Tuesday, November 16, 2010

Difference in Being Healthy and Losing Weight

     Is losing weight always healthy?  While a lot of people may answer this question yes, the correct answer is no.  Plenty of Americans, especially girls, lose weight in a very unhealthy manner.  You hear all the time of people not eating or barely eating to lose unwanted weight.  This way of going about losing weight is extremely unhealthy, and in the long run can actually cause you to gain weight. 
     When an individual stops eating the proper amount of nutrients the person will lose weight but not the weight that person may have wanted.  When you cut your diet down to scarse amounts of food, most likely, you will not take in enough proteins.  With this lack of proteins the individual will lose their muscles which will cause a drop in weight.  The individual's body fat percentage will increase, even if they look skinnier.  As soon as that person stops their 'diet' and starts eating like normal Americans, the weight they put back on is not going to look attractive. 
     Not only will the person's body fat percentage increase with the lack of food diet, but the individual will not be getting the proper amounts of nutrients.  The human body needs a certain amount of carbohydrates, fats, and proteins everyday.  Good carbs give the body energy to stay focussed and get through the day.  The proper fats are neccesary for the organs of the body.  And proteins allow for muscle growth and stamina.  A proper combination of these three things daily will help lead to a healthy life.

Tuesday, November 9, 2010

Healthy College Life

     The key to a healthy college life is to balance your schedule with exercise, schoolwork, relaxation, and the correct relationships.  Being a student at Texas A&M, I have learned to manage my schedule accordingly, but this also goes for college students all over the country.  
     Schoolwork and studying are crucial when it comes to a successful college student, but some people over-do it which leads to massive amounts of stress.  When you manage your time accordingly you will have stress, but it's a good stress.  It's a stress that allows you to accomplish the tasks at hand.  A healthy life consist of this stress.  The wrong stress is the stress that makes you feel like you will never accomplish the assignments.  This stress will add extra pressure to yourself, and lead you to an unhealthy lifestyle.  To manage these stress-levels, one must incorporate side activities to one's schedule.  
     Exercise is one side activity that can get your mind off of school and makes you feel better.  Exercise can give the individual more energy, and allow the individual to have an increase in focus.  Not only this, but it is key for a generally healthy lifestyle.  When you start feeling stressed or over-loaded with work, make a trip to a city park, weight room, or even  take a walk around a neighborhood.  
     Relationships can help and hurt you in college.  That is why it is very important to maintain correct relations with people around you.  It is important to have friends that have the same interest as you do.  This is a mutual relationship that can help reduce the stress levels.  


Tuesday, November 2, 2010

7 Dimensions of Wellness

     When people think of health, most tend to perceive it as physical status.  There are actually seven portions of being healthy.  There is emotional, intellectual, social, spiritual, physical, occupational, and environmental.  Each of these contribute to having a healthy lifestyle.  
     Being emotionally healthy is the ability to enjoy life despite unexpected challenges and problems.  This deals with expressing feelings and emotions in a positive manner.  Holding in negative emotions can lead to stress and illnesses.  Keeping a positive mind-set can help lead to a healthier, happier life.  For college students, one needs to find an activity or something that is relaxing and allows one to take a mental vacation.
     Intellectual health lets an individual explore more opportunities to learn and grow.  To be intellectually healthy, one must regularly engage in new learning opportunities and experiences. When you grow intellectually, your mind can have influence over your body.  
     A portion of health that people might not immediately spot is social health.  Social health is the ability to relate and interact with others.  For some people, like me, it is uncomfortable, but it is very important for one's overall well-being.  For college students, being in an organization helps with this portion.  It allows the individual to interact with their peers.  Being respectful and caring for others is an example of being socially healthy.
     Spiritually health helps a person reach a sense of inner peace.   A person's good ethics, values, and morals contribute to their spiritual health.  This can help give you the sense that all is right with the world.  For some, attending church can help with this. 
     The most common thought of health is physical health.  Being physically health can lead to more energy and a sound mind.  To achieve this portion of being healthy, one must exercise, eat right, get appropriate amount of sleep, and avoid risky social behavior.  Locally there are many parks one can go to to acquire the correct amount of exercise. 
     For college students, occupational health begins with determining what roles, activities, and commitments takes up a majority of their time.  One must learn to balance personal and professional time to achieve the most fulfilling wellness.
     Last but not least there is environmental health.  Components to this health are access to clean air, nutritious foods, sanitary water, and adequate clothing and shelter.  For the most part, one's environment needs to be clean and safe.
     Adults in the working world along with college students should learn to practice these forms of health to have a good sense of wellness.  If one has a good senses of wellness, it will make life more enjoyable even through tough times this world has to offer.