The youth information portal Teeviit interviewed Sandra Raju to discuss mental and physical health.
– Have you been athletic and full of energy ever since you were little?
Just today, I went to Kurtna school to talk to the youth about sport and being active, and the head teacher asked me a similar question. This made me realise yet again that vigour in life and what we do must be something you don’t see much of on a daily basis. This is interesting to me because it’s much easier to be positive and energetic than negative and sad. So my answer is yes, I’ve been athletic and full of energy since I was a child and I think that on the one hand, it’s a firm habit, but on the other hand, it’s a conscious choice I’ve made. I’ve made the decision to have a positive outlook, which also helps me manage and share my energy better. But I feel the need to also mention that I’m not always like this – I can be completely apathetic, drained of energy, glum and dispirited in the evenings or on more difficult days (or even weeks). At the same time, I also believe that this is a part of life and the art of living – we’re all human, everyone has a hard time sometimes. We all have periods where we don’t have the strength or will or can’t be bothered, and that’s normal. It’s completely okay to be sad!
For example, I get energy from the people around me, but the opportunity to recharge myself, to rest and take it easy is very important to me. Rest is for the strong!
In general, I’m forever grateful to my parents who encouraged me to be athletic – athleticism, the ability to push myself and being ready for change and unpredictable moments has helped me manage life so much better.
– Do mental health and sport go hand in hand?
Definitely. It’s also scientifically proven that exercise helps maintain the balance of mental health. If you’re still unsure or feel like it’s something you wish to know more about, go to peaasi.ee and read about it.
– What’s your recipe for happiness? How to be cheerful and athletic?
Like I said before, I believe that being cheerful and positive is a choice. Whether you’re happy doing it is another matter. Many things bring happiness and I often try to find it in the little things and from within myself.
I’ve chosen to see the positive sides of situations, but that doesn’t mean that I somehow ignore the negative. When I’m having a hard time and I’m sad, I allow myself to feel those moments and emotions as well. If there’s something inside me that wants to come out, I let it come, be it crying or laughing.
When I feel like it, I laugh non-stop. If I need to, I cry. The worst thing for me is when there is something within me and I have to withhold it, keep it hidden in myself.
– Could you share some tips to motivate the youth to exercise?
Tip 1 – exercise not because you HAVE to, but because you CAN! If you have arms, legs, eyes, a mouth, ears, all the functioning parts of your body, then exercising is a privilege. Think of the many people who can’t move. Use this opportunity!
Tip 2 – set yourself goals. If you know what you’re striving towards, then you don’t need motivation. In this case, the will and desire come from within you.
Tip 3 – understand that you’re exercising for yourself, not for anyone else. Being active is life and an active body is a strong body.
Tip 4 – sport gives you the opportunity to meet new people. Sport has connected me with star athletes, artists, CEOs and other fascinating people. Sport has granted me career opportunities and unforgettable experiences for life. People in sports are generally more positive and have a more optimistic outlook on life as well. These are the people I want to surround myself with!
– Why is exercise important and how can you keep yourself in shape mentally and physically without having to exercise like crazy? Is it even possible?
If you want to be a top athlete, then definitely not. If sport is your job, you have to exercise like crazy. However, if you don’t want to be a top athlete, choose a sport you like – even intense training won’t seem so difficult then. My recommendation is to learn to enjoy intense training as well and think that if you can to THAT, what ELSE can you do in your life? No effort is indefinite – it will be over and after that you will be stronger and more aware of your abilities, both in regard to sport and beyond it.
Sport is a great teacher – use it.
– Which exercise would you recommend for young people who don’t want to do strenuous workouts, but to just keep their mind cheerful and their spirits raised?
I’d rather ask why they don’t want to do strenuous workouts. What’s wrong with these workouts? It’s going to sound like the talk of a 65-year-old almost retired trainer, but life is hard and by doing hard workouts you will train yourself to cope better in life. If we always ran away from all the hard stuff we have to do in life, then we would never get anywhere. We would just stand in one place for our whole lives and that would be boring, wouldn’t it? School is difficult too, but you handle it – you study, make an effort, learn, take the exam and succeed. Look at that success!
Sport is exactly the same – you really need hard workouts sometimes. Sometimes you also need to feel that you can’t do it, that you will fail and everyone else is better than you, but these are the situations that teach you the most. If you were the smartest, the best, the most skilful and the most successful in your training/school/class, then you would have no one to learn from. Your opportunities for development would be lacking. I see sport as a preparation for life. If I’m able to push myself when doing sports, I’ll learn to push myself in life.
Hard workouts are so good! These are the workouts that build you up the most. Me and my self-discipline for sure. I really enjoy strenuous training.
However, I’d like to add that exercise doesn’t have to be hard all the time. If you really feel that competitive sport is not for you and you just want to exercise, that’s okay too. I recommend choosing something you enjoy, something that is challenging, but also provides some variety. And don’t be scared to change your sport. If you feel like a certain sport is not quite right, try something else. I’ve been to so many different types of training in my life that it makes my head spin.
Exercise doesn’t have to be a hard and unpleasant activity, but if you want to advance, to improve, then being slightly uncomfortable is a part of it. Just remind yourself when it gets tough and say: “I can do the difficult stuff!”
The article was written by Mia Britt Williams, a volunteer of the youth information portal Teeviit, and edited by member of the content creation and collaboration team Mariliis Lulla.
Published in the youth information portal Teeviit in 2021.
