What are the health risks of obesity? Why are so many Americans obese?
"Roughly two-thirds of American adults are overweight or obese. About 16 percent of children between 6 and 19 are carrying around too many pounds, according to the National Institutes of Health."
Obesity increases health risks for heart disease and many cancers.
Most Obesity experts believe that the reason usually isn't because of lack of willpower but because obesity is triggered in "food-rich, activity scare environments" in people who are more genetically disposed to weight gain. They strongly believe that sluggish metabolisms and out-of-control hormones, rather than sloth and gluttony, spurs the inclination to gain weight and keep it on. Even though only a small percentage of obese people are fat solely because of a sluggish metabolic gene (Schwartz)when this genetic susceptibility to weight gain is paired with an environment in which little physical effort is required to get to an abundance of cheap food, we get a "recipe for rising obesity rates".
"Experts say the answer is all around us -- in the cars we insist on using for every outing, in the giant mugs we fill with whipped-cream topped mochas, in a culture where everybody seems to be always rushing around and yet sitting still most of the time." and we live in an environment that encourages doing just that.
Weight gain comes down to this, taking in more calories than you are able to burn off.
http://www.seattlepi.com/health/189899_obesity08.html
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
Food Journal
Last night, I was a bit tardy for my afterschool club at another school because an old friend called me up. I didn't want to rush her because she was talking about her college process and asking me to help her decide between two schools. Well I got a drink with her before the class, which had condensed milk, ice, and grass root jelly. I never had it before. At first I liked it but afterwards it was too sweet. Walking with her and her friend, we passed by a place called Cup and Saucers (the owner is really nice) I go there to buy smoothies and he gave me a free glazed donut the last time I went. I waved enthusiastically at him as I passed and he waved back the same way. (He really is a very sweet person). I'm going to go in and ask how he's doing next time.
Afterwards for dinner I ate a large serving of pasta, with tomatoes, basil, and fresh mozarella. My mom cooked it for 20 minutes. I liked how the mozarella tasted because it tasted like it was fresh. I got more basil and tomatoes because I'm trying to eat more vegetables. I ate it with my mom and brother and my mom talked about summer college classes and asked if I had turned in the form yet (its due a month from now). My little brother was on the computer (an arm's length away). After eating it I felt sleepy and went to sleep because pasta is so heavy. Usually in the spring I want to eat lighter foods. I fell asleep around 9:30 and woke at 5:30 and finished my hw.
I felt really hungry afterwards so I searched through the fridge and found a ham and cheese sandwich and ate it. I was really thristy. I ended up going to the cafeteria and buying water after english was over. That was in the morning around 10:00. I was kind of hungry but I didn't want to eat the cafeteria food. After classes when it came lunchtime I went to the cafeteria and ate 6 meatballs, had 7 pieces of garlic bread(Bao lin didn't feel like eating, and Na lin gave me 1 too), and drank milk. Dinorah offered me her fries..but I have an aversion to the cafeteria fries because they're so limp and soggy and partially I think because I relate them to a story I heard about McDonald's fries; so I politely declined...I may not have been in the mood for the cafeteria food today BUT the cafeteria lady is reallly nice because she always gives me extra tuna and sometimes even seconds. Yay me! Well I think I like people who give me food. I like people who like me, or are at least decent people, which I guess are most people I know. After school I sat on a bench in front of Baruch and took a 10 minute nap because the breeze was really good and my brain felt kind of tired. It was from 3:13-3:23. I planned on taking a 20 minute nap but I didn't want to be late for class which was at 4:10. I may have taken a nap because of the meatballs, or maybe the pasta made me sleep too early and I didn't sleep too well as a result. When I got to the 13th floor there was no one there it was empty, which was strange because there were usually more people. I drank my water and continued my nap. Around 5 minutes later Leon, one of my classmates came up, and asked if I was sleeping I replied yes. But decided not to nap and go over my notes for the debate. My groupmates were pretty good at BSing, which I wish I was. They have notes too, but made up this one statistic. I can't lie, or rather I can't lie well even if I did try, so I choose not to. Well Annie came up a few minutes after Leon and she had her usual Mocha Frap and offered me some. I took it because I wanted some caffine before the debate so I'd be awake. She also gave me two bags of chips that she "stole" from her school. I think she probably got it for free at lunch. I ate one bag. The caffine was a pretty bad idea because it made me really jittery before my debate. I was actually shaking. Not noticably but I couldn't stop moving. I'm not too great at public speaking probably because the anticipation of speaking makes it worse when I actually speak. I was 4th in my group to present our argument out of the 5 people there. I was I think not that clear. Which was really bad because I actually had decent arguments...and my brain shortcircuits when its time to give them. For the rebuttal I was clear and said a good argument against my teacher's comment (the caffine affect probably died down alittle). Next time, no caffine...I'll risk drowsiness but I think caffine makes me way too hyped up especially when I'm sitting down. I think caffine and nervousness is a bad combo for me. Especially when I wasn't all that nervous beforehand, it seemed to amp it up.
Okay, so now its dinner time. My mom's going to school around dinnertime, so its leftovers. Someone from Florida visited on Sunday and there were alot of leftovers from the dinner. Its fish, vegetables, and rice, cantonese food. Yay? I think there's so much leftovers because the food wasn't that great. Its 7:03 right now. That's the end of it. Cheers.
Afterwards for dinner I ate a large serving of pasta, with tomatoes, basil, and fresh mozarella. My mom cooked it for 20 minutes. I liked how the mozarella tasted because it tasted like it was fresh. I got more basil and tomatoes because I'm trying to eat more vegetables. I ate it with my mom and brother and my mom talked about summer college classes and asked if I had turned in the form yet (its due a month from now). My little brother was on the computer (an arm's length away). After eating it I felt sleepy and went to sleep because pasta is so heavy. Usually in the spring I want to eat lighter foods. I fell asleep around 9:30 and woke at 5:30 and finished my hw.
