Final Post...Presentation

Interview with Mrs. Ryan

A few days ago, I did a short interview with Christi Ryan, a Beachbody Coach. A beachbody coach is someone who pays to be a member of the Beachbody company (makers of P90X, Hip Hop Abs, Insanity), and works to promote the products while getting a share of profit from each sell they handle. They also are linked to people who are doing the various programs, so that they can help motivate and answer any questions the person may have. When I started doing Insanity, Mrs. Ryan was my assigned coach, so I figured I would take the time to ask her a few questions over the phone.

Some of the questions I asked her, pertained to her involvement with fitness and how it changed her life. Mrs. Ryan is an R.N, so knowing of a healthy lifestyle was not alien to her. However, after becoming a Mom and moving into her 40's, life began to catch up with her. After being unhappy with the way her current active lifestyle was, she decided to do one of those "crazy" TV workout programs from the Beachbody company several years ago. Since then, it has reshaped her life and led her to where she is today. What really pushed her to start doing it was remembering the way she was when she was young and thin, and wanted to bring that health back, especially since she is an example for others by being a nurse. She became a Beachbody coach because she was interested in making easy profit while helping others regain health and joy. She believes that a pursuit of fitness leads to longevity, and eternal happiness!

I really enjoyed my interview with Mrs. Ryan. She is a really sincere and loving person. She seemed to care about me, even though I had only known her through emails. She was ecstatic and very knowledgeable of health and nutrition. Truth be told, I didn't learn a whole lot, other than fitness truly does make a bubbly person! I enjoyed hearing about the changes she went through on her path to fitness, and what she had to endure, it was very interesting. I think the Beachbody coach program is excellent, and would like to become a part of it someday! Unfortunately you have to be at least 21 I believe, so not for a while. I believe helping others attain fitness would be a great path for my future. All in all, it was interesting and I met someone new.

The Seven Pillars of Health

I have just finished reading a fantastic book, The Seven Pillars of Health by Don Colbert. This book is considered a guideline for life. The chapters are set in days, and there are 50 “days.” Each day you are supposed to ready one chapter and do what it says and by day 50, you should have really changed your life. Each day details a specific topic, and how to put it into your life. For example, Day 11 is “Planning Your Perfect Night of Sleep.” The book discusses a very wide range of topics. At first, water and sleep are the first 10 days. Then the book goes into discussing healthy foods, then transitioning into exercise. Finally the book wraps up with toxins, vitamins, and stress. Overall the book discusses your physical and mental wellbeing as the main concern.

First, I will discuss the negatives of this book. There is a lot of information to take in. This is not one of those books where you can just go through page after page. In order to absorb all the information you must read it day by day, or at least piece by piece. Apparently Don Colbert is some famous doctor, but I have never heard of him. Throughout the book and mainly in the appendixes, he endorses his “products” and gives them his personal approval, as if that will make us instantly buy whatever it is. He seems as though he is trying to get his name out there somehow, it all seems rather conceited to me. There is good information in his book, but when the author has a big picture of himself on the cover, you know something must be up. Also, the author seems to be a devout Christian. Which is fine, it doesn’t bother me at all. But others may be irritated by the many Bible verses or many references to religion in general. That could be a negative in some people’s eyes. My last negative comment is that it seems like this book was written for an older conservative white woman. It seems a little careful with words in situations and some things are really outlandish such as when he recommends yoga, “The answer is, I only promote the physical exercises of yoga, never its spiritual or Eastern meditative aspects.” If you notice the italics, he seems to stress reassurance that he is not some “crazy witch doctor” but instead a true Christian promoting the good word. It seems rather cliché to me, but enough gripes, on to the positive!

In the negatives, I said there is a lot of information to take in. I take that back, there is a TON of information to take in, which I consider positive and negative! You will learn so much from this book, that it is indescribable. Small things such chemicals used in foods, proper vitamins to take, and how tap dieting may actually hurt you are invaluable things to learn. I really like how he writes in a clear and relaxed tone. It’s almost as if he’s just having a casual conversation with you about different aspects of health; it’s really quite engaging. In the back of the book are useful appendixes detailing and organizing many aspects he has talked about earlier, and what to get, where to get it etc…(even though it is product placement, it is convenient) Overall, this book is a wealth of knowledge and I would definitely recommend this to anyone who wishes to improve their quality of life, or at least learn something they never knew before.

