500 word letter

Dear Vic,

How are things in Albany? I guess you had a much colder winter than I did here in Orlando. I’m sure you can get used to the cold, but I think it would take me a lot longer than one winter to do it.

This is my second year of living more on my own, and shopping for myself too. One trend I’ve noticed is that many of the people I see shopping for food seem overweight and out of shape. It seems to me that more than ever before (maybe I’m just noticing it now) there are more of these people who don’t really care enough about their personal habits and health. Do you see a large percentage of people around you who are like this? It could be even larger because it’s so cold in Albany and people can’t get out as much to exercise or even walk. Do you think there are more overweight people now than there was in the past? I am trying to come to a conclusion about whether or not this is really a trend. I think that it is true that more and more people these days are out of shape than ever before.

When I am on the UCF campus, of course I see mostly students, who are much younger than the general population, and are naturally in better shape. Even among these students, I see too many of them who are not taking care of their physical condition and health the way they should be. If you do see a large number of out of shape people who are not taking care of themselves, are they all older, or do you see younger people like this too? I know that you walk everywhere, and even though you are older, that keeps you in pretty good shape.

While I do feel that more people than ever before are out of shape, I also have observed that more people are trying to do something about it. You know that I work out in the gym almost every day, and try to eat well and stay healthy. Many people of all ages spend more time in gyms and getting healthy exercise doing other things like walking or biking. I think that this is an example of a positive trend, which was a result of people recognizing the unhealthy trend of lack of exercise. Do you see more people who have made this commitment to try and reverse this negative trend? Do you observe that even senior citizens are walking outside, or in malls, to stay healthier?

After seeing these trends, I have decided that now and in the future, many people will be trying to get healthier and stay in good shape. For that reason, I have decided to study for and get accreditation to become a personal trainer. You know that I am majoring in theatre, and hope to become an actor, but while I’m auditioning and hoping to get acting work, being a personal trainer will allow me to earn a living. Don’t you think that in the future, because of these trends, that more people will need and use a personal trainer to get into and stay in good physical shape? That’s what I think, so that’s the direction I will be moving towards.

Well, let me know how you’re doing and what you think about these things. Stay well and stay warm.

Your friend,

Mickey