The essential question that is guiding my senior project is “how are the limitations on exercise and physical activity during the coronavirus pandemic impacting mental health?” This topic has been present in my mind because for myself and many members of my family, exercise plays an important role in maintaining our mental health, especially in regards to stress. I found that in the first few weeks of the coronavirus pandemic, I felt very overwhelmed, stressed, and anxious. However, even though I was unable to go outside, working out from home and finding creative ways to stay active gave me a sense of productivity and accomplishment. 

Before this project, I had worked on an honors project with Daniel and Nika, researching the impact of stress/anxiety on the brain. I came in with somewhat of an initial understanding of these topics, but I wanted to learn more about the science behind how exercise impacts these topics as well. Additionally, I knew about the benefits that exercise personally has for my body and mind, but I wanted to expand this and learn through interviews about how others perceive exercise and mental health, and how both of these are being impacted by the coronavirus pandemic. Through this project, I want to learn how to effectively exercise from home, and hopefully be able to teach this to others. I want to experience different types of exercise, and record how this impacts my mental health and stress levels. Along with this personal exploration, I want to learn about the science behind different types of exercise and the impact that they have on the mind and body. For example, this week I have been reading studies on the impact of yoga on the brain and why scientists believe it helps people to relax. 

The article that I read about my topic is called, “How the Fitness Industry is Responding to the Coronavirus With Digital Push.” This taught me a lot about how the fitness industry is adapting from a business-oriented perspective. It was interesting to hear about which types of companies are struggling and which are thriving, and the creative ways that entrepreneurs and influencers are working to maintain their businesses and help individuals stay active during this time.