First i wanted to update on my recent health aspect. Now that the class is coming to an end i realized how important health can be and all the different aspects it plays in your life. In the last 3 days i have either biked or walked almost 4 miles, in doing so i feel so much better. I have been watching what i eat to ensure all the hard work doesn’t go to waste, but still treating myself to a cookie here and there.

When reading this chapter three things stuck out to me the most. Overpopulation, air pollution, and indoor air pollution. When we talk about overpopulation i never really heard many people talk about it till i watched this show on Netflix called the 100. on this show they lived in a space ark in space that was losing oxygen. Since being overpopulated they decided they had to float people into space to save up oxygen for them to survive. They even sent kids to the ground not knowing if it was survivable due to radioactive plants blowing up years ago. I think it is so crazy how scientists today are measuring what is called carrying capacity of the earth. Seeing just how much the earth can support our growing population.

When i thought of air pollution i think, cars, busses, and the factories. What i didn’t know was air pollution is made up of two different types, either anthropogenic which means human caused or naturally occurring. The amount of human caused pollution outweighs natural cause. In places like Beijing people live in a photochemical smog which is a haze produced by a photochemical reaction of sunlight and gasses. The normal AQI should be between 0-50 there it was 533 being hazardous.

Lastly i never knew air pollution and indoor pollution would be two separate things. Indoor air pollution is made up of many different things. such as asbestos, home heating, formaldehyde, radon, lead, mold, and environmental tobacco smoke. Before reading this chapter i had no idea what most of these were. This chapter taught me that there is more out there that we do to harm ourselves and the planet then natural causes themselves.

When reading chapter 13 something that truly stuck out to me was sexual victimization it happens so often in colleges around the world. I think every female college student can relate, you can’t go to any party alone or just out at night alone due to the fact that something can happen to you and the whole world would blame you. Sexual victimization happens way to often, it often leads to sexual assault.

Sexual Harassment was another topic that stuck out to me, when reading the chapter i never knew their were so many forms of violence. This one is big in the college world because for females these days you have to have eyes everywhere. The media plays a big role in why women end of being victimized and harassed. They portray women as sex symbols which is why some men in the world feel that what they do is okay.

Lastly how to avoid to become a victim of violence was really interesting to me. Social media is something that truly can change your life. People never realize that once you put something on the internet it never goes away. Sometimes posting to much on the internet can lead people to take your information and eventually your identity. It’s really important to make sure when having social media that you make your pages private so only people you know and want to see your life can see it. Another important thing is as a women it might be good to take a self defense class or two. Even just having pepper spray could possibly save your life.

I think when reading Chapter 12 it really helped understanding everything that can make a disease so infectious especially COVID-19. Something that stuck out to me in this chapter was your immune system and just how it works. As a kid i never really got sick, but as i got older i’ve been sick more times then i’d like to. So with COVID-19 my exercise is really limited to the house and running the beach if no one is out. My health aspect took a huge hit because my immune system isn’t as strong as others, but i still do my best to get out there with my mask and gloves if i can.

Bacterial infections stood out to me because as i got older i got strep throat a lot. It would drain all of my energy and i never wanted to do anything. It is also super contagious making going anywhere not really an option. I recently had a scare a few days ago of that same feeling, i felt drained, hot, and i did not get to do anything towards my health aspect. Come to find out the doctors said it was a low grade fever and some type of bacterial infection they just had no idea what.

Chapter 12 talks about emerging disease which fits whats going on so well right now, i think by next year COVID-19 may make it into the book. It’s really interesting the way the book talks about antibiotic resistance and how people are using it improperly. What stood out to me in this was what you can do to stop the spread. With COVID going around and being almost everywhere going out or a walk or bike ride like i do to keep up with my health aspect can be risky. I can risk touching something that someone infected touched and can get sick while infecting my family. This part of the chapter really explains how simple hand washing and making sure to finish medicine when it is given to can make a big impact.

When reading chapter 11 it had some information that i thought i knew. When reading about the two major types of diabetes there are i could relate. My health aspect is important for chapters like this one. My mom has diabetes and my dad has high blood pressure making it very easy for someone like me to get if i do not take the proper steps to exercise and eat healthy. I went out this week and bought a bike so i could ride around more instead of just walking.

In the chapter it talks about the different types of cancers out there people can get and my grandmother on my mom side has had both. she had lung cancer and colon cancer that she just beat this recent year. The knowledge from this chapter is what kind of gave me a motivational push to keep up with my health aspect even when this class is over. Now that i have my bike i have been able to ride 5 miles instead of walking three. I have been watching what i eat to make sure i am not eating any take out or unhealthy foods.