Colbert, Don. The Seven Pillars of Health. Wheaton, IL: Siloam, 2007. 1-295. Print.

The Key Step-Motivation

I just read a small chapter in Live Young Forever by Jack Lalanne called Step 1: Motivation. Jack states that "Being Motivated is a wonderful gift." In this chapter Jack discusses some tips to help get motivated to living a more healthy lifestyle, in particular to workout nearly everyday. Most people start working out for a couple of days or weeks, then just drop it after realizing that it's not easy. You have to push yourself everyday. He states that every person gets motivated in different ways. Maybe some people need a good kick in the butt military style, while others need a more a encouraging approach. Others may need a more materialistic approach to get that perfect body, or become popular with the opposite gender. Nearly everyone is different on their motivation. The key to being healthy is motivation, and a passion.

I left this post as my last because I believe this to be the most important component to living a healthy lifestyle. If you aren't motivated, then obviously you won't workout and eat healthy therefore inhibiting your ability living healthy. I really enjoyed reading this chapter as it gives a common perspective on why people commonly give up, and different people's needs. It was a fast, short read and packed with information. You always hear about people, especially for a New Year's Revolution, who vow to go to the gym, and eliminate this and that from their diet, and it all falls to the wayside. Why? Because they are not motivated properly, and don't truly know what they want to do. Motivation is the key to everything, not just being healthy.

Lalanne, Jack. Live Young Forever. Toronto, ON: Robert Kennedy Publishing, 2009. 51-59. Print.

Japan Vs. USA

I just finished watching a video on Youtube entitled "Japans VS. USA, Why Japanese Men and Women Live So Long, Nutrition by Natalie." It is quite clear " Japan has the smallest obesity rate, and longest life expectancy of any country in the world." In the video, the host Natalie explains how the Japanese live so much healthier than we do. Our obesity rate is somewhere in the 30th percentile while Japan's is around 3%. That is an incredible difference, and shows a big comparison between the two countries. Japan's diet consists of many more vegetables and fruits than the average American "fast food" diet. Healthy or natural eating is instituted from an early age over there. The way the culture is, they emphasize health eating and generally smaller portions.

I enjoyed this video. My last video was from Natalie as well, and she knows her stuff. This video explains pretty well the huge gap between the two countries as far as average diet is concerned. One thing that bugged me is that she failed to mention that while Japan is the lowest in the world in obesity, their rates are rising. As more and more American chains move eastward in the world, more people get addicted to the food. McDonald's is actually quite popular in Japan, as well as sweets in general. In the video Natalie makes it seem like the Japanese are the perfect healthy people. Well, they aren't. But as a whole they definitely are. The more we know about how other cultures are with their health, the more we can do and improve our own. It sickens me that these fast food chains continue to spread around the world hooking more people in to their scam for money. Ignorance may be bliss, but it is also death.

"Japan vs. USA Diet, Why Japanesse Men and Women Live So Long, Nutrition by Natalie." Youtube. Web. 15 Apr 2010. .

Going Barefoot?

I want to walk around barefoot. In-fact, I plan on doing it eventually. I just read an article entitled "Barefoot Running Laced with Health Benefits" on WebMD. According to the article people who run barefoot or use "special shoes" avoid up to two or three times to impact of the body that people who use shoes. You can actually prevent injuries by going barefoot. Apparently, “By landing on the middle or front of the foot, barefoot runners have almost no impact collision, much less than most shod runners generate when they heel-strike." This makes sense to me, because most marathon runners are always having knee, hip, ankle problems etc... By getting rid of the shoes that have padded your feet your whole life, you strengthen the bone and muscle in your feet and alleviate problems.

I really liked this article. It was very informative on a topic that really interested me. It is crazy to think how these modern comfy shoes are actually ruining our feet. By making things more comfortable for us, they are killing our muscles! The article was fairly short and to the point. Making it an easy and educational read. By learning tips like this, it can help increase productivity in your workouts, and lessen the chance of injury which is always good! Going Green? No, how about Going Barefoot?

Hendrick, Bill. "Running Barefoot Creates Less Collision Force Than Running in Cushioned Shoes, Study Says." WebMD (2010): n. pag. Web. 15 Apr 2010. .

Fake food

An article I read today caught my eye. "Why You Should Avoid Artificial Preservatives" by Heather B. is an extremely through article on preservatives used in the food we consume everyday. She talks about how there are various chemicals in our food such as nitrates and lactic acid. These chemicals are used to increase shelf life, make the product look better or somehow "enhance" taste. She also discusses how these chemicals have been known to cause types of cancer and other related sicknesses.

