Transcript
Kat Clark
3/15/18
PHL 103
Cartesian Dualism
Mind-Body Problem: Running and Physical Exercise
To go from sitting in bed to working out at the gym or running is quite difficult. You know you should get up and workout, but the bed is probably comfortable. It takes an underlying motivation to get up from bed and make the choice to exercise. Without this motivation humans would not be able to possess to motivation it takes to start exercising and continue to exercise. I challenge myself to run every single day, unless there is an outside force not letting me do so. To be able to do this I have to be in physical shape. Being in a state of physical shape or fitness allows me to run faster and go on longer runs so that I can improve my physical fitness. To be able run or exercise consistently it is not only important to be in shape physically, but mentally. Running is difficult sometimes and this often causes the mind to give up. In high school my cross-country coach would always tell the team, “Mind over miles”. To run a certain distance or time, you also need to be mentally in shape. This state of being mentally in shape is important because it allows us to be motivated to exercise. Also, during exercise the mind needs to present so that we can think clearly and continue to push our bodies through the workout. Running is about how far both the mind and the legs (body) can take you. It takes both the body being in physical shape and the mind being trained to motivate our bodies to do the exercise. If you lack either one of these states of being in shape, it is difficult to start exercising and to continue exercising.
Another way to look at running and exercising is that we do not need to search for and have motivation because it is embedded in our biological composition and a part of our DNA. Therefore, the mind would not need to be present for us to exercise. People would not have the excuse that they lack motivation, because motivation would come naturally to humans. The mind would not need to be trained to motivate the body to exercise and push through the challenges that come with working out. Only our bodies would have to be physically fit. Instead of having to be mentally fit, motivation would naturally allow us to be motivated to run or exercise.
If motivation came naturally to humans, the world would not have as many problems regarding obesity and people would not lack motivation to exercise. While this would solve these types of problems, it is simply not true. Motivation does not lie in our biology. It is not something that we study when learning about the anatomy of the human body. Humans are composed of both a material body and an immaterial mind, which cannot work without the existence of each other. In the example of running and exercise, the body needs to be in shape physically for a person to run. A person also needs to be motivated to a) start exercising to get in shape, b) continue to maintain or improve physical fitness, and c) push through tough workouts or challenges that exercising presents. People need to be able motivate themselves and this involves the mind because possessing motivation is not innate to human beings. This motivation is then presented in the various ways in which people choose to exercise, such as running, and these ways require work from the body. Both the mind and the body need to be present when exercising.
