The final three chapters of this course describe day to day activities and how our environment influences our choices. Violence is prevalent throughout history and everyone cannot grow without adversity. Times can be tough and knowing how to cope will lead to a long, healthy life.

Chapter 13

In this chapter, I learned of types of violence in the world. Of all the reported instances of violence and injuries in America, motor vehicle theft, aggravated assault, and murder is on the increase. We see violence being reported on the news and I feel like the graphic details should be left out because a lot of people watch the news. It would prevent younger views from viewing such aggression in real life. Also guns should controlled due to the fact that it has the highest number of victims.

If any violence occurs near you then it would be best to call the police immediately. If there are sexual harassers or stalkers and they have not done anything to you but you still feel uncomfortable then you should tell off. Be direct, document the harassment, avoid being alone with them, report to a higher authority, and remember that you have done nothing wrong. Social media should be handled carefully, you shouldnt post any sensitive information like where you live or banking information and avoid meeting strangers from online.

To people who drive, it is very important not to be distracted. Basically doing anything other than focusing on the road because distracted driving leads to read end crashes or road departure crashes. Another leading cause of driving accidents are due to impaired driving. Drivers who have ingest alcohol or drugs have less awareness and are more likely to get in an accident. It would better to stay put until you are functioning enough to get home. Some helpful tips to avoid this is to have a designated driver or by Ubering home instead.

Chapter 14

The earth is our home and we are responsible in taking care of it. There is overpopulation and pollution that are likely to harm us in the future than the earth. I hope to do my part in reducing my carbon footprint by eating locally grown vegetables and riding the MBTA, I want people to be aware that eating meat can be harmful to the environment because of the living conditions of the cattle, chickens, and pigs. There is so much CO2 being released that too much of it is being released into the air. At home I try to recycle paper, cans, plastics. I feel bad if my garbage goes into a landfill and I hope we can someday learn to not contaminate the earth and the water table underneath. I appreciate people who go out of their way to pick up trash from off the ground, rivers, beaches.

Chapter 15

Mental illness is real and should be taken seriously. If someone you know is not feeling well then maybe you should think about referring them to a therapist. Not seeking help could lead to further complications. There are many ways for self care and it includes assessing your health by using at home kits or going to the doctors. If you are treating any illnesses yourself then make sure you get the proper over the counter medicines. If it gets worse then make a schedule for the doctors. So self care is taking care of yourself by eating a proper nutritious meal, getting enough sleep, and reducing stress by exercising.

If you need to consult a professional then make sure to do some research beforehand to find qualified doctors who are experienced and can work with you. Allopathic medicine is what we use today in America with medicine or procedures proven to be validated treatments. Nowadays I see the optometrist to get new glasses and dentists. This is available to me due to my health care provider.

Conclusion

In the end, I found this course to be very helpful in accessing my current lifestyle and how to improve it. I am more aware of what to do when managing my diet and exercise routine. I learned about the sexual health and what infectious conditions are. I learned about relationships and what it means for it to be healthy. Also of our planet and what we can do to save the earth.

I enjoyed reading these next few chapters because physical fitness is incorporated in many aspects of our bodies. It affects our cardiorespiratory, muscular strength, flexibility, and body composition. Its benefits also help increase our lifespan. Reading about cardiovascular diseases makes me cherish my health and I should treat my body right. It was also fascinating reading about infectious diseases and how it compromises our immune system.

Chapter 10

This chapter describes the components of physical fitness. Some examples of this would be cardiorespiratory fitness, muscular strength, muscular endurance, flexibility, body composition. Cardiorespiratory fitness is the ability of the heart, lungs, and blood vessels to supply the body with oxygen. We can improve this by doing aerobic exercise. Aerobic meaning “with oxygen.” One activity I do to improve my aerobic capacity is by jogging and hopefully swimming sometime soon.

Muscular strength refers to the maximum amount of weight you can move at one time or one repetition maximum. I don’t usually focus on this as I exercise because I feel it is more important to improve on endurance and flexibility. I have been improving on my endurance by doing more repititions of push ups, sit ups, planks, wall sits. I feel it has been improving more as I work on my core strength. I feel improvements everyday. Being flexible helps reduce soreness and offers a wider range of motion from the joints. I used to not be able to touch my toes but I have gradually reached them and it feels great. Body composition is the amount of fat in proportion to my lean body parts (muscle, bone, water, organs.) Taking care of my diet and my body has left me feeling less fat compared to before.

Core strength is everything. You would not be able to do anything without your spine with the back and pelvis muscles attached to the pelvis. I grew up not having good posture and it wasn’t until high school where I started sitting up straight. Back pain is a thing I do not want to have growing old. Having good core strength would lead to a more stable center of gravity and longer endurance. Yoga, tai chi, and pilates is forms of exercise that can lead to greater core strength, balance, coordination, and agility. I have seen one of my friends do yoga and she really enjoys it.

