Monday, April 28, 2014

Chapter 12, Maintaining a Healthy Lifestyle, April 28-May 4



Chapter 12 contains health information for college students in the areas of nutrition, avoiding addictions, protection from disease, getting enough sleep and dealing with stress. It is based on the premise that we will be living longer in the 21st Century. Also a college education is a big investment and it is important to enjoy the benefits over a long lifetime. Here are some ideas for discussion. You can also add any topic related to health or college and career success. You can make one comment of 200 words or two comments of 100 words each.

These facts are well known: 

•         Smoking causes lung cancer.
•         One out of three Americans is overweight or obese.
•         Illegal drug use is addictive and limits success.
•         Not getting enough sleep is harmful to health and learning.
•         Not practicing monogamous or safe sex can lead to STD’s including AIDS.

Knowing this information, why do people continue to smoke, overeat, take illegal drugs, miss out on sleep or practice unsafe sex?


Assume that you are writing magazine article, "The Five Most Important Steps to Maintaining Your Good Health." What ideas would you include in this article?


Share some of your intention statements for maintaining your good health. 


Watch any of these videos and make a comment about one of them:

Know the Dangers of Not Getting Enough Sleep

I wish all of you good health! 

19 comments:

  1. Maintaining good health says a lot about a person, it shows you have a proactive external lifestyle, in many ways people care about this the most because it is tangible, you can see it and you can make sense of results. People understand the importance of being fit but still continue to ignore it, because it hard, I know that people ignore the facts of living a healthy lifestyles because just as it says in the description, one out of three Americas is overweight or obese. There is nothing socially wrong with being overweight, in the same way there is nothing socially wrong with being underweight, the real problem emerges when related to health. Good health is a balance between all of the positive factors that achieve individual well-being. Someone could look as if they have good health but they could still be in poor health mentally. A person could go to the gym 5 times a week eat healthy but still on the side abuse drugs that are harmful towards their mind and body. This would be an example of not being balanced with health choices and not putting every effort towards their personal well-being, and ultimately the abuse of drugs such as alcohol would emerge and affect all the other factors of their healthy doings, making balance rather unlikely.

    ReplyDelete
  2. The five most important steps to maintain my good health first, change my diet by eating healthy. Our diet should be rich in fruits and vegetables containing fiber and antioxidants that protect against cancer, heart disease, and stroke. Also, our diet low in fat and salt. The most important thing that , we should not skip any of main meals especially breakfast.Eating breakfast helps to provide energy and prevent hunger, which leads to overeating.. Be away from soda and energy drinks. Second thing is, doing exercise at least three day a week for one hour. Doing exercise such as walking, jogging , hiking , swimming or riding bicycles will help to decrease stress and feel relaxing. Third thing is getting enough sleep for our health.Should go to bed at the same time each night, and rise at the same time each morning . Avoid large meals before bed time and avoid consuming any caffeine at least 8 hours before bed time. Fourth is quit smoking which affects our heart , and irritates our eyes vision, nose, throat, and gums .Also, smoking causes premature facial wrinkling. Last thing is relaxation by Listen to soft music and choose music that has a beat that is slower than our heart rate.Use positive thinking and Look for the good things in life and take the time to appreciate them.

    ReplyDelete
  3. To maintain a good health there are five steps that should be maintained. First, you should follow a proper diet. If you go to choosemyplate.org, it will give you a thorough explanation of how to follow a good diet and the amount of the different food groups you should follow. Second, is getting a good amount of sleep. Sleep is vital to maintaining a healthy mental and physical life, lack of sleep has been compared to being impaired as if you were drunk. Third, a good exercise routine, it is important to maintain a healthy weight, can reduce stress, and helps keep you within a healthy weight range to avoid possible health problems. Fourth, practice stress relief. Stress has a big impact on well being and has negative impact in maintaing a good health. And lastly, you should avoid drugs. Drugs have nothing but a negative effect in your life and cause health problems along with ruining your future plans. Maintaining good health is a lot of work, and it is important to take care of your well being in order to live a happy and healthy lifestyle.