I felt really hungry afterwards so I searched through the fridge and found a ham and cheese sandwich and ate it. I was really thristy. I ended up going to the cafeteria and buying water after english was over. That was in the morning around 10:00. I was kind of hungry but I didn't want to eat the cafeteria food. After classes when it came lunchtime I went to the cafeteria and ate 6 meatballs, had 7 pieces of garlic bread(Bao lin didn't feel like eating, and Na lin gave me 1 too), and drank milk. Dinorah offered me her fries..but I have an aversion to the cafeteria fries because they're so limp and soggy and partially I think because I relate them to a story I heard about McDonald's fries; so I politely declined...I may not have been in the mood for the cafeteria food today BUT the cafeteria lady is reallly nice because she always gives me extra tuna and sometimes even seconds. Yay me! Well I think I like people who give me food. I like people who like me, or are at least decent people, which I guess are most people I know. After school I sat on a bench in front of Baruch and took a 10 minute nap because the breeze was really good and my brain felt kind of tired. It was from 3:13-3:23. I planned on taking a 20 minute nap but I didn't want to be late for class which was at 4:10. I may have taken a nap because of the meatballs, or maybe the pasta made me sleep too early and I didn't sleep too well as a result. When I got to the 13th floor there was no one there it was empty, which was strange because there were usually more people. I drank my water and continued my nap. Around 5 minutes later Leon, one of my classmates came up, and asked if I was sleeping I replied yes. But decided not to nap and go over my notes for the debate. My groupmates were pretty good at BSing, which I wish I was. They have notes too, but made up this one statistic. I can't lie, or rather I can't lie well even if I did try, so I choose not to. Well Annie came up a few minutes after Leon and she had her usual Mocha Frap and offered me some. I took it because I wanted some caffine before the debate so I'd be awake. She also gave me two bags of chips that she "stole" from her school. I think she probably got it for free at lunch. I ate one bag. The caffine was a pretty bad idea because it made me really jittery before my debate. I was actually shaking. Not noticably but I couldn't stop moving. I'm not too great at public speaking probably because the anticipation of speaking makes it worse when I actually speak. I was 4th in my group to present our argument out of the 5 people there. I was I think not that clear. Which was really bad because I actually had decent arguments...and my brain shortcircuits when its time to give them. For the rebuttal I was clear and said a good argument against my teacher's comment (the caffine affect probably died down alittle). Next time, no caffine...I'll risk drowsiness but I think caffine makes me way too hyped up especially when I'm sitting down. I think caffine and nervousness is a bad combo for me. Especially when I wasn't all that nervous beforehand, it seemed to amp it up.
Okay, so now its dinner time. My mom's going to school around dinnertime, so its leftovers. Someone from Florida visited on Sunday and there were alot of leftovers from the dinner. Its fish, vegetables, and rice, cantonese food. Yay? I think there's so much leftovers because the food wasn't that great. Its 7:03 right now. That's the end of it. Cheers.
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
Food Cultures- Home and Corporate
At home my mom makes alot of asian dishes when she cooks, ones that her mom have taught her before. There's many different dishes and when she does cook she cooks vegetables, soups, beef, chicken, and of course rice, things you've probably seen in other restaurants except cooked with my culture's flavorings. My mom comes from sichuan and the people there are known for their taste for spicy food. Like there would be spicy tofu mixed with some kind of spicy sauce or during hot pot there will be a side for spicy food and a side with plain water. When we eat hot pot we usually have friends over. There's be stuff like fish balls, beef slices, shrimp, pigs blood, cow intestine, dumplings, vegetables, etc. My mom has also made pasta since one of her coworkers taught her and now she makes it when she feels like it, with fresh mozarella and tomatos, the sauce she does buy canned. In the summer she makes cold congee, which is rice porraige and its pretty refreshing. Oh, and when she doesn't cook, she buys takeout. She tells me that some of the stuff put on the menu is for white people because its not authenthic asian food, like beef and brocolli or Gerneral Tsao's Chicken which I thought was kind of funny, they're making food to suit American taste so it makes sense. Well when we eat dinner, we have conversations, but we also tend to do our own things. The tv isn't on because my family doesn't watch much tv except in the morning before school or work. We eat at a table and talk. So that's basically it for my family dinners.
I think with American food there's alot of junk food and fast food and also foods that has been Americanized from other cultures. McDonald's is a wellknown example of fastfood known all over the world, as well as KFC. Americans seem to be in a rush many times and the faster the better, which is how fast food came into being. On tv or movies, we'll see people saying grace over a huge dinner. Potatoes and meat is a common in American meals. I think alot of different cultures have meat in them, except Americans just tend to eat more meat like steak or hamburger or something like that. Now I think there's a health movement because of the obsietity epedemic in America alot more magazines are touting a more healthy lifestyle. So what foods are good for you or not has become something more Americans think about. I think a typical American dinner is shown on tv as a t.v. dinner like the show Married with Kids, or as a meal at a table where the people make nice conversation, things like how was your day. I think pizza, hotdogs, onion rings, and chocolate chips are American food as it is part of what the typical American will eat.
I'm a pretty simple person, or maybe just a pretty lazy person but I'll eat whatever is in front me pretty much. At school I go for the cafeteria food, because its free and I'll have whatever's there BUT there's one exception, I won't get pizza. Because I am tired of eating pizza and the pizza at the cafeteria is not always the most appealing thing in the world. I have what some may call "quirky" food habits. I think I'm open minded about diffent foods because I've been exposed to so many different kinds of foods. I like all kinds of food from every culture. Anyways with food, I tend to eat anything and everything and when I find something I really like I will eat it nonstop for weeks until I don't even want to see it anymore. I've this with quite a bit dishes like ma po tofu, egg and shrimp over rice, beef and peas over rice and I even went vegeterian for awhile. Yes, I do know that eating too much of a certain food will cause me to go allergic to it but thankfully this is not a common occurence, just every once in a blue moon. I don't eat much fast food anymore because I just don't...I've been scared off by my friend who told me the McDonald's french fries would never expire because they have the same perservative as the one people use to perserve dead bodies at funeral homes. I haven't eaten fries at McD's since or much other food. That's basically how I do food.
I think with American food there's alot of junk food and fast food and also foods that has been Americanized from other cultures. McDonald's is a wellknown example of fastfood known all over the world, as well as KFC. Americans seem to be in a rush many times and the faster the better, which is how fast food came into being. On tv or movies, we'll see people saying grace over a huge dinner. Potatoes and meat is a common in American meals. I think alot of different cultures have meat in them, except Americans just tend to eat more meat like steak or hamburger or something like that. Now I think there's a health movement because of the obsietity epedemic in America alot more magazines are touting a more healthy lifestyle. So what foods are good for you or not has become something more Americans think about. I think a typical American dinner is shown on tv as a t.v. dinner like the show Married with Kids, or as a meal at a table where the people make nice conversation, things like how was your day. I think pizza, hotdogs, onion rings, and chocolate chips are American food as it is part of what the typical American will eat.
I'm a pretty simple person, or maybe just a pretty lazy person but I'll eat whatever is in front me pretty much. At school I go for the cafeteria food, because its free and I'll have whatever's there BUT there's one exception, I won't get pizza. Because I am tired of eating pizza and the pizza at the cafeteria is not always the most appealing thing in the world. I have what some may call "quirky" food habits. I think I'm open minded about diffent foods because I've been exposed to so many different kinds of foods. I like all kinds of food from every culture. Anyways with food, I tend to eat anything and everything and when I find something I really like I will eat it nonstop for weeks until I don't even want to see it anymore. I've this with quite a bit dishes like ma po tofu, egg and shrimp over rice, beef and peas over rice and I even went vegeterian for awhile. Yes, I do know that eating too much of a certain food will cause me to go allergic to it but thankfully this is not a common occurence, just every once in a blue moon. I don't eat much fast food anymore because I just don't...I've been scared off by my friend who told me the McDonald's french fries would never expire because they have the same perservative as the one people use to perserve dead bodies at funeral homes. I haven't eaten fries at McD's since or much other food. That's basically how I do food.
