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Exerciseing: A New Norm Analysis

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One November afternoon during freshman year, my world around me faded. Words turned into nonsense; my grip on my pencil loosened. I suddenly lost consciousness in class, waking up to find myself surrounded by the emergency medical services soon after. It turns out I was afflicted with Neurocardiogenic Syncope- the condition of having an overactive nervous system that leads to sudden drops in blood pressure and fainting. Although my family's support and encouragement gave me solace, I was still absolutely terrified. Because the strength of my heart was severely weakened, actions, like eating, and moving, were now done in extreme moderation to prevent faint-inducing heart palpitations. I knew exercising would alleviate my handicap, but my inability …show more content…

Spending time with teachers outside of class and studying an extra three hours a day to understand class material was the new norm. Failing to meet the high academic expectations I set for myself made me realize I couldn't continue living with this handicap. My pent up feelings of anger and discontent motivated me to exercise. The summer after freshman year, my determination to improve my heart strength pushed me to start jogging every other day. It took many frightening instances of pushing myself to nearly fainting to find the balance between aerobic efficiency and overexertion. The thought of giving up would often surface, but my ambition drove me to push forward. By slowly increasing the distance of my runs from hundreds of yards a day to a mile a day, my cardiovascular system gradually improved. By the end of summer, I felt proud to be in the best shape of my life. In retrospect, I would have never recovered hadn't I taken the first step. No matter how much I struggled, even with the support of my family and teachers, it was through my own actions that I improved. Instead of being content with complacency, I now constantly challenge myself to improve my weaknesses. It was because of this experience that I now see difficulties as opportunities for

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