EVIRONMENTAL HEALTH

1. Can humanity (people) and nature (naturally occurring living things) thrive (grow, flourish) simultaneously (at the same time)? Explain.
I think it is possible for humanity and nature to thrive simultaneously to a certain extent. Humans do need the resources that nature provides us in order to survive, but today, humans are consuming much more than they actually need; we aren't just utilizing the nature, we are wasting the nature. Also, animals deserve a reasonable portion of nature for their survival, and, nature needs some of its resources back in order to keep our earth in shape; for example, nature needs trees to absorbs back the carbon dioxide that we pump out, and from its, give off oxygen for 

READING A FOOD LABEL

What is your food product?

Pringles Cheddar cheese

1. What is the serving size?

1 ounce

2. How many servings per container?

6

3. How many calories per serving?

150cal

4. How many calories are from fat?

80cal
5. What percentage of each serving’s calories comes from fat?
(Do the math yourself.)

53.3%

6. What is the total fat percentage of your food?

14%

Is this content Low/Moderate/High?

Moderate

7. What is the saturated fat percentage in your food?

14%
Is this content Low/High?

High

8. How much of your diet should come from saturated fats?
10%


9. What is the difference between saturated and unsaturated fats?
Unsaturated fats can be beneficial to your heart, but saturated fats can lead to cancer and cardiovascular diseases. Saturated fats are found in animal products and processed foods, such as meats, dairy products, chips and pastries. They are solid at room temperature. Saturated fats are not heart healthy, since they raise LDL cholestrol(bad cholestrol). Unsaturated fats are found in food such as nuts, avocados, and olives. Unsaturated fats are heart-healthy fats ; they lower LDL cholestrol and raise HDLcholestrol(good cholestrol)

10. What is the percentage cholesterol in your food?

0
Is that Low/Moderate/High 

low – none

11. How much sodium is in your food?

Less than 135mg
Is this content Low/Moderate/High?

Low

12. What is the carbohydrate content of your food?

15g
Is this content Low/Moderate/High?

Low

13.What is the sugar content of your food?

1g
Is this content Low/Moderate/High?

Low

14. Why are sugars not good for you?

They only provide short term energy that drops quickly.

15. How much fiber is in your food?

1g

16.Why is fiber good for you?
It cleans out the body since fiber can’t be broken down.

17. How much protein is in your food?

1g
Is this content Low/Moderate/High?

Low

18. What is the Vitamin A , Vitamin C, Calcium, and Iron content of your food?
Vit. A 0%
Vit. C 6%
Calcium 2%
Iron 0%
Are these amounts adequate?

No.

19. Overall, what would you say is the nutritional value of your food? Is it good for you? Why or why not?

Pringles cheddar cheese chips have inadequate nutritional value. The fat levels are too high – and it is the highest - compared to levels of other nutrients. This isn’t very good because about 30% of fats consists of saturated fats. Overall, this isn’t a healthy snack to snack on.

COMPARISON OF WEEKDAY & WEEKEND DIET

Generally, on weekdays and weekends, my calorie count is very much lower than the amount of calories I burn. This is so because I refrain from overeating as much as I can due to body image; it would be best to consume more and burn more, but I never seem to find the time to work out. I would have to consume more, and burn more. My diet is reasonably balanced; carbohydrates take up about 50% of my diet, and on weekends, my protein levels are similar to my fat levels. However, my ideal, ‘healthy’ diet should consists of 50% carbs and 48g of Proteins, which I lack on weekdays. On weekdays, I tend to eat more fats, probably because I enjoy eating the spicy fried chicken stick from Ko’s Kitchen. For both weekends and weekdays, I lack vitamins, calcium, fiber and iron, so I would have to eat more fruits, dairy products and nuts to raise those levels.

WEEKDAY DIET

On a typical weekday, I dont consume any 'elements' over 200; I may have a few just over the 'necessary' levels(example- carbs, protein, vitB2, copper, manga, niacin, phosphorus, riboflavin, selenium, thiamin), but I dont have anything that is more than enough. I really lack fiber, vit E, vit A, vit C, and iron. To balance out these levels, I need to consume more fresh fruits(which are rich in vitamins) and foods that are high in fiber and iron, such as oatmeal, raisins and beans.