I really enjoyed this article and learned a lot from it. It was quite extensive in the detail at which some preservatives were described. It's scary to think of all the foods with these chemicals in them. They are probably why cancer is also so throughout the country. "Remember the #1 dietary rule: if you can't pronounce it, don't eat it!" I find that to be a great way to remember things. All these weird sounding things in the ingredients list of food, are not good for you. These companies hire the best and brightest to make chemicals that make their product more addicting and last longer on the shelf. We do not want this in our body! Chemicals are bad...very bad.



B, Heather. "Why You Should Avoid Artificial Preservatives." Associated Content (2007): n. pag. Web. 8 Apr 2010. .

Some of the worst foods out there

"What are the worst foods you could eat in a day?" That was the first line in a informative I just watched on Youtube. The maker of this video Psychetruth, talks about ten of the worst foods you could possible eat. Some of the foods range from the typical fast food hamburgers and soft drinks, to things like canned soup and catfish! The lady in the video takes ten minutes for all ten of these items. She lists the food and describe why it is on the list. A lot of very useful information about what you may eat often can be found in the video.

Overall it was a very informative video. I knew pretty much everything of what she was saying, but it was presented in an understandable manner for someone who may have just happened to click the video on Youtube. I thought some more useful knowledge could have been said for each food, such as going into more detail about some key ingredients used in the food etc... I also thought the background of a sky was random, but did not really bother me too much. Nutrition incorporates directly into having a happier lifestyle. Nutrition and exercise work hand in hand together. Anyways, great video to learn more about the food you find everywhere!


"Top 10 Worst Foods." Youtube. Web. 8 Apr 2010. .

Sleep...

I recently read an article entitled "Benefits of a Good Night's Sleep" by Kristyn Kusek. I decided to look at an article on sleep, because it is vital for your health. The article talks about how good sleep can reduce disease risk, boost your mental strength, and help you maintain body weight. One example of disease reduction is that good sleep keeps cortisol levels in balance which can help prevent cancer, which seems to be a huge cause of death. A good night's sleep can also help with memory, creativity, and problem solving. The article lastly discusses how good sleep can keep hormones in check which prevent you from over eating.

Overall, I thought the article was too short and lacked content. For most people, they would be happy and with the short style and quick to the point nature. To me, the main point of this article is "Quality sleep helps rejuvenate the mind and body." Many, many people under sleep, and you can see it clearly. I admit I don't always get the eight hours that is desirable as the correct number, but I do try. You feel much better with a good night's rest, and personally, I love to sleep! Overall a decent article and quick read, pretty informative to someone who doesn't know much about sleep.

Kusek, Kristyn. "Benefits of a Good Night's Sleep." Cooking Light n. pag. Web. 1 Apr 2010.


http://www.cookinglight.com/healthy-living/health/benefits-a-good-nights-sleep-00400000001142/

Exercise to not get sick?

An article I recently read talks about how moderate exercise can decrease your chances of becoming sick. For example, the lungs are worked in a way that may expel bacteria from respiratory tracts. While you are exercising, your heart rate will go up which increases the spread of antibodies and white blood cells throughout your body. This directly affects any infections which might be in your body. Exercise also reduces the amount of stress related hormones secreted into the body. The article continues on by discussing how exercise, nutrition, and adequate rest help boost your immune system.

My main advocation is how a healthy lifestyle can increase the quality of your life. The article states that,

"Participation in regular, moderate intensity exercise has been shown to contribute to a lowering of the body's vulnerability to potentially harmful bacteria and viruses."

How does that not make life better? If you aren't sick, you should be grateful. Being sick sucks. It's one of those things you don't truly appreciate till you are sick, then realize how good it was to be well and healthy. Things like regular exercise, a balanced diet, and good sleep all contribute to a better body and mind. Later on, the article tends to go back on what it says by saying too much exercise, or in the wrong environments, can increase your chances of getting sick. No matter what the conditions, exercise can only benefit you and your health. Basically, you don't like getting sick? Exercise.



Conley, Kevin. "Moderate exercise helps boost immune system, research shows." TribLive News (2003): n. pag. Web. 25 Mar 2010.

http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/s_115503.html

Is this what we are?

I think so.