Researching the Benefits of Exercise

Raphael Pollante, Verrazzano Class of 2023, completed major in Psychology and minor in Cinema Production

When I was deciding on a topic for my Verrazzano Honors capstone, I was told to find a topic that I was personally invested in, because I would be immersed with this topic for an entire school year. The only thing I could think of was that I am extremely passionate about exercise, primarily powerlifting.

After competing in my first powerlifting competition I realized how much I loved the sport, and how it made me feel joyful to be part of a community where everyone works to get stronger. Lifting completely changed my view on life because I am doing something to benefit me for the short-term and long-term.

Creating my hypothesis was probably the most difficult thing throughout the capstone process because lifting was too broad of a topic to discuss in terms of mental health. I decided that powerlifting, weightlifting and bodybuilding could be grouped as just exercise.

From there, I decided that resistance exercise and aerobic exercise are two forms of exercise that I see people working on at gyms, or on social media. I incorporated sub-sections of mental health to include how self-esteem, anxiety/depression, and body dysmorphia changes when a person participates in either resistance training, aerobic exercise, or both.

One thing that I learned while writing my capstone was that no matter the age, gender, ethnicity, or body type, we could all participate in any form of exercise, depending on what that person prefers.

Another thing I learned is that exercise can do so much for our mental health by making us feel good about ourselves, and making us more confident in our body. Exercise is inexpensive to do, and there are a wide range of options like powerlifting, calisthenics, running, swimming, etc.

If my project was to be developed further, I would make sure that the researchers had common knowledge between the different forms of exercise and how each exercise could affect the participants differently. I would also make sure that there is a large sample size in the experiment, as well as proper demographics for each participant before joining the experiment. To properly pursue this research, one needs to have baseline measurements throughout the experiment, as well as one year after the experiment.

All-in-all, I enjoyed writing the capstone because I was able to learn and understand reasons why people enjoy exercise, and how well it can benefit us by doing something that we enjoy. It was a tough process to complete, but I was able to do it and learn something new.