Blog # 8

Final Blog Post

I really enjoyed using this blog. I think I especially enjoyed it because right before this class I actually made the decision to really change my lifestyle. I was not eating very healthy and rarely working out, then I decided that I needed to get out and really live! I am so happy about how I am not living my life. This blog and this class really helped me just push myself further. Writing a blog every week that had to do with many separate parts of being healthy was a very inspiring experience. I was very happy with it.


I think I will definitely use a blog in the future. I have actually been thinking about making a blog about how I will be learning to cook on a budget. Since I am moving, and will be living on a tight budget, I want to show people how they ca  still be on a college student's money and time budget, and still eat healthy. I am very grateful that I was taught how to use a blog. I love it! :)

Blog # 7

Kids off Drugs


This is a tough subject. I have always told myself that I will never allow for future children to do drugs, or even allow them to put themselves in that situation, but let's be realistic here, everyone has been in a situation where they have had to make the decision to say yes, or no. As a parent, I hope to be close with my children. Communication is the most important thing I think. I hope to talk to my children when they are young and explain to them how important it is to choose a certain path. I will give them personal experiences and examples about why choosing the other direction, doesn't do anything good for you. I will explain how unhealthy and how precious life is and that when you are wasting your life away by doing drugs is such a waste of time. Life is too short. I also hope that if they insist on smoking a cigarette or smoking marijuana then they will do it in the safety of our own home. Obviously, illegal drugs would not be allowed, but I would hope that it would not get that far.


When rereading everything that I just wrote, I realize that nothing is really possible. You can't keep everything away from your children, and it really just depends on your child's personality. When the time comes, I guess I will know when and how I should discuss it with them, based on their maturity and personality. 

Blog # 6

Herbs, Botanicals, and Supps


Rosemary 


Rosemary, or Rosmarinus officinalis, is an herb that has been used for centuries for enhancing mental function and memory. It is a leafy, evergreen looking herb that may sometimes have white, purple, or blue flowers. It is native to Mediterranean regions around the globe. It provides anti-fungal, anti-bacterial, and antiviral benefits. It is used in aromatherapy as a gateway to concentration. It is also used to reduce stress and strengthen you memory, as mentioned before. You can use this herb as a spice in cooking, but it is often used in candles and other products for a delicious odor in order to have the same effects as it does in aromatherapy. It is also used in medecine to help prevent and treat cancers, alzheimer's disease, and strokes. Some of the downfalls to using rosemary is that it can cause severe skin irritation is you have an allergy to it. People with an iron deficiency, who are pregnant, or who are prone to seizures are not advised to use this herb in large quantities. Some side effects include seizures and high iron in the body, but only when used in large quantities. 


I was very interested in rosemary when I used it for the first time when cooking. It had such a strong smell that I was interested to research what else it was used for. It smells delicious and goes great with BBQ! :)

Blog # 5

Blog # 5


Stress Reduction


I have always hated running. I did dance and gymnastics my entire life, but when you asked me to run the track in gym class... forget it. I hated it. I thought that it was the silliest thing. To just run? Where is the fun in that? But I guess now that I am 22 and I am not as active as I was during grade school, I must try something. Dance classes are a bajillion dollars, and considering a gymnastics career is basically over the day you turn 18, I have to do something to keep me in shape. So I strapped on my running shoes and began to just run through my neighborhood. Ha, well that was an experience. I remember exactly why I hate running... because I stink at it! Yet, I must just do it in order to keep in shape. So every single say I have been putting aside just about 45 minutes to get a little jog in. It has been three weeks now and I feel SO MUCH BETTER! It relieves so much stress that if I don't take my small, daily jog then I feel tired and kind of depressed. After I take a run, (might I remind you, it is not a strenuous sprint, just a light run), I feel absolutely amazing. I feel cleansed from all of my stressors for the day. I have a clear head to just think about what I want to accomplish next and how I am going to do it. I'm not sure if I get anything spiritual out of it... yet.. but I definitely feel better mentally, physically, and emotionally. It is like taking medicine to relieve your brain of stress and anxiety. I feel great! I don't think I will ever be a marathon runner, but I definitely want to incorporate this lovely jog into my everyday life. :) 

Blog # 4


Adapt and overcome, Just do it.