Saturday, April 25, 2009
Health Unit
In our unit we explored different aspects of health such as mental, emotional, spiritual, moral, and physical. I've realized after thinking about it and I think all this and they are all connected very strongly, in ways we don't even realize sometimes. In the beginning of the unit, we had alot of fun exercise. The rolling was alot of fun. I guess its shows us how being physically healthy ties in with being emotionally healthy. Whether being physical would help with depression is up to question. But it probably helps, at least a little bit. I think being physically healthy affects your overall mood, because exercise boosts your endorphins, which in turn boosts your mood. I liked running and exercising and getting to interact with other people while doing it. Maybe that's the part of myself that's animal/human. When we had to research therapies I chose existential. One part of it that made sense to me was that courage was to be able move ahead with full dedication but paradoxically be aware that we may be wrong. For me that means that to go with what you think even though you might be wrong and being flexible enough to change if you are.
I think alot of interesting questions cropped up, one was whether we could be moral without religion and I think we can. As humans, I think we developed morality even before we developed religion. Some people think that without religion there would be nothing to "stop us" or help us restrain ourselves from doing horrible things, but I believe that we could. I believe we developed as we did because we're able to. Also recently we've been talking about moral health and what that meant. Yesterday, on Friday, we were on the roof and Andy told us the story about the woman on the train and how one of the workers bargained oral sex in exchange for her passage way. I think he was taking advantage of her, because he was bargaining something that he knew she needed and for something that was very intimate. I don't know, its kind of strange to me, because I don't understand it, what the point is in having that kind of a trade. Its meaningless and degrades sex by turning it into something you can buy. That inevitably turned the conversation to prostitution. Even if by choice, it doesn't seem to be something that can lead to anything good, despite what the movie "Pretty Woman" shows. I think most people who do something like that don't enjoy it, because they're selling themselves, they're selling something that is intimate...I think that leads to emotional health, its not emotionally healthy for you to do something like that. I think when they sell sex like that, afterwards their self confidence is lowered because its hard to come out doing something like that whole, and emotionally healthy. It just plummets because its not with someone who cares about you, its with someone who has paid for you, and that means nothing. Alot of prostitutes do drugs, to numb themselves just to get through the act. It was strange for me to learn that something like that may happening near where I lived. Just now, I'm wondering what kind of people would do that, pay for sex and I think...they are probably people who are missing something and they're trying to fill that through sex. But I don't think it really does though. I think without a good moral health, its hard to have a good mental health, which makes it hard for us to have a good emotional health. Like psychopaths have no moral health, they don't care about about right or wrong, and their mental health is probably "off", even if they are smart. Their emotional health is limited because they really have no empathy.
I think alot of interesting questions cropped up, one was whether we could be moral without religion and I think we can. As humans, I think we developed morality even before we developed religion. Some people think that without religion there would be nothing to "stop us" or help us restrain ourselves from doing horrible things, but I believe that we could. I believe we developed as we did because we're able to. Also recently we've been talking about moral health and what that meant. Yesterday, on Friday, we were on the roof and Andy told us the story about the woman on the train and how one of the workers bargained oral sex in exchange for her passage way. I think he was taking advantage of her, because he was bargaining something that he knew she needed and for something that was very intimate. I don't know, its kind of strange to me, because I don't understand it, what the point is in having that kind of a trade. Its meaningless and degrades sex by turning it into something you can buy. That inevitably turned the conversation to prostitution. Even if by choice, it doesn't seem to be something that can lead to anything good, despite what the movie "Pretty Woman" shows. I think most people who do something like that don't enjoy it, because they're selling themselves, they're selling something that is intimate...I think that leads to emotional health, its not emotionally healthy for you to do something like that. I think when they sell sex like that, afterwards their self confidence is lowered because its hard to come out doing something like that whole, and emotionally healthy. It just plummets because its not with someone who cares about you, its with someone who has paid for you, and that means nothing. Alot of prostitutes do drugs, to numb themselves just to get through the act. It was strange for me to learn that something like that may happening near where I lived. Just now, I'm wondering what kind of people would do that, pay for sex and I think...they are probably people who are missing something and they're trying to fill that through sex. But I don't think it really does though. I think without a good moral health, its hard to have a good mental health, which makes it hard for us to have a good emotional health. Like psychopaths have no moral health, they don't care about about right or wrong, and their mental health is probably "off", even if they are smart. Their emotional health is limited because they really have no empathy.
Fridge Post
In my fridge are;
-9 oranges
-4 apples
-ketchup
-sugar packets
-5 takeout containers (with left over food)
-ketchup packets (from take out)
-sichuan dressing sauce
-chili bean sauce with fried shrimp
-salad dressing
-grape jelly
-raspberry jelly
-apple cider vinegar
-apple juice
-whole milk
-soymilk
-skim milk
-vanilla soymilk
-eggs
-expired eggnog
-fishballs
-spring onions
-chinese spinach?
-medicine (dunno why its in there)
-rediwhip
-green tea
-brown sugar
I seem to have alot of condiments, I don't really seem to use it that much...maybe my mom does. I also have alot of take out food. This is because my mom works for a restaurant company as a book keeper and her company's restaurant is literally right besides where she works so she often goes there for lunch because she gets an employee discount. I eat alot of takeout as a result. I don't know if that's healthy but its what is available so I won't deny it. But I also realized that some of the things I usually eat are not in the fridge because its finished before it has to go in the fridge so there's nothing left over. I think I eat fairly healthy because I live near a Whole Foods and my mom somethings goes there to buy fruit. She usually buys bannanas, and she shops more often at the chinese supermarket in Chinatown to buy apples...which is funny because she seems gets food that doesn't get as much pesticides from whole foods like bannanas and oranges at Whole Foods and the fruit that tends to have more pesticide to ingest like apples or strawberries at the Chinatown market. I guess I also realize that I tend to eat what's around, which seems obvious, but we do do that even if its junk. So what you buy impacts what you eat at home alot because its what's there.
-9 oranges
-4 apples
-ketchup
-sugar packets
-5 takeout containers (with left over food)
-ketchup packets (from take out)
-sichuan dressing sauce
-chili bean sauce with fried shrimp
-salad dressing
-grape jelly
-raspberry jelly
-apple cider vinegar
-apple juice
-whole milk
-soymilk
-skim milk
-vanilla soymilk
-eggs
-expired eggnog
-fishballs
-spring onions
-chinese spinach?