Also in the chapter it talks about the risk factors for cancer. Not only can it be hereditary but you can get it by having poor nutrition and lack of physical activity. That is something i never knew i mainly thought you get lung cancer from smoking and you get other cancers because family members have had it. In this case people who smoke rarely get lung cancer it isn’t the main cause. So with hat being said i have made sure that i get out and stick to my health aspect and on the crappy days of rain i have been inside on the treadmill.

Over this Easter weekend i was able to go out to the beach and walk about 2 miles. In doing so i was able to set some days in the upcoming week to increase this walk to about 4 miles. What stuck out to me in the chapter was the different types of fitness equipment. I have been able to use a treadmill at home along with a resistance band. I noticed after reading the book though how pricey some of the other equipment and can be.

Another part of the chapter that stuck out to me was the FITT principle for muscular strength and endurance. While going through that part of the chapter i was able to really relate it to my health aspect. FITT is about the frequency, intensity, time, and type. I have been following this by walking at lease 2 to 3 times a week. I am starting with walking, when i can walk up to 5 miles and feel great, i plan to move on to jogging for 2 miles.

Lastly in this chapter what i thought was important that related to my health aspect was how nutrition and exercise go hand and hand. I never really noticed how eating a huge meal before exercise can effect your exercise. From this chapter i learned you want to eat your meal at least 3 to 4 hours before your exercise. You also want to make sure you have a water or gatorade with you while exercising. Which i never bring on my walks but i plan to now. Something i thought was interesting that i didn’t know is which endurance events that last more then 4 hours water is not good for you. It can cause hyponatremia or water intoxication this is when plain water can dilute the sodium concentration in the blood.

In this weeks blog Chapter 9 is about weight management and body health. This chapter is really important towards my health aspect. As an athletic child my muscle mass always outweighed my body fat. Even though i looked and was physically fit, the number on the scale always played a big role in my life.

What stood out to me first in this chapter is understanding BMI or Body Mass Index. When looking at the chart someone my age and height should weigh around 120. When i went to the doctors i had weighed more then that and my doctor told me i was perfectly healthy to her due to the amount of muscle i have built up over the years of sports. When working on my health aspect my BMI always brought me down. I felt that number just was not realistic for someone like me. It was nice having my doctor on my side.

Another thing that stood out to me in this chapter was how lifestyle factors can contribute to obesity. When i started this health aspect journey i never knew how much lifestyle factors can play. Until recently i had the choice to either have a nice fried meal from McDonalds that i haven’t had in forever or a grilled chicken salad. I know it seems basic but chooses like that i didn’t think were big factors. I realized for some people the meal they eat is mostly based off of what they can afford or is offered to them. So i chose the salad of course but it made me realize how hard this journey may be for other people.

One of the major interesting facts i found in this chapter were that there are actual people out there who need to GAIN weight. My health aspect is focused on loosing weight and and building up my stamina since the three knee surgeries i have had i have gotten less active. So my health aspect is my goal to change that, i never thought there could be people with the goal to gain weight. After reading this chapter it showed me that some people have many different reasons that can result in them not being able to gain weight and attention isn’t one of them.

When reading Chapter 8 i was pretty interested in what this chapter would have to offer towards my health aspect especially being stuck in the house surrounded by food. When looking at the chapter what stuck out to me the most was Vitamins and the role that they play on your body. I learned how important Vitamin-D is especially for you compared to the others and i realized it is also one i lack. I never really liked milk or cheese so i didn’t know that i was missing out on this important vitamin. With my health aspect sort of put on hold, i think catching up on taking my vitamins can help me keep my body healthy while home.

Another important topic i found interested while reading this chapter was the food label. When looking at snacks i never understand the food labels, i knew they were there and things like that but the words used were a bit confusing to me. Once reading this chapter it made it some what clear. In reading this i was able to portion better what i was eating, before i would eat maybe half a bag of chips now reading labels the normal serving is like 16 chips. On the labels as well it lets you know if what you are eating contains any key vitamins. This was a huge one for me because most of the food i was eating did not have the key vitamins i needed.

The last thing that i found interesting in this chapter is the MyPlate and dietary guidelines. In school i remember learning about the plate and how important it was to have a little bit of everything on your plate. What i noticed i was missing in my meals were fruits and dairy. I think stepping up on adding those to my meals daily will help with my energy and the strength to keep up with my health aspect. With the new stay at home order i have only been able to leave the house once or twice a week. I have so much more homework now that it is hard to even get out just for a walk around the beach near my house.

