When Weightloss Becomes Dangerous

Throughout this semester, I have blogged on the importance of a healthy lifestyle. This includes the foods you choose to put into your body, and the ways you work out your body. I have always emphasized that I do not set any numerical goals. What I mean by this, is that I don't set any specific weight goal, or measurement goals for my body. I just try to eat the best foods I can, and work out in a safe and healthy manner. I feel that as long as I feel good about my body, that it was I consider healthy.
Some people take a "healthy" lifestyle too far. One may get carried away with restricting themselves and forcing themselves to work out. When someone becomes so obsessed with the idea of weightloss that nothing else seems to matter to them, it is called an eating disorder (Staff). This can become very dangerous and crosses the line of a healthy lifestyle, into an extremely unhealthy lifestyle. Most of the time, this is almost out of a person's control. It is considered a mental illness, instead of a physical one.
There are a few main types of eating disorders that are recognized around the world. The American Psychological Association defines these as:

• Anorexia nervosa: Individuals believe they’re fat even when they’re dangerously thin and restrict their eating to the point of starvation.     
• Bulimia nervosa: Individuals eat excessive amounts of food, then purge by making themselves vomit or using laxatives.  
• Binge eating: Individuals have out-of-control eating patterns, but don’t purge

These disorders can affect anyone, including both men and women. These conditions can be just as dangerous as any physical illness, because the mental illness is so severe that it affects the person's body. Many patients must be admitted to facilities to help them relearn how to react to food and weight loss. In severe cases, medicine is needed to help the patient.
It is important to keep an eye on yourself when starting a diet change. It is easy to slide into an obsessive behavior when dealing with eating and work out habits. Personally, I see many women around me that have become obsessed with counting calories. All they do is make sure they stay under a specific number of calories for the day. This is why I try to avoid keeping numerical goals. I personally believe that it promotes unhealthy ideas concerning my self esteem.

Staff, Mayo Clinic. "Definition." Mayo Clinic. Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research, 08 Feb. 2012. Web. 29 Apr. 2013. <http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/eating-disorders/DS00294>.

"Eating Disorders." Eating Disorders. N.p., 2013. Web. 29 Apr. 2013. <http://www.apa.org/topics/eating/>.

In Conclusion

This semester I was required to create and run a blog on a topic that I was interested in and passionate about. Though I did not exactly keep up with weekly postings, I still feel that this was an awesome experience. Not only did I get a chance to research a topic that I wanted to learn more about, I also got to become a part of a community.

When I first heard that we were going to be running a blog, I was super excited. I thought, "Well, that's going to be easy". Little did I know how little I knew. Throughout this class I have learned the difference between ranting and writing. Instead of just rambling on about any little thought in my head, I was required to map out and plan posts that were based off of research. I have had the opportunity to read and analyze other professional blogs, and see how I could improve my own. I have learned how to draw readers in, and how to make them take my writing seriously.

I think one of my favorite lessons during this semester was learning how to conduct good research. Instead of just typing a few words into google and citing the first link that comes up, I've learned to be more critical of where I get my information from. I have been taught to find exactly who or what is behind the data I'm collecting, how to tell if an article is biased, and how to recognize logical fallacies.

I think logical fallacies was the most helpful, because I see logical fallacies being used almost every day. Before this class, I could sometimes recognize that there was some sort of flaw in an argument, but I wasn't quite able to articulate what was wrong with it. Now, I know exactly how to spot a logical fallacy, and how to point them out and combat them in a respectful and intelligent manner.

In conclusion, I wish I would have run this blog a lot better. I would have posted weekly and found exciting new subtopics to research and discuss. This would have helped out any readers, but it also would have furthered my own development. I would have become even more involved in the blogging community of health and fitness, and I would have gained so much more knowledge on the subject for myself. Overall. this project was still fun, and I am satisfied to say that I have learned a lot. It's always a great feeling when you feel that you have been taught something that you can use in the "real" world.

Since I've already explained the importance and benefits of aerobic exercise, now it's time to explore another very important type of work out. It's called Anaerobic exercise. While aerobic exercise focuses mostly on endurance and prolonged periods of high heart beat, high oxygen intake, and sweating, anaerobic is more focused on building stronger muscles and bones. For example, an aerobic exercise would be something like going for a long jog, while an anaerobic exercise would be something like a sprint.

