With hard work and sweat comes results. In recent years teenagers are becoming more aware than ever of the importance that exercise has on their health

While 29 percent of students play some type of sport to stay active, a large percent of other people go out of their way to drop a few weighted squats and hours on the treadmill at the gym to stay fit. The people who only workout at the gym versus those who use their athletic ability within their sport are now nearly equivalent.

“The options listed for school sports do not interest me,” said Junior Jazmyne Taijevon. “School sports are an on and off season while the gym is 24/7 and works with my schedule. It also has equipment that offers a variety of workouts I can do. Certain classes like HIIT (high intensity interval training), yoga, and pilates focus on parts of my body that I want to work on.”

For many, staying fit is more enjoyable when they have individual goals that can be accomplished on their own schedules and within their favorite workouts.

“I wanted to workout because I wanted to work hard at something,” said  Junior Audrey Pakulak. “I want to make myself healthy mentally as well as physically. With working out, I gain confidence and I feel better about the way I look. It gives me more energy throughout the day and I feel all of my hard work pays off when I start to see results.”

Although it varies, most students choose to attend Las Vegas Athletic Club, EOS fitness, or the crossfit club and class offered at Spring Valley.

Crossfit instructor, Michael Oliver, said that while going to the gym can help students stay fit, athletes focusing on their sport more than they workout will  enhance their agility for the sport. The athlete can exceed their limits and becomes a better player with practice and hardwork.

He said that while he prefers Crossfit because it offers greater muscular endurance and strength, the jock will benefit working on their sport rather than other components that involve a workout.

“When I was going to high school I was not as aware of the scientific benefits of weight training like I am now,” said Oliver. “We would have weight training in class and lift basic weights but nothing like how people do today. To subside with practicing the sport, student athletes should try crossfit and weight training to give somewhat mutual results.”

Sophomore Jahloni Blair, said he stays active by playing basketball because it gives results better than the machines would. He uses defense slides, sprints, and other basketball workouts to allow himself to excel at a greater level than he once was.

“After finishing up at the gym I feel like I can rip someone’s head off,” said jokingly Nathan Pangelinan, track and flag football coach. “I usually just hit the weights when I workout. It releases ceptors to make you feel energized. You always want to be the strongest person in the room and I work out to be strong.”

Senior Kenneth Huang, said that some people go to the gym because of those they idolize. Students look up to those people and want to look like them in certain aspects which begins to be a stable reason why they go and run on the treadmill for hours on end or lift until their arms and legs feel like Jell-O.

17 percent of adolescents in America are obese according to the Centers of Disease Control Prevention which adds up to 12.7 million people. America is the only country in the world that is widely known for its obesity epidemic. The number on the scale do not particularly matter though.

Kristen Stewart, writer of the article “Does Muscle Weigh More Than Fat?” said that five pounds of muscle is equivalent in weight to five pounds of fat but takes up less mass. Two people who weigh 145 pounds can differ in shape and size depending on the muscle percentage within them as well as the percentage of fat they attain.

An “overweight” person can be commonly mistaken for being unhealthy when in reality they would be a perfectly healthy person consuming the right amount of fruits and veggies alongside getting their workout in their daily routine. What matters overall is the results.