    ReplyDelete
  4. To maintain good health, you should follow these five steps. First, you have to eat healthy. Eat more fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and low-fat dairy products. Drink water instead of energy drinks or soda. Second, you have to exercise for at least an hour a day. Exercise increases your fitness, endurance and strength. Exercise lowers the risk of cardiovascular disease, colon cancer, and Type 2 diabetes. Exercise reduces depression and anxiety. It helps in managing your weight. Third, avoid using drugs. Tobacco use is the leading cause of preventable illness and death in the U.S and causes cancer. Alcohol damages the function of the brain and causes you to do things that you can not control. Fourth, get enough sleep. Lack of sleep can make you less energetic, increase your irritability, cause depression, and make you accident-prone. Sleep gives the brain time to process the day's events, store what is needed, and delete irrelevant material. Sleep gives you the energy you need each day. The last thing is managing stress. To reduce stress, make it a priority to solve the problem and seek information on how to solve the problem.

    ReplyDelete
  5. In order to maintain good health, there are several factors that need to be balanced such as diet, healthy lifestyle choices, and most importantly sleep. I am a big fan of sleep, love it, and certainly don't get enough of it. I have a little one who likes to sleep with me but also grinds her teeth and beats me while in bed. Trying to maintain a healthy lifestyle is hard and especially for parents. While some of society frowns upon parents having a break and leaving your kids with the grandparents and or babysitter for two days, I believe it's crucial to do in order for parents to maintain their own health. If the parents aren't healthy and happy, how can the children be?

    ReplyDelete
  6. Jamie Oliver is truly one of the greatest spokespeople for REAL food this world has seen yet. No one can understand why all of our health is at stake and what is wrong, when it is so simple, OUR DIETS! GMO's, processed foods, artificial ingrediants and sugar is what most of the American diet consists of on a daily basis because it's convenient and we've grown too lazy to grow, and prepare food for ourselves. This laziness comes with consequences and they are Cancer, heart disease, diabetes, and so much more! A stick of gum has more cancer causing chemicals than a cigarrette and that's a fact! You don't need to smoke to get lung cancer, you just have to want fresh breath. It's disgusting and I'm so happy people are finally waking up to the reality of the foods we consume on a daily basis.

    ReplyDelete
  7. This comment has been removed by the author.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Know the dangers of not getting enough sleep:
    People that usually skip sleeping for the recommended 8 hours of sleep each night or regularly experience insomnia can have a lot of negative effects on the body.
    It is extremely important for people to understand how lack of rest affects the body. A lack of sleep can cause loss of brain function, and even death if continued for a long time. The longer the person goes without sleep, the worse the effects will be. People that are suffering from lack of sleep can experience memory lapses, decreased concentration, and hallucinations. Another negative effect is that it can harm your health. If you are not getting enough sleep, your body will show it. Lack of sleep can cause health problems, like high blood pressure, heart problems. The causes of sleep deprivation can range from person to person, but most often they can be broken down in to three categories choosing to sleep too little, lack of time to sleep, and medical conditions. At your next health checkup, tell your doctor how long and how well you sleep. Be honest: Sleep duration and quality can be as important to your health as your blood pressure and cholesterol level.

    ReplyDelete
  9. I enjoyed reading about the importance of sleep. I know it is very important and many seem to take it for granted. I could use better sleep habits and am looking forward to improving. One factor is my husband has always worked nights. On some nights he gets home and is still wide awake and I want to stay up with him. The thing is he gets to sleep in the morning and I dont, I have to be up at 6:30. The recent changes include not drinking coffee late in the evening. I used to drink it as late as 9:00pm. I also have been reading about 30-45 minutes. This helps to rekax me and also makes me tired.

    The other topic I enjoyed reading was on drugs and alcohold. I used to smoke and drink. I have not drank in over eight years and absolutely do not miss it. I especially do not miss the smoking. It is such a bad habit,no matter what anyone says! You also have to walk areound (at least for me) with your hair smelling and anything else you touch while smoking. Of course then there is CANCER. I want to live a long healthy life and for me this was a big step in my life towards improving it!

    ReplyDelete
  10. In order to maintain good health, it is important to follow five rules. The first being, eat healthy. You are what you eat after all. If eat nothing but junk food then your body will reflect that. The second rule is to exercise regularly. Exercising becomes much easier when it is with a friend or group of individuals. When you have someone to push and motivate you exercising becomes a fun challenge. Rule three is to avoid any bad addictions. These include drugs, alcohol, or smoking. These three major addictions not only affect you, but also affect many others around you. They are extremely dangerous when not moderated correctly. Rule four is to get enough sleep and avoid stress. Without resting, your body will break down easily and you are not able to function correctly. This can be very hazardous to not only yourself but others as well. For example, if you are driving after 2 hours of sleep and very stressed out you may be responsible for an accident. Additionally, when badly stressed out, it is very helpful to talk it over with someone or find alternative methods to deal with the stress. The last rule is to practice safe sex. Sex is one of the biggest aspects of life itself, in order to enjoy this it is crucial to avoid STDs and other major consequences that result from unsafe sex.