-medicine (dunno why its in there)
-rediwhip
-green tea
-brown sugar
I seem to have alot of condiments, I don't really seem to use it that much...maybe my mom does. I also have alot of take out food. This is because my mom works for a restaurant company as a book keeper and her company's restaurant is literally right besides where she works so she often goes there for lunch because she gets an employee discount. I eat alot of takeout as a result. I don't know if that's healthy but its what is available so I won't deny it. But I also realized that some of the things I usually eat are not in the fridge because its finished before it has to go in the fridge so there's nothing left over. I think I eat fairly healthy because I live near a Whole Foods and my mom somethings goes there to buy fruit. She usually buys bannanas, and she shops more often at the chinese supermarket in Chinatown to buy apples...which is funny because she seems gets food that doesn't get as much pesticides from whole foods like bannanas and oranges at Whole Foods and the fruit that tends to have more pesticide to ingest like apples or strawberries at the Chinatown market. I guess I also realize that I tend to eat what's around, which seems obvious, but we do do that even if its junk. So what you buy impacts what you eat at home alot because its what's there.
Thursday, April 9, 2009
Vaca Post
Day 1:
Thursday April 9th
- I got up relatively early, at 7:30. I went to my internship today. When I got there I was set to work on a roladex which is a big round wheel of little papers. I organized it and finished sooner than was expected. I made conversation with them later on, it was a good break from the silence and after I was done I sat on the couch near them and chatted. My advisor was pretty excited that I got the rolodex done and said it was marvelous. (Marvelous sounds like a funny word.) I was alittle more in my own world for awhile because I was just thinking about things, but I wasn't totally out of it. I asked them about their work and she told me about one of the clients and how some people are very disorganized. My advisor told me about what we were going to do next time, with all the articles. I was looking forward to it because I felt like all that work was actually going somewhere. She told me I was a great intern, so I wanted to be a good intern because she thought of me like that? I wonder if I am a pleaser by nature, but I recall a bunch of times in the past when I didn't care, but I think at some point I decided that if it was a good expectation, I may as well push myself to meet it. I wouldn't lose anything by trying. I was happier later on when we went to lunch and we talked. They walked me to the train station and that was nice, it was on their way. I was happy when I hugged them goodbye because it was a really familiar hug? It just made me feel comforted. My stomach was full by the end of it. I think I ate a bit too much. But the food made me feel satisfied.
-Update-
Sunday, April 12th
Today I went with my mom for her colonoscopy and while I was in the waiting room I took out an Arts and Craft's magazine I had in my bag. I was happy reading it because it gave me alot of cool ideas that I could do. It has food recipes and diy stuff and I really enjoy reading over it. There was one that showed you how to make cool patterns and designs with paint, like wood grain, or graham, and you could actually use it when painting the walls. So I liked to read stuff like that. Well the lady next to me asked me if she could read it and I said alright and handed over the magazine. I was looking at her and I realized that she was bending the edges of the pages with her thumb and it was getting creased. Okay this may sound totally obssessive compulsive but it was bothering me. After about five minutes I asked her (nicely) if she could stop bending the sides. She smiled and said okay. I guess she didn't understand me because she continued doing it. After another few minutes I asked her again. She said the same thing, she countinued doing it but this time turned the pages slower...I was going to ask her again and before I finished speaking she handed the magazine back. After that I wanted to call my friend to tell her about it but I left my phone at home. I was going to ask my mom for her's but she was getting her colonoscopy, so I sat there for about half an hour in silence. Then I decided to do something. I had a pencil in my pocket and wrote a story (not about the magazine lady...). It gave me something to turn my energy to and I liked it. I started doodling on the paper after I got stuck. Then I was reminded about what happened and started feeling anxious not being to say anything. (I sometimes fret until I'm able to get it out and then I feel better and I forget about it). Well after that one of the doctors called me in and I saw my mom. I asked her how she was feeling and she said she was fine. My mom told me we would have to wait for the doctor. I gave her a hug and asked if I could use her phone. I called my friend immediately. She laughed when I told her my story and reacted like I thought she would and called me anal. I laughed too and was really animated and happy to talk after being silent for so long.
When the doctor came, I told her I'd finish telling her the story later. He said he thought it sounded like a good story (haha a story about a lady creasing a magazine is a great story) I told him that it was. The doctor later thought I was going to do an english major (for some odd reason) and said that out of nowhere. I wondered whether the interns at his office majored in premed and what their personalities were like and wondered if he thought that because he thought my personality was of someone who typically wanted to major in english was like. I told him "Sure." even though I wasn't planning on majoring in English and let him think what he wanted. Okay so afterwards I went to the restaurant with my mom and she told me that I'd have to carry everything because she couldn't carry heavy things. I said alright. I held the door for an older couple. I'm happy to be able to do things for people. Sometimes I feel strange when they do things for me though. Sometimes I feel guilty when I feel like I haven't done the right thing, my friend says I'm just oversensitive because I get that way even about the small things. I would be compared to most people I suppose. My mom's friends came over and said stuff about my looks and height, and I just say thank you and smile, but even though they're compliments sometimes I feel weird. I'm fine with my looks, so it doesn't have anything to do about that. I know that people's friends probably say that all the time about someone's daughter or son but I perfer to hear those kind of things when its about my mind, or on some project I worked hard on, otherwise I find it strange. My mom's friend has two daughters, both in middle school. I was touched when the little one, Jessie asked for a group hug when leaving, because that was something I had said when I hadn't seen them for a while. I thought it was very sweet. Okay this post is getting a bit long and its only 2 days. I'm going to visit colleges on Tuesday, update again once I get there.
-update-
Tuesday, April 14th
I went on a college trip for a few days during my vacation for 3 days and two nights and the program I went with tried to make sure we got the most of the day so we would wake up at 6 am and be at the hotel around 10. I visited 8 colleges by the end of the trip. For the first two days I was pretty cheery in the morning. That's partly because I got a smoothie and there's a shop called cup and saucer's and the owner there is so nice, he gave me a free glazed donut to go with my smoothie. It brought my mood up for the day. Once there everyone there around 50 people got into a circle and yelled out our names. We visited two colleges today, Bingmington and Cornell. I like Bingmington because I like how the food system worked and everything is just super cheap. I also liked how everything is student run, and the students get to decide where they put the money. When I went to Cornell, it had a nice campus, but it felt too large for me. It seemed like the kind of place where you could go without having anybody talk to you and it would be easy to be by yourself but also because of that I thought it might make it harder to connect with someone. The tour guide mentioned that some people do have trouble doing that because of the large campus size. I knew immediately that my friend would want to go there because that seemed like what she wanted.
-Update-
Tuesday April 14th
It was early in the morning so I was surprised it was opened and it was a good way to start off the morning. I liked the trip because I got to get the "feel" of the campuses and listening to some of the people made me feel motivated to apply and try to get into alot of club because it reminded me there was more to college than just school, and that I wanted to experience that as well. My mood was rather optimistic overall.
-Update-
10:00 pm Wenesday April 15th
We visited four colleges today, it was crazy. I kept falling asleep on the bus and my seatmate kept pushing me off her shoulder. At Ithaca I learned about a program called HEOP, where they would pay for a whole 5 years of college if needed, room and board included, as well as giving you a stipend of $700 for your textbooks, but I was disappointed to learn that you had to have a academic handicap to get in, like if you had low grades but high SATs or vise versa, they said they wanted to help students that wouldn't traditionally have gotten in otherwise. I could understand it and for a few seconds considered purposely flunking the SAT but decided not to. But even when I was tired I felt emotionally healthy because I knew that it was from all the walking and the trip and alot of other people also felt tired. Because we had such a packed day I was tired when we got home at 11. I pretty much dragged myself to brush my teeth and went to sleep.