Sciencedaily.com defines the difference between the two as, "Anaerobic exercise comprises brief, strength-based activities, such as sprinting or bodybuilding, whereas aerobic exercise is centered around endurance activities, such as marathon running or long-distance cycling."

A fantastic way to incorporate both of these exercises, is do to something called circuit training. Circuit training is when you have a burst of an aerobic activity, and then a burst of some sort of resistance training, like weight lifting (Sorgen). You alternate between these two for about thirty minutes. This causes your heart rate to rise, and breathing to be heavier, but provides an opportunity to work out specific muscle groups as well. 

The "short burst" should be quite short. Each different activity should only be around 30 minutes. For the anaerobic activity, you should be targeting a specific area of your body. For example, for the aerobic part, you might do jumping jacks for thirty seconds. Then, for the anaerobic part, you might decide to work out your thighs and glutes and do lunges for thirty seconds. Afterwards, you might do high-knees for thirty seconds, then choose to work out your arms and do push ups for thirty seconds. 

I find that this is my favorite way to work out, because I don't get tired too fast. The alternating between aerobic and anaerobic keeps my heart beat at a healthy level. Focusing on different areas of my body also allows me to work out more, because I'm not exhausting a specific group of muscles. This is an awesome way to work out at home, too. You don't need any equipment, and you don't need a lot of space.Working out like this for even ten minutes a day will greatly improve your health! 

Sorgen, Carol. "Take a Shortcut to Fitness With Circuit Training." WebMd. WebMD, 2013. Web. 22 Mar. 2013. <http://www.webmed.com/fitness-exercise/features/take-shortcut-fitness-circuit-training>.

Let's sweat!

On my journey to discovering new ways to become and stay healthy, exercise is the newest addition. Of course, as a kid I always played outside with my friends. We got plenty of exercise playing tag, climbing trees, and playing sports. As I got older, like most of us, I spent more time indoors and leading more of a sedentary  lifestyle. This, added to my terrible eating habits, caused me to gain fat and lose muscle. Once I decided to make a change, the biggest change for me was starting to exercise. I took an aerobics class at NVCC, and the professor taught me so much on how exercise affects our bodies. 

Like I said, the class focused on aerobic exercise. Aerobic exercise has become simultaneously my favorite and least favorite way to work out. It is my favorite, because it provides me with the most results. It is my least favorite, because it requires the most energy. Medicine.net tells us that aerobic exercise is any sort of exercise that gets you sweating, gets your heart pumping, and is sustained for more than a few minutes (Aerobic).

There are many different kind of aerobic activities you can choose to do. You can run, jump rope, swim, dance, do jumping jacks, anything that gets your heart rate up. Aerobic exercise may be difficult at first, but the more you participate in it, the easier it becomes. The first day of my aerobics class at NVCC, I did way too much and nearly passed out. This means my heart rate was way too high and I was not getting enough oxygen. Make sure that when you start out, you don't push yourself too hard. This is to benefit you, not to harm you!

By doing aerobic exercises you are keeping your body in top condition. I noticed a huge difference in simple tasks. Since beginning to work out regularly, I don't get winded by doing simply things as climbing a bunch of stairs. I've also noticed that I recover faster from sudden emotional changes. If someone plays a practical joke on me and scares me, my heart rate recovers a lot faster than it did before I started working out. 

Doing aerobic exercise now, will save your body from harming itself later in life. The American Heart Association has published findings that low aerobic activity in young people is associated with high risks of developing high blood pressure later in life (Evans). Something as simple as rocking out to a few of your favorite songs can extend your life. Doesn't sound like too shabby of a deal to me.



Works Cited:

 "Aerobic Exercise Health & Fitness Benefits, Types, Programs and Routines by MedicineNet.com." MedicineNet. MedicineNet, 1 Nov. 2010. Web. 20 Feb. 2013. <http://www.medicinenet.com/aerobic_exercise/article.htm>.

Evans, Natalie, Timothy Church, Cora Lewis, Pamela Schreiner, David Jacobs, Barbara Sternfeld, and Stephen Sidney. "Poor Aerobic Fitness, Low Physical Activity Linked to Greater High Blood Pressure Risk." Welcome to the AHA/ASA Newsroom. American Heart Association, 1 June 2010. Web. 20 Feb. 2013. <http://newsroom.heart.org/news/1054>.