The amount of calories I consume on a normal weekday is very low. I should be eating about 2,00 ~ 2,200 calories daily. About 50% of my diet consists of carbs, but I consume too much fat compared to proteins; my fat levels are twice as high than those of proteins. Of the fat levels, 15% of it made up by saturated fats, which is not good for my blood circulation. I need to lower my fat levels and consume more proteins.

On a typical weekday, I burn more than I consume; not because I exercise but because I consume much less than how much I burn. My body needs to find an extra 794 calories that are not provided through my diet. This has a negative effect on my growth because by the end of the day, body would have used all the 'consumed calories' - and would need more - just to run my body, and I wouldn't have enough nutrients to develop.

WEEKEND DIET

I do not have a healthy diet in the weekends. The nutrients I consume a lot, is Niacin and Manga, which is very healthy for my body. But I also take in considerable amounts of Carbohydrates, Protein, Vit B-6, Copper, phosphorus, selenium and thiamin. The nutrients my diet lacks are fiber vit a, vit B-12, vit D, Calcium, iron, magnesium, zinc, riboflavin. To consume more of the nutrients I lack, I should eat more vegetables, dairy, fruits, nuts and beans.

My weekend calorie count is quite balanced, although i eat a lot less than my peers(1,499 calories eaten). The greater part of my diet is made up of carbohydrates(57%) while my protein and fat levels are similar(21% protein and 22%fat).  This is probably because I do not eat much fast foods and most of my diet is based around 2 major meals(which mainly consists of rice, vegetables and meat) and a light breakfast.

On an average weekend day, I burn more calories than I eat. This is probably because I eat very little. But on the other hand, i do not burn much(2,285calories burned) because i never seem to have the time to do vigorous exercise. This is a problem because by the time i go to bed every weekend night, I would have less energy than before, which will target my growth. Overall, I need to balance my calories by eating more and burning more.

DECISION MAKING

TOBACCO - SMOKING

State the decision.

Should I or should I not smoke?

List the possible decisions

1.     Smoking

2.     Not smoking

What are the consequences

1.     Smoking – greater possibility of getting cancer(of the larynx, mouth, pancreatic cancer and especially lung cancer), heart attacks, COPD(Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease), emphysema, bronchitis, tuberculosis, female infertility. I may loose 18years of my life at most, and I may die of illmess due to smoking.

2.     Not smoking – I can live a long, healthy life. Avoid all sorts of diseses linked to tobacco, not get addicted to nicotine, have good breath and white teeth. Also, cope stress the ‘healthy’ way.

Make an Informed Decision

I wont smoke.

Evaluate your Decision

Think back to the effects of tobacco when I’m faced in such situations. 

WELLNESS PLAN

Achieving a goal.
1. The area or I would like to change or improve is: 
physical

2. Pick a primary goal in your lifestyle within the above mentioned Wellness Wheel area that you want to work on achieving. 
master riding a bike so that i can go on the vietnam trip.

3. What health benefits would you receive if you made a change in this area?
I'll be ready and fit for my GAP trip. Also, because i'll know how to ride a bike, and if i master it, it can be another way i can exercise if i dont feel like running, playing tennis, or swimming.

4. What difficulties might make achieving this goal a challenge? 
Riding a bike, mostly, maintaining my balance on the bike

5. The people you will ask for support and assistance are: 
friends and family
In what way will they help you? 
They can teach me tricks and tips about riding bikes. Also, they can cheer me while im practicing; for moral support. 

6. Three specific steps involved in making this change/improvement are (be specific) 
a. practice everyday - at least 30 minutes. 
b. get a bike 
c. once a week, go mountain biking(an easy one) = after i manage to ride the bike 

7. How will you record of your progress? 
I can time myself. My goal everyday would be to ride the bike/manage to stay on it longer than before.

8. Date you will start / have started: 
once i get a bike 

9. Date you are going to complete: 

by the time I leave for vietnam = 28 October

10. Reward for completion (should be appropriate):

an awesome trip to vietnam!

HEALTH INTERVIEW

Rachael Bejinez
What is his/her relationship to you?
Neighbor

1. Have you always been as healthy as you are now? Please explain.
not really. only a few years ago I used to go on diets – I was anorexic.

2. What particular health habits in the following areas do you practice, that contribute to your level of health?

Nutritional Habits. 4 meals a day on a regular basis (same time, no overeating). I try to make my breakfast heavy and don't eat much for dinner.

