FREE ESSAY ON HEALTH AND BODY

HEALTH AND BODY

In all parts of life there are periods of adversity that we must face, the real challenge
however, is what and how we gain from conquering those trials. There have been many times
that I have been faced with adversity, it has happened in all aspects of my life at one
time or another. Whether it is dealing with the ups and downs of hockey or balancing the
pressure that comes with an elite hockey schedule and high school, there are always
obstacles. Some of these challenges can bring about positive effects that influence the
path of one's life. In one such experience of mine, the amount of adversity was not near
as great as the positive out come that came from my experience. It happened when I was
thirteen, I suffered a hockey injury that helped me to realize the area I wanted to study
and hopefully have career in. The time it took me to rehabilitate my shoulder was a time
of great learning for me but it also came with a great deal of adversity. It was an
injury that sidelined me for weeks while at the same time pushed me on my way to a new
work ethic and a new enthusiasm for learning. 
When I was in grade seven, I was playing my second year of peewee hockey and playing for
my junior high school team as well. The junior high league allowed checking and the
peewee league did not. Because of this I was not accustomed to the new aspect of hockey
brought on by checking. I was injured in an intense game against our rival junior high,
which was filled with plenty of checking. I was on the receiving end of a brutal check
from behind which is something not permitted in any league, the player that hit me
received a penalty and a game expulsion. I tried to continue playing but it was no use, I
was barely able to raise my arm. I ended up in the hospital where the doctor informed me
that I had severely dislocated my left shoulder and would have to miss up to three weeks
of play. I had never been forced to miss hockey because of an injury before and it was
the worst news I had ever heard. The time I missed from hockey was one of the most
difficult periods I had been through up to that point. 
The doctor at the hospital referred me to a physiotherapist, whom I met with three times.
The physiotherapist, who seemed to be a little unfamiliar with my injury, gave me an
exercise program that was supposed to heal my shoulder. Because the doctor and
physiotherapist I initially met with were not sports specialists I would later be
confronted with the fact that a dislocated shoulder takes more than just a few weeks to
heal and it can't actually be determined how long it takes until it has been healed. I
religiously followed the exercise program given to me by my physiotherapist but was
seeing minimal improvement. 
After the initial three weeks was over I was still in a great deal of pain and still had
trouble moving my arm. As obvious as the fact that I could not play was, I still tried to
convince my parents that I could return to playing hockey. They felt it was better for me
to have it checked by a specialist. Because I was still feeling pain I decide to take
their advice. My dad arranged an appointment with one of the top orthopaedic/sports
medicine specialists in Nova Scotia. She examined my shoulder and found that my previous
rehabilitative regime was ineffective, the damage was worse than I had thought and she
told me that I would not be able to participate in any contact sport for the next three
to six weeks. 
A referral from this doctor sent me to a physiotherapist and then a kinesiologist who
gave me a different, more rigorous exercise program that produced great improvement to my
shoulder. This program was much harder physically and took much more commitment to
follow. I was getting up one hour earlier for school each morning so that I could do the
exercises twice a day. I had never had to work so hard at something before in my life but
returning to hockey as soon as possible was something I was very determined to succeed
at. 
While following this program I gained a strengthened work ethic. I realized for the first
time that to accomplish something as big and as important as this, it would take a desire
that out weighed all other distractions; I had made returning to hockey my main priority.
This new understanding of the commitment it took to overcome such obstacles gradually
showed up in other areas later on in my life. 
Along with this new work ethic I also found I had developed an enthusiasm for
rehabilitative sciences. The things being told to me by the therapists and specialists
that I was regularly meeting with were fascinating to me and motivated me to try and gain
more knowledge about what they were telling me. Through things like independent research
into strength training and asking my physiotherapist as many questions as I could, I was
gaining knowledge of the human body and how it works from a muscular standpoint. The
things that I was learning about my body were a great deal easier to remember than what I
was learning at school and I was getting enjoyment out of it as well. 
The process of rehabilitating my shoulder ended up taking four weeks more than expected
but with the guidance of the new specialists I was meeting with, it went smoothly and was
a success. My shoulder healed in time for me to join my teams for play-offs and both
ended up doing quite well. That however was not the greatest achievement I gained from
the rehabilitative process. I found myself perusing the desire to acquire greater
knowledge about the human body and how it heals injuries like the one I suffered and how
that process can be improved through exercise and strength training. I researched the
Internet, libraries and health magazines trying to find as much information as I could
about this interest I was developing. 
As time went on I continued to research and was retaining the information I found, I was
not able to do this as easily with other subjects. As my knowledge grew my desire to
learn more grew along with it. Throughout my studies I noticed that much of the
information I was getting had a background in biology. My schooling to that point dealt
very little with biology. An interest in biology began to develop as a result of my
desire to learn more about sports medicine. I decided that to better understand the
things I was learning in relation to sports medicine I would take biology in high school.
When I entered grade eleven I found the biology course exhilarating, for the first time I
was enjoying what my teacher at school was teaching and I started looking forward to my
biology class. I soon determined that I wanted to further my study of both biology and
sports medicine in University. I decided the best path for me to take is to start with an
undergraduate degree in biology. 
I have recently made many sacrifices, both socially and athletically so that I can
improve my grades in other subjects in an attempt to gain entrance to a recognized
university. The other courses I have selected this year, such as chemistry and math, will
help to prepare me for my future studies. I have concentrated hard on my grades and feel
confident that my hard work will bring success in achieving my goals. I have even noticed
that my attitude toward my studies and learning is somewhat different than that of some
of my peers. 
There are other aspects of my life that I have changed and improved on as a result of
this experience that do not relate to my education. The dedication that I put into
rehabilitating my shoulder injury compelled me to continue strength training and that
later gave me an advantage over my competition in hockey. I have improved, as a hockey
player because I realized at an early age what it takes to achieve goals that are
important to you and success in hockey has been one of my most important goals. In the
past few years I have had many opportunities in hockey and have been able to take
advantage of them because I had the perseverance to fight through small set backs and
focus on the bigger picture.
My interest in sports medicine helped me to understand the importance of proper and
complete training as part of a healthy life. My health is something I take seriously as a
result of being exposed to health professionals. I have consequently developed an
enjoyment of a variety of activities that will allow me to be healthy and active
throughout my life. I am now also taking care of myself and taking precautions in my
training so I may enjoy the same benefits of an active lifestyle in the future with out
problem. I am very thankful that I was able to obtain the knowledge I have about an
active way of living because it has helped me to feel better about my health and my
body.
The experience I had with rehabilitating my shoulder was an experience that has changed
my life for the better. It has helped me to dedicate myself to things that are important
to me like my education and athletics and given me the knowledge and will power I needed
to get through times of difficulty. I now have a very healthy and active lifestyle, which
I will maintain as long as I can, and I understand the limitations I have to respect so
that I may continue it. The result I am most pleased with is the introduction I was given
to the world of biology and sports medicine. It is this growing interest that pushes me
every day to work to succeed in school so that I may pursue my interest and someday have
a career in an area that I will enjoy and dedicate myself to.