Going Green

As I talked about in my first post, a couple years ago I decided to make a change in my life. I decided I wanted to start living a healthier life. One of the first changes I made was to start drinking green tea. I had heard about its benefits from friends, the news, commercials, and even doctors. I was mostly hoping it would give me energy and boost my metabolism. However, when I decided to start researching green tea, I was amazed at exactly how many ways it affects your health.

For one, green tea is better for you than coffee. Aside from the fact that most people drink coffee with added sugar and cream, while tea is normally drank plain, green tea is extremely rich in flavonoids. Flavonoids are antioxidants which has been shown to lower a person’s risk for disease and conditions such as cancer, heart disease, diabetes, high cholesterol, and stroke. Studies have proven that a particular flavonoid in green tea actually kills cancer cells (Edgar).

I now try to have at least one cup of green tea a day. In my experience, it has immensely improved my mornings. The energy boost I get from green tea stays with me nearly all day, and doesn’t cause me to crash later. It is a refreshing, steady energy, instead of a jittery one that I normally get from coffee. Green tea helps to stabilize my appetite, so I’m not spending my day wondering where my next snack will be. I, personally, prefer loose-leaf green tea, rather than the crushed or powdery variety. By steeping loose-leaf tea, you give yourself more of the nutrients, antioxidants, and flavnonoids.  I buy my tea from either Teavana, or Wegmans. Next time you’re craving an energy boost, try green tea instead of coffee! I guarantee you’ll be hooked.

Work Cited:

Edgar, Julie. "Green Tea Health Benefits." WebMD. WebMD, 29 Aug. 2009.         Web. 30 Jan. 2013.

Define: Healthy

When you hear the word "healthy", what kind of images pop into your head? A sweaty guy screaming at you from an infomercial?  Those weird crackers that have been in your pantry for four years? Over the decades, people have used and abused the term "healthy" to promote their own different products and agendas. The truth is, being healthy is different for everyone. The online Merriam-Webster dictionary defines healthy as: "enjoying health and vigor of mind, body, or spirit". All three of these aspects of health are just as important as the other. They require balance. Your health is not defined by a scale, a score, or any one opinion. To me, "healthy" is not a destination or achievement, it is an ongoing decision to be the best me I can.

A couple of years ago, I was about 20 lbs heavier, without a job, and with a way lower GPA. Mentally, I felt ridiculously dissatisfied and bored with everything. I felt like I was going nowhere. Physically, I was constantly tired and eating quick and easy food that I didn't even really like. Somewhere around that time, I decided that I had enough of feeling below average. I needed to stop blaming others for my failures and hold myself accountable for my actions. I was desperate for some kind of change, and I decided to start with changing how I looked. 

Fortunately, I was never bullied about my weight. It was solely my own decision to change my appearance. I didn't set any numerical goals, no weight limits, nor calorie goals. I was honestly just sick of feeling so tired and sluggish all the time. I didn't feel healthy. I started trying simple exercises that barely had me sweating, and decided to skip the cup o' noodles and instead stir fry some real vegetables. I wanted to actually enjoy my food, instead of just trying to feel full.

Honestly, it became a lot of fun. I was trying out different exercises like dance routines, and looking up new recipes to cook for my family and I. Once I started seeing and feeling a change physically, my mental state soon followed. I realized that only I had control over achieving my goals, which caused me to set higher ones in other aspects of my life. I got my first job, I went back to NVCC, and I started getting straight A's for the first time in my life.

I do recognize, however, that I will not always make "healthy" decisions. In the past few weeks alone I've eaten a whole bag of candy. But you know what? That's okay. Being healthy does not mean restricting yourself. The biggest part of being healthy is enjoying your life. This blog will consist of my own journey through an attempted healthy lifestyle, and if you so choose, how you can too. If you are comfortable with where you are in life, physically and mentally, congratulations! You're a little better off than the rest of us. If you feel like there are some changes you'd like to make, that's okay too. As long as you are doing it for you, and not to satisfy other's expectations. Like I said, being healthy is not defined by a number, it is defined by being the best you, you can be.


Work Cited:
"healthy." Merriam-Webster.com. Merriam-Webster, 2013
         Web. 23 Jan 2013.