Eating Disorders

I watched a movie for my Fit for Life online class and we had to watch a movie about eating disorders and summarize what it was about and what it talked about.

 

Weight has always been and always will be an issue for girls in the world. Society isn’t always helping either, you look left and you look right and you can always see pictures of models who are skinny and famous people who are super thin. Girls look up to these people and want to be just like them so they decide they need to lose weight so they can get down to 110 and people will think of them highly. Weight shouldn’t be an issue for people and it doesn’t have to be, but sometimes our emotions and experiences get caught up with us.

In the movie Nova: Dying to be Thin it talked about ballet dancers who are supposed to be strong, balanced, and skinny to the bone. They have to look a certain way so they can look “perfect”. Dance teachers and couches, and I’ve even seen it myself, comment on weight all of the time saying, “she could lose a few pounds” or “she could be better if she lost a little weight”. It hurts those inside and out and they do whatever they can to lose weight so they won’t be criticized anymore.

Models are always known to be tall, beautiful, and skinny. To be a model you have to look a certain way and look good in almost anything. Not true. Weight doesn’t matter when it comes to modeling because all that matters is that you are you and nobody else and you just care about what you think and not what others think. Everyone always says, “oh you’re so tall and skinny, you should be a model” and when other girls hear this they think that they need to be skinnier so they can get those types of compliments as well.

There are many factors to people having anorexic or bulimia like society, the people around them in their communities, family, friends, distress, and more. Studies have shown that people who are OCD have a good chance of having an eating disorder because they want everything to be perfect and follow a path and if looking good is part of that path they will do their best to get there. Many people have also been abused in their lives and the stress and anxiety takes over and they stop eating or they eat and vomit it back up.

No matter who you are you shouldn’t feel like you need to be perfect for everyone. You can be yourself and be healthy and lose weight if you need to in a healthy way. When people tell you to lose weight just don’t listen to them, you need to listen to those who care and yourself. Having an eating disorder can ruin your life and the treatment and be extensive. If you have a disorder don’t keep it a secret because you may regret it later on because you can become so sick and even pass away. It’s so sad that people think they aren’t good enough and that they don’t look good so they stop eating and starve them selves, it’s not worth it. You are perfect no matter what anyone else says and appearance isn’t a priority.

growing up, up, and away!

I can't wait to be out of school! FOREVER! I mean, um...yeah! I can't wait till summer, but I really want school to be over all together. Even college. No more homework, no more term projects, no more reading stupid books, etc. I'm so tired of it! ha ha ha. I really want to grow up and get out on my own and experience life in my own way. Wait?! No! I don't!

Okay, I want to leave the house without people nagging at me to do chores every minute of everyday. I want that, but I don't at the same time. I'm going to be in high school soon and I want to drive a car and have more freedoms, but I'm scared. I'm scared for high school and I'm scared about money issues and family. I'm sure I'm not the only one that feels this way either. I had a party the other night and my parents were getting mad at me because everyone wasn't gone by a certain time, don't get mad at me for that! If I come home two minutes late I get yelled at. I've never been grounded in my life, but I hate it when they get mad and yell, it's the worst thing ever! I know they were disappointed, it's the worst thing to disappoint your parents. I feel like they need to cut me some slack though. I don't fight with them and I don't yell a lot and I do what I'm supposed to the best I can, they are just super strict. My friends parents are so laid back and they can do more than I can. I know I shouldn't compare my parents to other parents, but they need to realized how lucky they are (if they're reading this I'm probably dead ha ha ha). I don't hang out with friends that often, I do my homework without being told, and when we have a family thing going on I go. I do more with my parents than a teen should! I care about my future so I do the best I can now so I won't have to fix it later, and I don't think they understand that. My mom always complains about how I'm always doing homework, that is not my fault it's my teachers...no offense! Sometimes ya'll just pound us way too much with that junk! Math and biology are the worst! So much homework and it over powers my whole life sometimes. I mean, after this I have to go to my math homework and work on a term project and essay for biology and it just kills me. I can't get to bed at a decent time even if I start homework right as I get home. My parents are still getting mad and it's not my fault. Okay I need to stop this whole poor me, poor me thing.