-Update-
Thurs, April 16th
Today I visited Syracuse and Albany U. I enjoyed it because the tour guides today were very enthusiastic and informative. While on the lunch line, there came an awkward pause when the line and myself included where waiting for the lunch lady to clean up, it took around 10 minutes. The person next to me asked me what she had said, I told him what I heard "something about cleaning up". While I was waiting for her and I started thinking about whether I should say anything. Then I thought this was kind of like Existential Psychology's self actualization or at least what I had read of it. I wanted to start a conversation with a stranger or become the kind of person who could and that psychology argues that people are always striving for perfection, or to become an individual. It also asks what it means to be human. I wondered about the whole college process, what did that mean. Each thing we do, contributes to who we are. Going to college was another experience to do that. It is how we choose to live that makes each of us what we are. "We each create ourselves." Maybe that's part of the process. Everything seems to be part of the process. I was feeling contemplative for a few seconds on line. Then the food came and I went to my table.
When I came home from the trip, it was 10 at night and my mom picked me up. She asked me what I thought and I told her. When I mentioned that I didn't see myself going to Cornell, she told me that it was a good name, because it was famous and alot of people would reconize it. That annoyed me because even if that was true that didn't mean it would be a good fit for me. I didn't really want to talk about college related stuff with her. I told her later about how I called my friend's mom by accident on the way home and thought it was her. I took me a while to realize that it wasn't my mom, and I was pretty confused because I was thinking what is she saying? why is she taking so long to reply... and then it hit me that I called the wrong number. My friend laughed at me when she heard and my mom did too. When I handed the phone to my friend she hung up and her mom called a few minutes later, I found out later that her mom thought I was her during that call. My mood was pretty tired because it was so late. I was annoyed when I got home because my little brother was being a drama queen. He's very dramatic and likes to make a mountain out of a molehill. (well that was what he was doing when I came home) actually he was screaming like a banshee. I went to sleep and ignored it and was in a slightly annoyed mood. When I came back to the city, I felt a definite shift in mood from when I was in the rural and suburban areas, the tone was just changed.
Well thanks for reading my rambling, that seems to be the appropriate word.
Thursday April 9th
- I got up relatively early, at 7:30. I went to my internship today. When I got there I was set to work on a roladex which is a big round wheel of little papers. I organized it and finished sooner than was expected. I made conversation with them later on, it was a good break from the silence and after I was done I sat on the couch near them and chatted. My advisor was pretty excited that I got the rolodex done and said it was marvelous. (Marvelous sounds like a funny word.) I was alittle more in my own world for awhile because I was just thinking about things, but I wasn't totally out of it. I asked them about their work and she told me about one of the clients and how some people are very disorganized. My advisor told me about what we were going to do next time, with all the articles. I was looking forward to it because I felt like all that work was actually going somewhere. She told me I was a great intern, so I wanted to be a good intern because she thought of me like that? I wonder if I am a pleaser by nature, but I recall a bunch of times in the past when I didn't care, but I think at some point I decided that if it was a good expectation, I may as well push myself to meet it. I wouldn't lose anything by trying. I was happier later on when we went to lunch and we talked. They walked me to the train station and that was nice, it was on their way. I was happy when I hugged them goodbye because it was a really familiar hug? It just made me feel comforted. My stomach was full by the end of it. I think I ate a bit too much. But the food made me feel satisfied.
-Update-
Sunday, April 12th
Today I went with my mom for her colonoscopy and while I was in the waiting room I took out an Arts and Craft's magazine I had in my bag. I was happy reading it because it gave me alot of cool ideas that I could do. It has food recipes and diy stuff and I really enjoy reading over it. There was one that showed you how to make cool patterns and designs with paint, like wood grain, or graham, and you could actually use it when painting the walls. So I liked to read stuff like that. Well the lady next to me asked me if she could read it and I said alright and handed over the magazine. I was looking at her and I realized that she was bending the edges of the pages with her thumb and it was getting creased. Okay this may sound totally obssessive compulsive but it was bothering me. After about five minutes I asked her (nicely) if she could stop bending the sides. She smiled and said okay. I guess she didn't understand me because she continued doing it. After another few minutes I asked her again. She said the same thing, she countinued doing it but this time turned the pages slower...I was going to ask her again and before I finished speaking she handed the magazine back. After that I wanted to call my friend to tell her about it but I left my phone at home. I was going to ask my mom for her's but she was getting her colonoscopy, so I sat there for about half an hour in silence. Then I decided to do something. I had a pencil in my pocket and wrote a story (not about the magazine lady...). It gave me something to turn my energy to and I liked it. I started doodling on the paper after I got stuck. Then I was reminded about what happened and started feeling anxious not being to say anything. (I sometimes fret until I'm able to get it out and then I feel better and I forget about it). Well after that one of the doctors called me in and I saw my mom. I asked her how she was feeling and she said she was fine. My mom told me we would have to wait for the doctor. I gave her a hug and asked if I could use her phone. I called my friend immediately. She laughed when I told her my story and reacted like I thought she would and called me anal. I laughed too and was really animated and happy to talk after being silent for so long.
When the doctor came, I told her I'd finish telling her the story later. He said he thought it sounded like a good story (haha a story about a lady creasing a magazine is a great story) I told him that it was. The doctor later thought I was going to do an english major (for some odd reason) and said that out of nowhere. I wondered whether the interns at his office majored in premed and what their personalities were like and wondered if he thought that because he thought my personality was of someone who typically wanted to major in english was like. I told him "Sure." even though I wasn't planning on majoring in English and let him think what he wanted. Okay so afterwards I went to the restaurant with my mom and she told me that I'd have to carry everything because she couldn't carry heavy things. I said alright. I held the door for an older couple. I'm happy to be able to do things for people. Sometimes I feel strange when they do things for me though. Sometimes I feel guilty when I feel like I haven't done the right thing, my friend says I'm just oversensitive because I get that way even about the small things. I would be compared to most people I suppose. My mom's friends came over and said stuff about my looks and height, and I just say thank you and smile, but even though they're compliments sometimes I feel weird. I'm fine with my looks, so it doesn't have anything to do about that. I know that people's friends probably say that all the time about someone's daughter or son but I perfer to hear those kind of things when its about my mind, or on some project I worked hard on, otherwise I find it strange. My mom's friend has two daughters, both in middle school. I was touched when the little one, Jessie asked for a group hug when leaving, because that was something I had said when I hadn't seen them for a while. I thought it was very sweet. Okay this post is getting a bit long and its only 2 days. I'm going to visit colleges on Tuesday, update again once I get there.
