When did cardio become so…different?
Have you ever wondered how we went from playing tag at recess right after lunch to counting calories while lifting weights heavier than our backpacks, or even ourselves?
More than ever, students have glamorized Pilates and weightlifting, often pairing them with strict “clean eating” in pursuit of a specific body size or gym girl aesthetic.
Remember when it used to be easy? No complicated cardio plans or meal prepping, just running through wet grass, trying to figure out who was “It” in a game of tag.
Cathy Sullivan, the assistant director for fitness and wellness at Dixon Recreation Center, has seen this shift firsthand.
According to Sullivan, “The biggest shift over the past two decades isn’t how we define ‘working out,’ but how we define an ‘athlete.’”
She emphasizes how fitness has evolved from a narrow focus on cardio and weight loss to something much broader.
“Today, we recognize everybody as an athlete. Structured exercise benefits everyone by improving strength, endurance, mental health, and quality of life across the lifespan,” Sullivan says.
Today, more people than ever want to work out, but are they doing it to become their best selves and reach personal goals, or because gym culture has become normalized and unavoidable?
Sullivan believes social media plays a key role. “Today, social media emphasizes body positivity while still pushing muscularity for all genders, framed as ‘strength.’ The pressure is not necessarily greater; it is different,” Sullivan explains.
She also notes that promoting constant accessibility to workouts without balancing time and energy can leave people feeling overwhelmed and unable to keep up.
This raises a critical question. Has the internet fundamentally changed how we perceive exercise compared to when we were kids?
TerraAnne Johnson, the fitness and wellness formats coordinator at Dixon Recreation Center, believes it has.
“Social media has made students more self-reliant in their workouts by providing free, accessible content from trainers and influencers,” Johnson says.
Who needs a game of tag when you have a phone telling you how to exercise? You still get the endorphin rush you felt years ago while chasing friends across the playground, but now it is filtered through screens, metrics, and expectations.
As you get older, recess games fade and are replaced by personalized workout plans, calorie tracking, and performance goals.
However, Johnson warns that too much information can be harmful. “Information overload and contradictory advice can leave students feeling unsure about how to start,” she says.
Back then, teachers showed us how to play “Red Light, Green Light” or “Simon Says”.
Now, we have personal trainers, workout apps, and fitness classes tailored to nearly every interest imaginable.
But does there come a point where exercise becomes too consuming? Is it really so harmful to take a rest day?
Danielle Caldwell, Master of Public Health (MPH), and fitness and wellness coordinator at Dixon Recreation Center, encourages students to slow down.
“Drop the pressure to do it all at once. Your well-being is a lifelong effort,” Caldwell says.
She also urges students to reflect: “Take a moment for self-evaluation. What two changes would have the greatest impact on your quality of life right now?”
Maybe cardio hasn’t gotten harder, just different. And maybe finding joy in movement again means remembering why we started moving in the first place.
