AndersonOAC EnglishLife in RollerbladesI have often felt that the people who asked me why I rollerblade were sorry they did. Perhaps they thought they were going to get a quick, canned reply like "I enjoy it" or "Its fun." Instead, they discover their question triggers a more complex response. There are various reasons why I strap my feet into a pair of boots on wheels each and every day. Rollerblading reduces body fat and strengthens the heart, improves physical health, raises self-esteem, and sets a good example. Each of these reasons is why I haven’t put my blades down for more than a day in the past three years.At the age of 16, I went to a health fair and learned that approximately 20 percent of my body's weight was fat! I was so disappointed, since that was about five percent above what was considered healthy for an average young man of my age. To add to the emotional injury, I also learned that my resting pulse rate was 80 beats per minute (bpm). A young man with strong heart muscles has a pulse rate of 70 bpm or less. I now had the evidence I needed to tell me that a change in lifestyle was required. I decided to start an exercise program using a pair of rollerblades I had received as a gift from a previous birthday. I started slow the first day, blading about a mile and almost not even making it back up the hill to my house. During the next couple of months, I gradually increased my distance to three miles, which I have maintained for about three years. As a result, I reduced my body fat to about 14 percent and my resting pulse to about 65 bpm. At last, success!My parents frequently stressed good health as the most important thing in life. As I continued to rollerblade, I began reading articles about good health. They confirmed that the new way I was exercising was even better than I had imagined. Rollerblading is also very good for the immune system. My personal experience shows that not only has my number of il...