Fitness Habits__I don't go to the gym everyday, but I run(or at least walk) a lap or two around the apartment. I usually play tennis or swim during the weekends.

Coping with Stress. When I’m stressed out, I try to do what I enjoy. Like reading a book or listening to music.

Dealing with Conflicts. I try to approach a problem from different points of view, so that im not so ‘biased’. Sometimes, I just push the problem aside – usually when I really cant cope it.

Keeping a Positive Attitude _I try to smile as much as I can, and always appreciate for what I have.

Any Additional Healthy Habits__I try to have some time for myself so that my life wont be so centered around my work.

3. How did you develop these habits? Please explain.
I just try to use time efficiently. I think that time management is really important when it comes to squeezing in your private life under the burden of your workload.

4. What motivates you to practice a healthy lifestyle?
I just wanted to live a long happy life. I feels terrible to think you have to give up everything at a young age because of my unhealthy lifestyle.

5. Create a question of your own that you would like to ask regarding this person’s healthy lifestyle. Make sure that the question allows your interviewee to expand on his/her thoughts (not a one word answer).

Question: __How did you cope with anorexia? What made you start eating?

Answer: It was difficult. Especially when you’re hit with stereotypes from media, culture, and sometimes my friends. My mother once showed me a documentary about anorexia nervosa and it was just shocking. I didn’t know that anorexia could be life-threatening. Then I started reminding myself that I am not the best judge of whether I’m maintaining a healthy weight. Getting back to a normal ‘healthy’ diet was a long process. I first started with eating light meals(like vegetables and nuts) so that my body got used to eating. Then I slowly started eating bread, rice and meat.

IMPROVING SELF ESTEEM

Steps to Improving Self-Esteem

If you want to improve your self-esteem, here are some steps to start empowering yourself:

* Try to stop thinking negative thoughts about yourself. If you're used to focusing on your shortcomings, start thinking about positive aspects of yourself that outweigh them. When you catch yourself being too critical, counter it by saying something positive about yourself. Each day, write down three things about yourself that make you happy.

* Aim for accomplishments rather than perfection. Some people become paralyzed by perfection. Instead of holding yourself back with thoughts like, "I won't audition for the play until I lose 10 pounds," think about what you're good at and what you enjoy, and go for it.

* View mistakes as learning opportunities. Accept that you will make mistakes because everyone does. Mistakes are part of learning. Remind yourself that a person's talents are constantly developing, and everyone excels at different things — it's what makes people interesting.

* Try new things. Experiment with different activities that will help you get in touch with your talents. Then take pride in new skills you develop.

* Recognize what you can change and what you can't. If you realize that you're unhappy with something about yourself that you can change, then start today. If it's something you can't change (like your height), then start to work toward loving yourself the way you are.

* Set goals. Think about what you'd like to accomplish, then make a plan for how to do it. Stick with your plan and keep track of your progress.

* Take pride in your opinions and ideas. Don't be afraid to voice them.

* Make a contribution. Tutor a classmate who's having trouble, help clean up your neighborhood, partictipate in a walkathon for a good cause, or volunteer your time in some other way. Feeling like you're making a difference and that your help is valued can do wonders to improve self-esteem.

* Exercise! You'll relieve stress, and be healthier and happier.

* Have fun. Ever found yourself thinking stuff like "I'd have more friends if I were thinner"? Enjoy spending time with the people you care about and doing the things you love. Relax and have a good time — and avoid putting your life on hold.

MY GOALS
• try to stop thinking negative thoughts about yourself.
I do think that I am lucky and special. But there are times when i get depressed due to workload and start to blame everything on my bad time management. Well, I just think that I’ll have to work on my time management skills – like getting offline when im working- so that i can deal my workload and get some sleep.
• exercise!
Im not really fit. I dont exercise much(except playing tennis twice a week) so i usually get stressed out when i step on the weighing machine. The best solution would be to exercise and eat much less, but I cant find the time to do that.
• aim for accomplishments rather than perfection
I admit that I am a perfectionist, and so when I dont get the best grades, I feel stupid. My mother keeps reminding me that personal best is what matters, but on the other hand, my father expects me to go to a prestigious university. I think I just need to do my best and keep on reminding myself that nobody is perfect.