According to a study by Preventive Medicine, the older we get, the less we exercise.

  It also found that 19 year olds are as sedentary and inactive as 60 year olds.

  The facts are alarming, but it looks like many students at Eastern are taking charge of their health. Now, more than ever, students are joining gyms, especially driving seniors and juniors. Among the most popular include Planet Fitness, Virtua Fitness, and Echelon Health and Fitness.

  Planet Fitness, the most popular gym, with a membership at $10 a month, making it the most fiscally feasible for the working or even non-working high school student. Other memberships can cost around $20-$100, depending on the type of plan.

  For students, picking a gym comes down to convenience.

  “It’s [Planet Fitness]  right by my house and only 10 bucks a month,” said senior Kaylee Barrett.

  For others who already participate in sports, it’s a hassle to even make the trip.

  “Going to the gym is inconvenient for me with having to go to school, go to swim right after, and then come home and do homework,” said senior Adena Cohen, who prefers to do her workouts through school sports or at home.

  “I do yoga/pilates videos from a youtuber named Boho Beautiful. Her workout videos are typically holding planks and doing different exercises in plank position, crunch position, and lunge positions to work the legs,” she said. “Working out on my own has made me the strongest I have ever been because her videos are challenging.”

  Many enjoy the community spirit of the gyms, often going with other teens to workout together, attend special classes, or work with a personal trainer.

  Gyms like Echelon Fitness specialize in many classes, such as dance, yoga, and spin.

  Morgan Wurster, a senior, said that she belonged to Planet Fitness, but decided to switch to Retro Fitness “because they have fun classes, like zumba.”

  Often, those who go to the gym or who are into lifestyle fitness like to use social media to share their progress with followers or Snapchat friends. Fitness gurus, like the previously mentioned Boho Beautiful, like to track their progress with their followers, decked out in workout gear and posing athletically on a beach or with a scenic mountain scene in the background.

   Instagram is also seeing a trend of “Body Transformation” posts, portraying someone’s weight loss, often with a side-by-side comparison of their “before” and “after.” With social media being such an overbearing presence on the lives of young people and influencing how we view ourselves, many said that these kind of posts mounted pressure on them or inspired them to be more fit and exercise more, and joining a gym was just that first step to attaining more confidence and implementing a more fit lifestyle.

  And while people find that “push” to be fit online, many get motivation from personal trainers and one-on-one training in gyms. Anacapri Slack, a sophomore, uses an athletic trainer for this specific reason.

   While America frets about the health of its citizens and obesity rates, the gym habits of teenagers and students are working towards a healthier and more fit mind, body, and soul.