I just can't believe that I'm growing up and I'm old enough to drive and do so much! It's going by so fast.... well actually, it's pretty slow, but really the years just keep going by faster and faster.

How important is sleep

Have you ever wondered how important sleep is? Do you get enough of it? Chances are, if you are a teenager like me, the answer is, well, no. Ever had an all night-er? How was the rest of your day? Did you feel like crap? or Did you just want to sleep the rest of the day away because you were so exhausted? Yeah, sleep is important, and not just when you are ‘growing’ but when you’re an adult too.

You’ve always heard that you need to get eight hours of sleep, but I guess it turns out as long as you get 6-8 hours you’re good. No more, no less, it’s not the healthiest thing ever to sleep in as well, which is a huge bummer because we all like to sleep more than what is needed. I was reading an article the other day because I was actually trying to prove to my mom that’s it’s okay if I got to bed around 10:30 each night, I wasn’t that successful, but hey at least I know now… I just won’t tell my mom that!

There was this…lady I think… I didn’t actually see who the author of the article was… anyway! She decided to try this Uberman sleep schedule to see if just taking naps could take care of all the sleep you need and you can still have enough energy. In case you were wondering because you don’t want to read the whole thing, it doesn’t work! Don’t try it! She may have some different symptoms than you would, but still don’t try it, it’s totally not worth it. So not only did she try it, she did it for a month! How crazy is that, if I did that for a science project I would want a big prize for that! She was doing it for her job though, but still I don’t think she got paid enough for it ha. So anyway, she felt like crap for the first week and had a little fatigue, the second week was even worse. She started have canker sores and pimples and she didn’t know what day it was, and couldn’t take care of her own hygiene because she was so confused. The third week got better and she though it was starting to work, she was finally having more energy and everything, then the fourth week came along. It all went downhill again and she couldn’t wait till she could finish the whole thing. When she was done she slept for 15 hours strait and her friends told her she looked a ton better than before.

So, sleep? Yeah it’s important try to always get 7 or 8 hours and if you can’t try to the next night. Don’t sleep in often either because you would just known as lazy and a bum, but also you aren’t being healthy, too much sleep can make you sick and gain weight. Also when you don’t get enough sleep you tend to eat more, losing weight though in an unhealthy way… again. So, just sleep, it’s good for you! Goodnight!

For more details: http://www.menshealth.com/spotlight/sleep/8-hours.php

Social Networks

In the year 2012 people are busy on their laptops, tablets, iPhones, and Androids. They’re using them to update their status, telling Facebook how they’re feeling and twitter what they’re doing, and looking at all the latest trends on Pinterest. They never seem to stop, but my question is, what would you do without the technology and social networks?

Facebook has been around for years, becoming so addicting to some people that in school their grades are lowering, at home their families aren’t coming together for dinner, and in the world outside they don’t talk to people face to face but instead by IM. Since 2004 this social network has been up and millions of people have joined, but have their lives improved? Was it worth getting a facebook? Twitter, not as popular as facebook, though it has not been around as long, seems even worse. Most people, sorry to say, don’t care what you did with your dog two seconds ago. We don’t care that you’ve been playing COD for two hours strait, or that you’re a party getting drunk. Pinterest, it’s there for people to make them feel like they aren’t good enough. Looking at pictures of people’s homes that look perfect, with the perfect family, with a nice porch, and handmade spring wreaths hanging on the cutest front door. Giving people weight loss tips because you just don’t look like that model in the pin above wearing a red and white striped bikini.

I’m guilty, I have a facebook, a twitter, and even a pinterest account, but I can’t even remember what life was like without any of these things. I wish I could look back and say, “Hey! I was doing perfectly fine before all of this!” Yes, I have attempted to get rid of my facebook, but I’ve become so addicted to it, that I can barely go a day without getting on facebook, twice, twitter I can live without. Pinterest doesn’t even seem that bad, it has cute ideas for crafts, cute clothes, quotes, hair ideas, recipes that everyone will enjoy and home improvement ideas, but what do you feel like after you’ve pinned all that stuff onto your boards? I probably will never get around to make anything, or do my hair, or buy the clothes that looked amazing on the girl in the picture, and, I hate cooking.

