a lot more to being sexy than muscles — like brains!)

When I got to UCSD, I was determined to put a little meat on my bones. As soon as I found out I was in Warren College over the summer, I looked for the nearest gym and pool and even planned my class schedule around times to work out. Perhaps I was a little eager, but it helped a lot, and I over the course of my first year at UCSD, I have learned how to stay physically healthy, have fun through athletics, and even get a little muscle on (rawr).

My first stop was the Natatorium, a massive indoor pool in Muir. I wanted a swimmer's body, and swimmers swim, right? I swam three times a week in the beautiful and modern pool at the Natatorium and was feeling great. I'd take my towel, my flip-flops, and my trunks and hop on a campus loop to get there. Sometimes I would swim for so long that I'd be late to class and show up in my wet trunks having just got out of the pool!

The Natatorium was great, but when I found out about the much nearer, more spacious Canyon View Pools right next to Warren, walking to the Natatorium seemed like walking to China! The Canyon View Pools are great outdoor pools quite near Warren with more than 15 lanes open for swimmers, and even their own weight room to get those muscles pumping. The best

part is, though, the steaming hot tub that you can sit in whenever you want, after a strong swim or a long run, or just to relax on a beautiful day. If you wanted to get some exercise, you could try pulling me out of there!

Swimming (and hot-tubbing) is great, but to really build muscle, you have to lift some weights. And what better place to look than the weight room at RIMAC, the biggest and newest gym on campus. RIMAC is amazing; you walk up to it and it's like a monster staring you down. But don't be intimidated (by it, or by the tall hill you have to climb to get to it); RIMAC is the ultimate resource for anything athletic. I was in the weight room all the time, "pumping iron," tearing those muscle fibers, and really improving my strength and anaerobic ability. I love the weight room so much I even got a job there!

When the weather got too cold for swimming (bear in mind, "too cold" is a subjective term -- I'm from SoCal), I headed deeper into RIMAC to find the mysterious racquetball courts below. I had never played racquetball in my life, but a fellow student taught me and quickly I became addicted. I would get a friend, whoever I could find, to come down and play a few games with me. Racquetball is an extremely fun sport; it's like elementary school handball combined with tennis and then set about 5 times faster. And it's not as dangerous as you might think! Racquetball served (pun!) as an aerobic break between lifting and was just a great way to have fun and let out some steam. I played almost every day during the winter, even alone sometimes because I wanted to play so much!

When the weather warmed up again, I decided to leave the RIMAC basement and come back outside. Instead of racquetball, I would go running almost everyday, sometimes alone and sometimes with a good friend (or a new friend I wanted to get to know better!). I would try to run to a place on campus I had never seen before; I would run the 4.3-mile campus loop and see how few stops I could make on the way; my best friend Matt and I would run to Tioga Hall, a res hall in Muir with a view of the ocean, and climb its 10 stories just to see the view. Eventually, I discovered my all time favorite exercise activity; running to Black's Beach. The beach is beautiful, epic, and sublime, and running became less an exercise and more a mode of transportation just to see such a feat of natural beauty. I love running free on the beach, the ocean waves crashing 10 feet away from me, and feeling of being one with nature. Plus, part of Black's is clothing optional! (I'll let you fill in the details.)

The point of this is to show you that being physical is very easy and highly recommended. And I haven't even scratched the surface of all the things you can do at UCSD! Exercise is one of the best things you can do not just for you body, but also for your mind. Take a break from studying and take a jog around campus. Bored? Run to the beach and back. Exercising is not only healthy, but also good for your spirit. Exercising causes your brain to release endorphines, which make you happy. You can use exercise to be social or solitary; it's up to you! I often run alone just to reflect, but I met my best friend and fellow orientation leader Matt through our mutual love for swimming. It's also the perfect way to de-stress!

I really encourage you to get out there and exercise. Be happier, be healthier, make some friends, have some alone-time, get that hot body you've always dreamed of. UCSD has everything you'll ever need!

Good luck and have fun!

Noah Greifer

Freshman OL Group #7