    ReplyDelete
  11. Get enough hours to sleep every day (6-8) it will be one of the beer thing that the body will need it to live healthy. If the person could sleep from 10pm till 7 am that will be great for the body to get a good rest and be ready for the next day. Second, stop smoking , it's one of the real important things to do to live healthier and have a clean lungs. Third, it's very important to drink water in the morning , at least one glass will make body fresh and decrease high blood pressure . Exercise every day or three times a week at least, it will change the mood of the person and lose the stress at work or at school by going to the gym for about 2 hours . Finally, Eat Healthy Live Longer, food is very important to make the body better, instead of eating food has a lot of fat, eating fresh food and vegetables will make the brain work better and the body feel more fresh and comfortable.

    ReplyDelete
  12. Saralina Carman
    One out of three Americans is overweight
    A healthy diet rich in nutrients is the center piece of a vibrant long life, our diet must be optimally nourishing, a good diet improve health, provides a high level of energy, maintains harmonious system balance, keeps memory and thinking sharp, keeps disease off, contributes to a more youthful appearance.
    Fresh fruits and vegetables fresh produce gives you the most vitamins, minerals, fiber.
    Avoid fried foods, excess caffeine, red meats, highly seasoned foods, refined processed food altogether.
    Regular Exercise is an integral part of good health, a good metabolism is optimized by exercise a sedentary lifestyle has the same effect on heart disease risk as smoking a pack of cigarettes a day, exercise speeds results in weight loss.
    Regular exercise also strengthens the whole body, muscle, nerves, blood, glands, lungs, heart, brain, mind and mood.

    ReplyDelete
  13. Maintaing a healthy lifestyle is the most important thing you can do for your body, mind and family. So many people are obese and overweight in our country saddens me, because we really do have a problem with it. Having fruits and vegetables in your diet is not hard at all, but people get lazy and just go get fast food instead of making healthy home cooked meals. Even eating out at a good restaurant could potentially be the worst thing you can do. Even though they are making fresh food that comes to your table, you still do not know what they are putting in it, and what they are cooking it with. Exercising everyday not only keeps you in good shape, it is also good for your heart, joints, brain, and nerves. It really improves how you present yourself, and will extend your life by many years. If everyone ate a healthy diet and exercising regularly, there wouldn't be such an issue with diabetes, heart disease and there wouldn't be so much child obesity.

    ReplyDelete
  14. Knowing this information, why do people continue to smoke, overeat, take illegal drugs, miss out on sleep or practice unsafe sex?


    Assume that you are writing magazine article, "The Five Most Important Steps to Maintaining Your Good Health." What ideas would you include in this article?

    Why do people continuously continue to smoke, overeat, take illegal drugs, miss out on sleep or practice unsafe sex? These people are in it for the moment. If you are interested in switching for the future here are some 5 steps you can follow to improve onto a healthy life style. Question yourself on the why and start doing. 1. First let's begin on your diet. Make sure you eat a breakfast and avoid large portions. Everyday, eat every meal and don't skip. If you skip a meal do not try to make up for it and eat a large portion meal. Eat more fruits and veggies, whole grains and eat low fat-dairy products. If possible eat less red meats.
    2. Start to begin exercising. Consider starting cardio, running or yoga. Exercising is the key to living a happier life as well as a healthy one.
    3. Avoid using drugs. Smoking has too many possible negatives and will not help you neither financially or is healthy. Other types drugs such as ADHD drugs and whatnot that aren't for your personal perscription is not being honest to yourself and may have many side effects in the long run that will not be positive.
    4. Get enough sleep as your body would like. Make sure to test yourself on how long your body will naturally sleep. Sleep early and start getting used figuring out how long your body wants to sleep, not including the days where its making up for previous sleep debt-- 6 hours? 8 hours? 9 hours? Once you've figured out what your body wants at best, maintain every night that you punch in that time and be consistant.
    5.Lastly, manage your stress. Start doing things that calm you and make you happy. Everything mentioned above is a stress reducer. And prioritize your problems and solve them as quickly as posible. Try to be positive and level headed.