-update-
Tuesday, April 14th
I went on a college trip for a few days during my vacation for 3 days and two nights and the program I went with tried to make sure we got the most of the day so we would wake up at 6 am and be at the hotel around 10. I visited 8 colleges by the end of the trip. For the first two days I was pretty cheery in the morning. That's partly because I got a smoothie and there's a shop called cup and saucer's and the owner there is so nice, he gave me a free glazed donut to go with my smoothie. It brought my mood up for the day. Once there everyone there around 50 people got into a circle and yelled out our names. We visited two colleges today, Bingmington and Cornell. I like Bingmington because I like how the food system worked and everything is just super cheap. I also liked how everything is student run, and the students get to decide where they put the money. When I went to Cornell, it had a nice campus, but it felt too large for me. It seemed like the kind of place where you could go without having anybody talk to you and it would be easy to be by yourself but also because of that I thought it might make it harder to connect with someone. The tour guide mentioned that some people do have trouble doing that because of the large campus size. I knew immediately that my friend would want to go there because that seemed like what she wanted.
-Update-
Tuesday April 14th
It was early in the morning so I was surprised it was opened and it was a good way to start off the morning. I liked the trip because I got to get the "feel" of the campuses and listening to some of the people made me feel motivated to apply and try to get into alot of club because it reminded me there was more to college than just school, and that I wanted to experience that as well. My mood was rather optimistic overall.
-Update-
10:00 pm Wenesday April 15th
We visited four colleges today, it was crazy. I kept falling asleep on the bus and my seatmate kept pushing me off her shoulder. At Ithaca I learned about a program called HEOP, where they would pay for a whole 5 years of college if needed, room and board included, as well as giving you a stipend of $700 for your textbooks, but I was disappointed to learn that you had to have a academic handicap to get in, like if you had low grades but high SATs or vise versa, they said they wanted to help students that wouldn't traditionally have gotten in otherwise. I could understand it and for a few seconds considered purposely flunking the SAT but decided not to. But even when I was tired I felt emotionally healthy because I knew that it was from all the walking and the trip and alot of other people also felt tired. Because we had such a packed day I was tired when we got home at 11. I pretty much dragged myself to brush my teeth and went to sleep.
-Update-
Thurs, April 16th
Today I visited Syracuse and Albany U. I enjoyed it because the tour guides today were very enthusiastic and informative. While on the lunch line, there came an awkward pause when the line and myself included where waiting for the lunch lady to clean up, it took around 10 minutes. The person next to me asked me what she had said, I told him what I heard "something about cleaning up". While I was waiting for her and I started thinking about whether I should say anything. Then I thought this was kind of like Existential Psychology's self actualization or at least what I had read of it. I wanted to start a conversation with a stranger or become the kind of person who could and that psychology argues that people are always striving for perfection, or to become an individual. It also asks what it means to be human. I wondered about the whole college process, what did that mean. Each thing we do, contributes to who we are. Going to college was another experience to do that. It is how we choose to live that makes each of us what we are. "We each create ourselves." Maybe that's part of the process. Everything seems to be part of the process. I was feeling contemplative for a few seconds on line. Then the food came and I went to my table.
When I came home from the trip, it was 10 at night and my mom picked me up. She asked me what I thought and I told her. When I mentioned that I didn't see myself going to Cornell, she told me that it was a good name, because it was famous and alot of people would reconize it. That annoyed me because even if that was true that didn't mean it would be a good fit for me. I didn't really want to talk about college related stuff with her. I told her later about how I called my friend's mom by accident on the way home and thought it was her. I took me a while to realize that it wasn't my mom, and I was pretty confused because I was thinking what is she saying? why is she taking so long to reply... and then it hit me that I called the wrong number. My friend laughed at me when she heard and my mom did too. When I handed the phone to my friend she hung up and her mom called a few minutes later, I found out later that her mom thought I was her during that call. My mood was pretty tired because it was so late. I was annoyed when I got home because my little brother was being a drama queen. He's very dramatic and likes to make a mountain out of a molehill. (well that was what he was doing when I came home) actually he was screaming like a banshee. I went to sleep and ignored it and was in a slightly annoyed mood. When I came back to the city, I felt a definite shift in mood from when I was in the rural and suburban areas, the tone was just changed.
Well thanks for reading my rambling, that seems to be the appropriate word.
Tuesday, April 7, 2009
Existential Pyschology
Existential Psychology is a mix of philosophy and psychology. Its focus is on achieving the authentic self. It believes that life is a series of choices, one that either pushes a person to the future or another that pushes a person back to the "routine predictable past". These two choices involves choosing the future self, which brings about an anxiety of the unknown, or choosing the "safe status quo", which brings about a sense of missed opportunity. It says that authenticity involves accepting the way that things are and finding the courage to choose the future, which minimizes ontological anxiety (fear of the unknown). Existential psychology believes is that doubt(ontological anxiety) is a natural feeling that accompanies creating your own meaning and doesn't hinder the decision-making process.
Courage is part of one of the Five cores of Personality; the personality types emphasize self definition and world view.
5. "Courage: Courage is the capacity to move ahead in spite of despair. Courage is necessary in order to make being and becoming possible. The paradox of courage is that we must be fully committed but at the same time aware that we might be wrong."
http://psych.eiu.edu/spencer/Existential.html
"The philosophical bases were formed by Kierkegaard and Heidegger. The writings of Rollo May are considered as a primary source."
Courage is part of one of the Five cores of Personality; the personality types emphasize self definition and world view.
5. "Courage: Courage is the capacity to move ahead in spite of despair. Courage is necessary in order to make being and becoming possible. The paradox of courage is that we must be fully committed but at the same time aware that we might be wrong."
http://psych.eiu.edu/spencer/Existential.html
"The philosophical bases were formed by Kierkegaard and Heidegger. The writings of Rollo May are considered as a primary source."
Saturday, April 4, 2009
Emotionally Stable and Unstable Characters
[Start]
Smile 1
St. Geran grinned, his smile stretched from one side of his face to another. He was called Ran for short. "Hiiii!!!!!!" He said to Al. Ran continued to smile like that for the next few hours. Al stared at Ran. "Dude, how long are you going to stay like that?" Ran continued to grin. "I don't know until I feel like it I guess."
"Did you fall in love or something like that. Did something particular happen?"
"No, do need a reason to smile?" asked Ran.
"Usually." Said Al.
Smile 2
Hyde was over at Norm's house for the day. When they reached Norm's door, Hyde poked a finger at the paperflap in front of the keyhole, it went through the other side of the door, there was no barrier. Hyde observed this coolly. "Huh, the flap is movable that's cool." he said. A thought occured to him suddenly. "Wouldn't it be freaky if someone had a gun and held it to the eye hole, it could shoot someone in the eye." Hyde said this with a smile. Norm saw this, "You saying that so cheerfully and with a smile is freaky."
Hyde considered it for a moment. "I didn't know I was saying it cheerfully."
"Yeah" said Al, "Maybe 'cuz Hyde is freaky."