Our society today has made men, women, girls, and boys think they need to look a certain way, do certain things, and live a life that seams flawless. We think we need to impress people so we will be liked, but if you look around, your true friends and your family don’t care. They don’t care that you have stick strait hair when the style is curly, they don’t care that you don’t weigh 120 when you’re just a few pounds away, they just want you to be you. This doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t try your best, but that you shouldn’t try to become someone you’re not. I can honestly say I miss being able not to care what people say about me, and that I didn’t have to get on facebook everyday when I get bored and I want to feel like I’m pretty and that I’m not messing up as a daughter or a friend or a sister, I wish society didn’t take over the lives of people.

So, imagine one day where facebook, twitter, and pinterest are all gone and weren’t ever coming back. What would you do that first day? I picture that everyone would freak out for the first couple of hours, sit around realize that they’re bored, and go outside. Hang out with friends and be with their families, and be worry free. I guess my grandma was right when she said, “That facebook will rot you’re brain and people are going to be taken over by it,” or when a lady that lives by me said, “Pinterest will get old and people will get tired of feeling like they haven’t accomplished a thing in their lives.” I’m going to go delete my pinterest right now.

Spring Break 2012

    Spring break? Like it? More like love it! First of all I get a load off of homework and school, just what I’ve been needing! Second, I can chill and do whatever I want and not have to worry about a single thing. Third, it was my birthday this week! I didn’t have to go to school on my birthday, that right there is the best gift of all. I haven’t done much this week, but it’s been a total blast. I hung out with best friend we went downtown and hung out a city creek, that place is female heaven! I think my favorite place was Sephora, it’s a makeup store and I fell in love just looking at the mascara. We didn’t really but anything because most of the stuff there is way out of our budget, a budget of 20 bucks! ha. We went out to lunch and saw a couple friends, oh! Don’t eat a Suki Hana, that place is greasy! Then Wednesday my mom took me out shopping, again, we went on Monday too and she took me out to eat. Thursday I had a sleepover with my friend, made a cake, watched movies, had Hawaiian Haystacks, and stayed up till like 3. I was supposed to get home at 9, I didn’t get home till two o’clock. Then, I was met with the reality of online homework due Friday.

    I would highly recommend, if you want to get ahead or just didn’t pass a class, to take online schooling… if you live in this area. If you live somewhere else I don’t know how the Online Education is but Davis Connect Online over here is awesome. I’m taking two classes with them and you don’t have to focus on that class too much, it’s just like any other class, but on your own. You might meet up with your teacher a couple times depending on the class and most of them are amazingly organized and nice. Anyway, I hadn’t done anything with my online stuff and I got home and realized I had 2 assignments for my computer tech class and one for my fit for life, I seriously panicked because I’m heading to my Dad’s who doesn’t have a computer. I didn’t need to worry one bit! I finished all 3 in like ten minutes and I was soooo happy, but now I have all my other  homework to do and the joys of spring break fly out the window, and fast!

    And then there’s the weather today, seriously mother nature must be bipolar because it snowed today, I was wearing shorts earlier this week because it was hot! Now I’m wearing pants and a long sleeve with a jacket/coat thing… I honestly don’t know what to call it, but it’s nice, lightweight, and soft. So as I’m looking out the window I see mountains covered in snow and it makes me so sad, luckily it didn’t snow on my birthday I would cry. Okay so there’s my overview of this week, have a nice weekend!

Science stuff about Charles Darwin

Charles Darwin: A Gentle Revolutionary

Charles Darwin’s Grandfather, Erasmus Darwin was a physician, and so was his father Robert Darwin. Charles thought that he also wanted to be a physician and went to school at Edinburgh University. He ended up thinking it was boring and was disgusted by the open cadavers. After realizing that being a physician wasn’t for him he and his father decided he would be a clergyman. He went to Cambridge University studying about Christianity and sciences. He started learning about biology, zoology, theology, and geology, collecting beetles was his passion and his loved seeing the many different types and difference between similar types. One day he found a new beetle and didn’t want to lose it so he popped it in his mouth, and he then had an acidy fluid on his tongue and spit it out, he lost the beetle.