Those are the six words that I decided to choose when describing myself. I am always a person that loves change. I love changing where I live, what I am doing, and who I am doing it with. I very much so do not like to do anything repetitive. Adapt and overcome: In every situation that I bring myself up against, since I like change so much then it is a lot, I always need to adapt to that situation and make the best of it. I can overcome anything and be optimistic about every situation. Just do it: is something like a work in process. I always get my tasks finished, but I tend to procrastinate quite a bit. I am really trying to reevaluate my life in a way where my good organization skills turn into a just do it attitude. I hope this health class gets my butt in gear! ;)

http://www.smithmag.net/sixwords/thanks.php

I definitely took the quiz last week and posted my blog over last weekend about it but just noticed it was not up here! Maybe I deleted it by accident? Not sure. Well, here it is! :) 

Blog #3

Love Language Profile

For Singles

After taking the Love Language Profile Quiz, it just confirmed what I already knew about myself. I currently have a boyfriend that I have been dating for two years. We spend every single day together. I love spending quality time with him. I scored an 11 on the Quality Time portion of the quiz. Spending time with person that I care about most is definitely the most important thing to me. I don’t think I could ever do a long-distance relationship because I would never be able to not spend time with that person. I scored a 7 on the Physical Touch portion of the quiz. This also was not a surprise to me considering along with quality time, there tends to be frequent physical interaction including hugs, dancing, etc. I had a close third place with the Words of Affirmation portion of the quiz. I do like to talk and I like to be told that I am appreciated rather than being showed that I am appreciated. I am a person that needs reassurance in a relationship. Sometimes I am not proud of this, but I guess I can work on it through self-confidence and health! Receiving Gifts and Acts of Service are not important to me. The only thing that was a surprise to me was the order that the Words of Affirmation and the Physical Touch portions came in. I thought they would have been vice versa. I thought this activity was fun and interesting. I even made my boyfriend take it so that I could better understand what his love language is. :)  

Food Inc.

You can change the world with every bite.

When watching the film, Food Inc, I not only was inspired to change my own lifestyle, but I was inspired to spread my new knowledge to the people around me. Finding out that the food I had just eaten for breakfast was genetically modified, biologically engineered, or was once connected to a poor animal that had the shortest, yet most horrific life possible, was such an eye opener for me. I do believe that meat is an important part of a human's diet, although I do not believe that the meat I am consuming is actually meat. If something is genetically modified, or if something is changed in anyway, (for example: the corn the cows are consuming rather than grass) then the outcome is not the same. Our meat should not be considered healthy for us to be eating. "If you can buy a cheeseburger for 99 cents, and not buy an ounce of broccoli for that much," what is really in the meat that we are consuming that is making it so stinking cheap?! Kevin's Law, not being passed, should be a prefect example to everyone, that obviously our food system is hiding something, if they can't even pass a simple law in order to keep the people they are proving food for safe. It is absolutely unbelievable that the people in our government, who actually have the power to make changes for us to stay healthy, don't do a damn thing.

 It takes a horrible story for us to even get a glimpse of what we are really eating. One thing that I have also learned from this film is that I cannot trust anyone. I cannot trust the FDA or the USDA to make the choices for me of what is healthy or sanitary for me to eat. I am now choosing to make those decisions for myself by always getting to the bottom of where my food is coming from and what is actually in it. I can probably write an entire book about how I feel after watching this film, but when blogging, I should probably keep it to a minimum so that someone will actually read my posts :)

 I hope to become healthier with my food choices, and whenever I have the option to buy organic, I promise from now on that I will do so. I will also try to not each so much meat unless I can find a way to ensure that the meat that I am eating is not from a factory farm owned by anyone named Tyson, or any of the other 3 companies who are in charge of that meat. I want to put up pictures the rest of this class of everything that I am eating, and if I can write a recipe then I will add that to it as well (sometimes I just throw things together, ha) :) I hope to share my journey of learning to live and eat healthy with all of you. After watching this film, we need to not forget the lessons we have learned and make sure that we spread the word! Thanks for reading. There is hope! :)

Oh! I forgot to mention that one of my best friend's family owns an organic farm in Valley Center. They do farmer's markets in San Marcos every week along with other local companies near here. They are called J.R.Organics. If you really want to see what organic foods are all about, (psst. it tastes sooo much better) then you should really stop by sometime and try out some fruits and veggies! :) It is on Wednesdays at Cal State San Marcos from 3pm. to 7pm. They also do farmer's markets in Escondido and Temecula if that is closer for you. Just look on their website and you can find more information about them. It's amazing! Hopefully this helps you new, aspiring organic, healthy people! :)
http://www.jrorganicsfarm.com/


Good Luck!
Jamie