There I was, sweat dripping into my eyes, my heart pounding out of my chest, with legs that felt barely recognizable to the rest of my body. Yet there I was, enjoying the feeling. How did this happen? How did the girl, who had never set foot into a gym, end up training for a half marathon?
I was never the most athletic person. To be fair, I always enjoyed leisurely exercise, like going on a hike on the weekends, or canoeing at my cottage, but never came close to a “jock”. So when I started to consider a degree in kinesiology, it was understandable that I was met with some confusion. “Do you even play sports?” “How are you going to fit in with people who work out all the time?” I wasn’t even sure myself, but opposed to what seemed like most …show more content…
Before coming to Queen’s, I knew the basics and had the resources to exercise, yet still chose not to, implying that informational and instrumental support were not effective predictors of my decision to engage in physical activity. What really transformed when I came to Queen’s was my social circle. Suddenly, I found myself surrounded by a group of athletic, and health-conscious peers. I now had friends whose priorities were staying active. Their emotional support, companionship, and validation all influenced my engagement in physical …show more content…
The concept of validation can also be explained as normative beliefs, or the perceived customs or values held by a social group (Crocker, 2016). The normative beliefs I held about physical activity shifted as I started to surround myself with highly active people. I began to view exercise as a normal, almost essential, part of life. This shift resulted in me going to the gym and running regularly, as I developed healthy habits and exercise routines. I eventually started to participate in races which is when I started to really feel the “validation” aspect of social support. I not only compared my performance in races to others, but also compared my training habits leading up to the races. I found myself participating in upwards social comparison, as I aspired to run like the people I raced against. This change in validation support motivated me to train harder, leading to an eventual increased performance. From there, I signed up for more races, increasing the distance every time. My newest goal is to run a half marathon in the spring. If I was never exposed to people who were as committed as I became, my performance would likely never progress. In order to become your best version of yourself, you need to see others doing the
I was never the most athletic person. To be fair, I always enjoyed leisurely exercise, like going on a hike on the weekends, or canoeing at my cottage, but never came close to a “jock”. So when I started to consider a degree in kinesiology, it was understandable that I was met with some confusion. “Do you even play sports?” “How are you going to fit in with people who work out all the time?” I wasn’t even sure myself, but opposed to what seemed like most …show more content…
Before coming to Queen’s, I knew the basics and had the resources to exercise, yet still chose not to, implying that informational and instrumental support were not effective predictors of my decision to engage in physical activity. What really transformed when I came to Queen’s was my social circle. Suddenly, I found myself surrounded by a group of athletic, and health-conscious peers. I now had friends whose priorities were staying active. Their emotional support, companionship, and validation all influenced my engagement in physical …show more content…
The concept of validation can also be explained as normative beliefs, or the perceived customs or values held by a social group (Crocker, 2016). The normative beliefs I held about physical activity shifted as I started to surround myself with highly active people. I began to view exercise as a normal, almost essential, part of life. This shift resulted in me going to the gym and running regularly, as I developed healthy habits and exercise routines. I eventually started to participate in races which is when I started to really feel the “validation” aspect of social support. I not only compared my performance in races to others, but also compared my training habits leading up to the races. I found myself participating in upwards social comparison, as I aspired to run like the people I raced against. This change in validation support motivated me to train harder, leading to an eventual increased performance. From there, I signed up for more races, increasing the distance every time. My newest goal is to run a half marathon in the spring. If I was never exposed to people who were as committed as I became, my performance would likely never progress. In order to become your best version of yourself, you need to see others doing the