He met many people while at Cambridge, but then he felt that it wasn’t for him and his pursuits for being a clergyman were gone. He met a man, Captain FitzRoy who was sailing to South America, he was a well-educated man and didn’t want to travel with people below him and invited Darwin to go with him. They ended up arguing every time they discussed something, but by the end they were friends. He then met Lamarck and Lyell who believed that life forms gradually grew up the “ladder of life” and became human beings being at the top. Darwin met many other people that had ideas on evolution, but he wanted to find out for himself.

He went many places including the Galapagos Islands and saw many animals, particularly birds. He this saw finches there and later when he went to Chile he compared the finches there with the ones in Galapagos. They were very similar with only some differences. He thought maybe that animals would be different due to the climate they lived in, but noticing that the finches were similar he decided that wasn’t entirely true. He stopped for a little while with his research and started a family, he was married and had children, he was now again in Cambridge. Darwin started up again and read an essay by Thomas Malthus. In the essay it stated that there was a “struggle for existence”. Darwin started thinking about this and realized that may be animals were fighting for resources and had to adapt to where they lived and what they did for survival and that’s why there were so many different variations for species.

Darwin didn’t have all of his ideas come together at once, he thought about it all for a long time and kept having different ideas or add-ons to his previous ideas. He had his own ideas and knew that not every scientist would believe his findings and opinions. He was also afraid that he would be judged by his research and didn’t publish them right away. It wasn’t until a friend Alfred Russel Wallace had similar findings did he realize he needed to get his ideas out there. Darwin consulted a couple people first before he told the world in his writing, then in the August of 1858 the Journal of the Proceedings of the LInnean Society of London published a paper by Darwin right by Wallace’s. He started writing one The Origin of Species, and on the first day sold out with 1250 copies.

Many Scientists didn’t agree with Darwin and some religions see him as an evil person, which isn’t true. Darwin’s ideas were finally accepted in the 1900s, but not by all. While Darwin fell away from religion for some different reasons he still believed in many things and was buried next to science icon, Isaac Newton.

Steroids, more fit for life ha

You always hear about how steroids are bad for you, but most people don’t even know the effects of actually taking them. They can affect the way you act, ruining your relationships with family and friends. They can affect the way your body looks, but also in negative ways as well not just building up muscle tone. They will change your whole life in the blink of an eye, and you’ll regret it forever. Think before you even consider using steroids.

            Your attitude at first will seem normal, but after the first couple of weeks your friends, not you, will start noticing the way you’re acting. You become stressed, and violent, but you won’t understand why you’re doing it. You’ll be acting just fine one moment, but the next you’ll be destroying everything in your path, even hurting your loved ones. You become depressed and having mood swings, then your body starts to change.

            Males will lose a little percentage of testosterone, developing female looks. They will develop bigger breast, and have hair loss. They will start to develop bigger muscles, sometimes getting too big where people will look awkward and possibly in pain. Women take steroids as well, though not as much as men, but when women take this drug like substance, they change too. They grow facial hair, and become bulky in their body type, their hair may start to recede as well.

            Steroids, once taken, are hard to get off of. Steroids are a drug and they become addicting and this will charge your life. You won’t be able to stop and your body will change significantly. If you do however get off of them, you will change, but life will be better. Your body will reduce in size because you aren’t taking it, your skin, being stretched out will sag. However, many people aren’t so lucky and people have died before. If you play sports for a high school and they find out that you are taking steroids, your whole team could be disqualified. You could lose everything you have in school.

            Don’t even think about steroids they are terrible, they may seem cool and neat at first, but you won’t be the same person on them. You will have ruined your life, and everyone will see you differently. You may be ruining not just your life, but others lives as well, people will see you differently. They results aren’t even worth it, so work for it, do your best, and you will become naturally fit and tone.