As a granddaughter with a grandmother who beat stage 4 lung cancer i refused to ever smoke. As a college student who is of age i do go out once in awhile for a drink. What i did not know was how much college students actually drink and how it can affect there health. When i do drink it affects my mood and just my out look on things. I get super sluggish and do not want to do anything the next day, which they call a hang over. What i did not know but found very interesting is that the percentage of doing something you later regret is 33.1% being higher then physically injuring you self while drinking at 12.4%.

One of the major impacts alcohol has on my health aspect which i never knew was there is 7 calories per gram in alcohol. So one little harmless drink at dinner could cost be all the calories i burned off in my workout before. One drink can add an extra 100 calories to my day which may not seem like a lot but it can do some damage especially with everything going on in the world with the COVID-19 and all gyms are closed.

I come from a family where Alcohol use disorder is something that didn’t have a name for me till now. It affects my health aspect because i could be more prone to turning a once in awhile drink into a nightly routine which will affect my workout. On top of everything else going on in the world this blog was hard to relate to my health aspect because i can’t go to the gym and have to rely on exercising at home or walking outside. I think this COVID-19 virus is a big wake up call to the world about proper hygiene and health and wellness.

When i came across Chapter 6 i feel like addiction was so much more then i thought it to be. What stuck out to me was there are five symptoms of addiction and one of them being obsession. When relating to my own health i have always been super obsessed with the number on the scale. Even if i felt i looked okay and not overweight i always let the number define me. I obsessed over the number that there were times i would eat one or two small meals a day in hopes to lose the number on the scale.

Something in the chapter that stuck out to me was how addiction in any shape or form can have an effect on the family and friends of the addict. Codependents plays such a big part, it is when the family or friends feel the need to step in and take care of that person or even make many excuses for them. When it comes to my health going to the gym is always hard for me, i find it hard to make time and to. My parents are my codependents, when it comes to the gym i could tell them i worked all day and have so much school work and i don’t have time. In stead of telling me you can do it and to get out their they enable me to stay home and not go.

Another thing that the book talks about is work addiction. I never knew it was considered an actual addiction but when i think about it, it has such big effects on my health. I work so much and on top of five classes i barley have time to eat never mind exercise. It is so hard to keep up a consistent work schedule that allows me to get to the gym regularly. I have also been working long work hours which leave me exhausted and feeling like i can’t get to the gym.

For this next week i plan on trying to work less and make more time for my health. I have been so stressed out lately between work, life, school, and just about everything going on that the gym is the last thing on my todo list. I have been able to take my dog out on longer walks to get some type of exercise in and i plan on walking the beach near my house this weekend.

When i started reading chapter five something that immediately stuck out to me was the first few pages. They talk about male and female Barrier methods which is a method to prevent sperm from reaching the egg by the use of a physical or chemical barrier during intercourse. I remember learning about male condoms but i never knew that women ones were out there as well. Hormonal methods such as oral contraceptives are something as a girl you learn about and around the age 15/16 you have to choose which one you would like to use or not use. I decided to use the birth control pills, which little did i know had some physical affects on my health. Birth control was the main source of my weight gain and is the hardest to put off. The other options of birth control can have worse side affects so i am stick with the one i am on and need to work on my health better. This is how it ties into my health aspect, if it wasn’t for the medicine i still would of been at the healthy weight i was at

Choosing a method of contraception was something i have heard people say you make as a decision with your significant other but when i started i was young. It was interesting to me in the book how some people didn’t start using them until they had a partner and discussed it with them. So what i was going to put in my body was going to be what i wanted and my decision. Now being in a long term relationship of five years i am glad on the method i choose. When it comes to my health and being healthy, and unplanned pregnancy wouldn’t be healthy for my mind. I am still in school and with work i am under so much stress i barley get to exercise now. If a child was in the picture my health would go out the window because their’s would be all that mattered.

The process of pregnancy you hear about and i know friends who go through it but for everyone i feel it can be very different. Some people say it is super hard to lose the weight after, others say it happens instantly. In general pregnancy takes an immense toll on your body that i do not think i am ready for just yet. I am trying to focus on getting myself healthy and staying on top of my exercising, to have a child as well would be two health aspects i would have to worry about. Being the soul provider for those first 9 months.

I found this chapter a little hard to relate to my health aspect because pregnancy affects your body in many major ways but not being pregnant or going through it i really don’t understand in full how the process could affect me.