Hyde ignored the comment. He went through the door, "So, what are you guys up for?" he gave a little smile.
Characters
Al-1st story & second
St. Geran-1st story
Hyde-2nd story
Norm-2nd story
Side notes (thoughts) on the Short (Topic)
I didn't make the characters completely one dimensional, though maybe I should have, but I wasn't sure what constituted as emotionally stable and unstable. Maybe the short shows that, because Ran questions that in the first story and Hyde's emotional stability is borderline stable and unstable depending on the point of view of the person reaiding it. I thought emotionally stability was the ability to control your emotions. That way your emotions aren't in control of you, but not to the point where its so reigned in you don't show any. So its about the way people react to the way they're feeling and how they deal with their emotions. Like the gunman of the Virginia Tech Shooting, and the recent shooter at Bingmington who was very "stressed and depressed". They weren't emotionally stable because they let their emotions rule them. I don't think they were mentally stable either.
I also thought that its easy to identify if someone was emotionally unstable when its extreme and constant, but harder when viewing someone who seems to act relatively normal at times with short bursts of extremeness, because that's considered normal like after a death, even extreme grief, or wailing is understandable to an extent.
Depending to the circumstances, there's a certain period of time where its exceptable even emotionally healthy to act in an emotionally unstable way.
Side notes on the Names
St. Geran, is an Anagram.
Hyde, as in Jekyll and Hyde, from the book Doctor Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.
Did you find out about Al and Norm? I think that was probably an easy one to get.
[end]
Smile 1
St. Geran grinned, his smile stretched from one side of his face to another. He was called Ran for short. "Hiiii!!!!!!" He said to Al. Ran continued to smile like that for the next few hours. Al stared at Ran. "Dude, how long are you going to stay like that?" Ran continued to grin. "I don't know until I feel like it I guess."
"Did you fall in love or something like that. Did something particular happen?"
"No, do need a reason to smile?" asked Ran.
"Usually." Said Al.
Smile 2
Hyde was over at Norm's house for the day. When they reached Norm's door, Hyde poked a finger at the paperflap in front of the keyhole, it went through the other side of the door, there was no barrier. Hyde observed this coolly. "Huh, the flap is movable that's cool." he said. A thought occured to him suddenly. "Wouldn't it be freaky if someone had a gun and held it to the eye hole, it could shoot someone in the eye." Hyde said this with a smile. Norm saw this, "You saying that so cheerfully and with a smile is freaky."
Hyde considered it for a moment. "I didn't know I was saying it cheerfully."
"Yeah" said Al, "Maybe 'cuz Hyde is freaky."
Hyde ignored the comment. He went through the door, "So, what are you guys up for?" he gave a little smile.
Characters
Al-1st story & second
St. Geran-1st story
Hyde-2nd story
Norm-2nd story
Side notes (thoughts) on the Short (Topic)
I didn't make the characters completely one dimensional, though maybe I should have, but I wasn't sure what constituted as emotionally stable and unstable. Maybe the short shows that, because Ran questions that in the first story and Hyde's emotional stability is borderline stable and unstable depending on the point of view of the person reaiding it. I thought emotionally stability was the ability to control your emotions. That way your emotions aren't in control of you, but not to the point where its so reigned in you don't show any. So its about the way people react to the way they're feeling and how they deal with their emotions. Like the gunman of the Virginia Tech Shooting, and the recent shooter at Bingmington who was very "stressed and depressed". They weren't emotionally stable because they let their emotions rule them. I don't think they were mentally stable either.
I also thought that its easy to identify if someone was emotionally unstable when its extreme and constant, but harder when viewing someone who seems to act relatively normal at times with short bursts of extremeness, because that's considered normal like after a death, even extreme grief, or wailing is understandable to an extent.
Depending to the circumstances, there's a certain period of time where its exceptable even emotionally healthy to act in an emotionally unstable way.
Side notes on the Names
St. Geran, is an Anagram.
Hyde, as in Jekyll and Hyde, from the book Doctor Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.
Did you find out about Al and Norm? I think that was probably an easy one to get.
[end]
Wednesday, April 1, 2009
Health Questions
Mental Health
-How does chronic stress affect your health?
"When faced with chronic stress and an over activated autonomic nervous system, people begin to see physical symptoms. The first symptoms are relatively mild, like chronic headaches and increased susceptibility to colds. With more exposure to chronic stress, however, more serious health problems may develop. These stress-influenced conditions include, but are not limited to:
* depression
* diabetes
* hair loss
* heart disease
* hyperthyroidism
* obesity
* obsessive-compulsive or anxiety disorder
* sexual dysfunction
* tooth and gum disease
* ulcers
* cancer (possibly)
In fact, most it’s been estimated that as many as 90% of doctor’s visits are for symptoms that are at least partially stress-related!"
http://stress.about.com/od/stresshealth/a/stresshealth.htm
-What happens to your body when you are stressed?
Stress activates the autonomic nervous system which ups the body's adrenaline and the amount of cortisol being released, which speeds up the heart rate, slows digestion, and directs blood flow to major muscle groups. It gives a sudden burst of strength and energy preparing the body to fight or run. "Originally this response enabled us to fight or get away in dangerous situations, but now it is activated when neither response is appropriate, like in traffic or a stressful day of work."
http://stress.about.com/od/stressmanagementglossary/g/autonomicnfs.htm
-Why is it easier for young children to learn a new language?
"Babies and young infants can pick up new words and sounds effortlessly during the critical period of cortex development. After age one it gets more difficult, but it is still much easier for children to learn new words. Whether these words are all from one language or from two or more doesn’t matter. All of the words—English, French, Russian, etc.—are stored in the same brain map.
After age 10, learning new words becomes progressively harder until, as adults, it is exceedingly difficult. The older you get, the more you use your native language and the more it comes to dominate your linguistic map. You still have brain plasticity, but your mother tongue rules. Your brain trains itself to not pay attention to foreign sounds, and the space in your head dedicated to language gets rather crowded."
http://www.eldr.com/article/brain-power/why-it-easier-young-children-learn-new-language
General Health
-What is health?
"A state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity", used by the World Health Organization (WHO) since 1948.
Noun 1.wellbeing - a contented state of being happy and healthy and prosperous; "the town was finally on the upbeat after our recent troubles"
Happy-adj., -pi·er, -pi·est.
1. Characterized by good luck; fortunate.
2. Enjoying, showing, or marked by pleasure, satisfaction, or joy.
3. Being especially well-adapted; felicitous: a happy turn of phrase.
4. Cheerful; willing: happy to help.
5.
1. Characterized by a spontaneous or obsessive inclination to use something. Often used in combination: trigger-happy.
2. Enthusiastic about or involved with to a disproportionate degree. Often used in combination: money-happy; clothes-happy."
http://www.answers.com/topic/happy
-What is a healthy diet?
"Eat enough calories but not too many. Maintain a balance between your calorie intake and calorie expenditure—that is, don't eat more food than your body uses. The average recommended daily allowance is 2,000 calories, but this depends on your age, sex, height, weight, and physical activity.