    ReplyDelete
  15. Many people really pay attention to the food they put in their bodies, until they get sick and need medical consolation. I know that many of us love to eat fast food, but it catches up with us in the long run and become addicted. While eating healthy would stop us from getting sick, and lower the cost of health care, healthy eating can help our bodies and prevent and protect our bodies from getting high doctor bills.
    Healthy eating means choosing all natural foods from the basic food groups; meats, dairy, fruits and vegetables, grains and stop eating too many sweets and fats. The first step in eating healthy is to know the good fats from the bad fats. Fats are another vital part to a healthy diet. Good fats are needed to nourish our brain, heart, nerves, hormones and all our cells, as well as our hair, skin, and nails. Fat also satisfies us and makes us feel full. It’s the type of fat that matters in addition to how much we consume. Fats help nutrient absorption, helps nerve transmission, and maintaining cell membrane integrity.
    Many of us love to stay up late sometimes with no reason, only to have fun, such as watching TV, talk on the phone, and play video games. It's very harmful to sleep late and wake up late because we are harming our brain and body; and not only that, but we are skipping our daily activities and starting to become behind in our tasks. For example, not doing homework on time, arriving late to a work place, and having very loaded errands every week that cannot be done in one day. In my opinion sleeping is essential for everyone of us to stay healthy.

    ReplyDelete
  16. knowing about maintaing a healthy lifestyle i would say the biggest concern is smoking. for one it is more accessible than illicit drugs. yes people do take drugs but for the fact that you only have to be 18 to buy tobacco products makes it look like every young adult looks forward to using their 18 year old freedom to try. i think that since that law is there the same goes for being 21 and being allowed to drink. its like an incentive. over all i would recommend to just use both lightly because you as a person would just consume everything without knowing how it affected you when you first tried it, you know just don't build a tolerance or you would feel the withdrawal symptoms.

    ReplyDelete
  17. Knowing this information, why do people continue to smoke, overeat, take illegal drugs, miss out on sleep or practice unsafe sex?
    People are to into themselves, all they want is to feel pleasure even if it's for a couple of minutes. Knowing that smoking is bad but they want to feel that hight of smoking either legal or illegal things. Overeating you want to feel satisfied with the junk food. Many of these foods have a unnatural type of sugar that makes you want more and more. Many of us know that these things are bad for us yet we still indulge. I've never understood having unprotected sex, it's your life and someone else's life. You may not always know the person your having sex with and their previous partners. Many people do it because they are lazy and don't want to put protection. They don't "like" putting a condom on, but I'm sure they won't like getting an STD or having a child. People just want to be pleased or feel pleased.

    ReplyDelete
  18. I am going to start taking a few minutes to meal plan for the week because I am so busy. This will encourage me to eat healthy foods, rather than waiting until I am hungry and grabbing something at the convenience store. Processed and packaged food includes a lot of sodium which is something I need to limit. Making different choices at the store will make a difference as well. Keeping more fruits, vegetables, and whole-grain foods at home and at work will encourage me to grab one of those snacks. Focusing on adding healthy food to my diet, rather than just taking unhealthy foods away will make the transition easier. I need to make sure I don’t skip or delay meals, and be sure to schedule my snacks.
    Getting enough sleep will also help me maintain a healthy lifestyle. When I get enough sleep I am rested in the morning and able to get out of bed in a timely manner so I can prepare my meals for the day. Incorporating more water into my diet will also help me stay healthy and hydrated. Maintaining a healthy diet and getting enough sleep and exercise attributes to a much happier and healthier life.

    ReplyDelete
  19. Something that is not usually taken into consideration when one considers good health is stress, including stress over our health. There have been many surveys conducted of people that have lived over the age of 95, and one common factor between all of them is the ability to not be too strict on themselves and not making a big deal out of things. Of course it is extremely important to practice such things as a good diet, one that includes nutrient foods, and good life choices (not smoking, drinking moderately, exercising 45 minutes daily, etc.), but there are also many things that are overlooked, such as knowing how to handle negative life experiences. Part of being healthy is having a healthy state of mind. You might say that the “middle way” is the best approach to these things. This means that you shouldn't strive to be exactly perfect in your affairs but to balance responsibility with an enjoyment of life. This to me is what healthiness refers to. Someone that is completely physically healthy (exercises every day and eats a good diet) but obsesses over this and does not take the time to enjoy any other activities in their life, I would not consider them healthy.

    ReplyDelete