Eat a wide variety of foods. Healthy eating is an opportunity to expand your range of choices by trying foods—especially vegetables, whole grains, or fruits—that you don't normally eat.
Keep portions moderate, especially high-calorie foods. In recent years serving sizes have ballooned, particularly in restaurants. Choose a starter instead of an entrée, split a dish with a friend, and don’t order supersized anything.
Eat plenty of fruits, vegetables, grains, and legumes—foods high in complex carbohydrates, fiber, vitamins, and minerals, low in fat, and free of cholesterol. Try to get fresh, local produce
Drink more water. Our bodies are about 75% water. It is a vital part of a healthy diet. Water helps flush our systems, especially the kidneys and bladder, of waste products and toxins. A majority of Americans go through life dehydrated.
Don’t be the food police. You can enjoy your favorite sweets and fried foods in moderation, as long as they are an occasional part of your overall healthy diet. Food is a great source of pleasure, and pleasure is good for the heart – even if those French fries aren’t! "
http://www.helpguide.org/life/healthy_eating_diet.htm
-How much exercise should the average person get?
"According to the government, only 37 per cent of men and 24 per cent of women take enough exercise to get any benefit from it. To avoid obesity, heart disease and other life-limiting conditions, the chief medical officer (the government's top doctor) recommends the following:
* Adults should do a minimum of 30 minutes moderate-intensity physical activity, five days a week.
* You don't have to do the whole 30 minutes in one go. Your half-hour could be made up of three ten-minute bursts of activity spread through the day, if you prefer.
* The activity can be a 'lifestyle activity' (in other words, walking to the shops or taking the dog out) or structured exercise or sport, or a combination of these. But it does need to be of at least moderate intensity.
* People who are at specific risk from obesity, or who need to manage their weight because of a medical condition, need 45-60 minutes of exercise at least five times a week.
* For bone health, activities that produce high physical stresses on the bones are necessary."
http://www.bbc.co.uk/health/healthy_living/fitness/daily_howmuch.shtml
-How does chronic stress affect your health?
"When faced with chronic stress and an over activated autonomic nervous system, people begin to see physical symptoms. The first symptoms are relatively mild, like chronic headaches and increased susceptibility to colds. With more exposure to chronic stress, however, more serious health problems may develop. These stress-influenced conditions include, but are not limited to:
* depression
* diabetes
* hair loss
* heart disease
* hyperthyroidism
* obesity
* obsessive-compulsive or anxiety disorder
* sexual dysfunction
* tooth and gum disease
* ulcers
* cancer (possibly)
In fact, most it’s been estimated that as many as 90% of doctor’s visits are for symptoms that are at least partially stress-related!"
http://stress.about.com/od/stresshealth/a/stresshealth.htm
-What happens to your body when you are stressed?
Stress activates the autonomic nervous system which ups the body's adrenaline and the amount of cortisol being released, which speeds up the heart rate, slows digestion, and directs blood flow to major muscle groups. It gives a sudden burst of strength and energy preparing the body to fight or run. "Originally this response enabled us to fight or get away in dangerous situations, but now it is activated when neither response is appropriate, like in traffic or a stressful day of work."
http://stress.about.com/od/stressmanagementglossary/g/autonomicnfs.htm
-Why is it easier for young children to learn a new language?
"Babies and young infants can pick up new words and sounds effortlessly during the critical period of cortex development. After age one it gets more difficult, but it is still much easier for children to learn new words. Whether these words are all from one language or from two or more doesn’t matter. All of the words—English, French, Russian, etc.—are stored in the same brain map.
After age 10, learning new words becomes progressively harder until, as adults, it is exceedingly difficult. The older you get, the more you use your native language and the more it comes to dominate your linguistic map. You still have brain plasticity, but your mother tongue rules. Your brain trains itself to not pay attention to foreign sounds, and the space in your head dedicated to language gets rather crowded."
http://www.eldr.com/article/brain-power/why-it-easier-young-children-learn-new-language
General Health
-What is health?
"A state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity", used by the World Health Organization (WHO) since 1948.
Noun 1.wellbeing - a contented state of being happy and healthy and prosperous; "the town was finally on the upbeat after our recent troubles"
Happy-adj., -pi·er, -pi·est.
1. Characterized by good luck; fortunate.
2. Enjoying, showing, or marked by pleasure, satisfaction, or joy.
3. Being especially well-adapted; felicitous: a happy turn of phrase.
4. Cheerful; willing: happy to help.
5.
1. Characterized by a spontaneous or obsessive inclination to use something. Often used in combination: trigger-happy.
2. Enthusiastic about or involved with to a disproportionate degree. Often used in combination: money-happy; clothes-happy."
http://www.answers.com/topic/happy
-What is a healthy diet?
"Eat enough calories but not too many. Maintain a balance between your calorie intake and calorie expenditure—that is, don't eat more food than your body uses. The average recommended daily allowance is 2,000 calories, but this depends on your age, sex, height, weight, and physical activity.
Eat a wide variety of foods. Healthy eating is an opportunity to expand your range of choices by trying foods—especially vegetables, whole grains, or fruits—that you don't normally eat.
Keep portions moderate, especially high-calorie foods. In recent years serving sizes have ballooned, particularly in restaurants. Choose a starter instead of an entrée, split a dish with a friend, and don’t order supersized anything.
Eat plenty of fruits, vegetables, grains, and legumes—foods high in complex carbohydrates, fiber, vitamins, and minerals, low in fat, and free of cholesterol. Try to get fresh, local produce
Drink more water. Our bodies are about 75% water. It is a vital part of a healthy diet. Water helps flush our systems, especially the kidneys and bladder, of waste products and toxins. A majority of Americans go through life dehydrated.
Don’t be the food police. You can enjoy your favorite sweets and fried foods in moderation, as long as they are an occasional part of your overall healthy diet. Food is a great source of pleasure, and pleasure is good for the heart – even if those French fries aren’t! "
http://www.helpguide.org/life/healthy_eating_diet.htm
-How much exercise should the average person get?
"According to the government, only 37 per cent of men and 24 per cent of women take enough exercise to get any benefit from it. To avoid obesity, heart disease and other life-limiting conditions, the chief medical officer (the government's top doctor) recommends the following:
* Adults should do a minimum of 30 minutes moderate-intensity physical activity, five days a week.
* You don't have to do the whole 30 minutes in one go. Your half-hour could be made up of three ten-minute bursts of activity spread through the day, if you prefer.
* The activity can be a 'lifestyle activity' (in other words, walking to the shops or taking the dog out) or structured exercise or sport, or a combination of these. But it does need to be of at least moderate intensity.
* People who are at specific risk from obesity, or who need to manage their weight because of a medical condition, need 45-60 minutes of exercise at least five times a week.
* For bone health, activities that produce high physical stresses on the bones are necessary."
http://www.bbc.co.uk/health/healthy_living/fitness/daily_howmuch.shtml
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