Chapter 11

The heart is what allows us to function. It can take deoxygenated blood and pump it through the arteries into the lungs. Then blood picks up oxygen and discards carbon dioxide in the lungs. Then back down into the heart where oxygenated blood is pumped through into the rest of body’s blood vessels. In the right atrium is the sinoatrial node which sends an electrical impulse that directs the heart to start beating rhythmically.

Cardiovascular disease can be fatal with many being heart attacks or cardiac arrest causing death. As an asian male, I saw that we had a higher percentage of CVD deaths and I cant help but to be a little fearful. Death is unavoidable sadly and we can only pray that we can leave a legacy behind. Growing older, there is a higher risk of getting diagnosed with hypertension, atherosclerosis, coronary heart disease, stroke, angina pectoris, arrhythmia, congestive heart failure or metabolic syndrome.

To avoid CVD, you must reduce the risks sooner rather than later. I used to eat a lot of eggs growing up because it was freaking delicious but I have learned to cut back on it no matter how good it is. Some things to avoid is cigarette smoke especially second hand smoke, cutting back on saturated fat. Cholesterol has been researched a lot and it is the fatty substance found in the bloodstream and cells. There is good cholesterol (HDL) and bad cholesterol (LDL). Next time you go to the doctors for the yearly check up. Check if it is <200mg/dL, HDL levels less than or equal to 60mg/DL, LDL levels less greater than 100mg/dL, triglyceride levels greater than 150mg/ Dl because that would normal levels anything higher or lower than recommended would be beneficial to your health.

• Eat lots of fiber – 5-10 milligrams of soluble fiber from sources such as coat bran, fruits, vegetables, legumes and psyllium seeds
• Consume about 2 grams per day of plant sterols, found in fruits, vegeetables nuts, seeds, cereals, vegetable oils
• Cut down on dietary sodium. Too much salt is bad.

Chapter 12

Our bodies are like a space suit that is constantly protecting us and our organs help protect and kill pathogens. There is a higher risk of infection for college students when there is too much stress, not enough nutrition, low fitness, level, lack of sleep, abusing drugs, and poor personal hygiene. I would say I am a germaphobe so I try to avoid unsafe environments but it is hard to prevent against pathogens that you cannot see. It is also unpreventable when risk of disease is hereditary, or due to aging, environmental conditions, or organism virulence and resistance. There are superbugs out there that are starting to be resistance to drugs and it terrifies me.

This chapter also describes how mindfulness can help bolster our immune systems. It is described in this book that we can improve our health and immune systems. It involves eating healthy, exercising, and getting enough sleep. When going to the doctors it is important to be vaccinated to prevent specific diseases .

In this segment, I learned about how college students are more likely to smoke or drink which causes negative health and academic performance. Alcohol and tobacco can lead to addiction that harms others whether they know it or not. My health aspect was to have a nutritious diet as well as exercising to the point where I enjoy being physically fit.

Chapter 7

In college it is probably the highlight of students night life to drink or smoke. There are many negative effects on our bodies that can be short term or long term. There are many incidents that have harmed the drinkers and even bystanders. For examples look up drunkpeopledoingthings on instagram. Although it may be funny, it is messed up when it affects their health and other peoples health. Videos posted there are due to people not knowing how to pace themselves or having way too much confidence in their drunken state.

Alcohol can be fine in certain social settings but it is when going behind the wheel of a car can it turn deadly serious. There have been many incidents of drunken car crashes in my neighborhood growing up and seeing the aftermath of it all is really overwhelming.

I learned some tips from this chapter for me on how to prevent making bad decisions and feeling straight awful in the morning:

• Don’t drink alcohol.

Chapter 8

One of the most important chapters in the book for me. Knowing and understanding how nutrition is an important part of being healthy can lead to a more satisfying lifestyle. As a 23 year old, I should be getting 2,600-3,000 calories a day. First thing I do when I wake up is get a drink of water. Throughout the day I drink water whenever I’m thirsty and rarely drink soda if at all. I usually skip breakfast but these couple weeks I’ve added a banana on my way to work. Protein is necessary for development and repair of bone, muscle, skin, and blood. It is also the key elements of antibodies, enzymes, and hormones. Protein can be found in chicken, pork, and steak. We consume over 83 grams of protein daily and I admit I eat a lot of meat. I’ve started to learn how to lower and spread out my portion sizes. Based on my weight of 154 pounds, I should be consuming 56 grams of protein each day. I am also a big fan of seafood. I can’t help but to be concerned about the dwindling supply as well as the health and environmental concerns.

After water and protein, carbohydrates should be consumed about 130 grams per day. Carbohydrates can be simple or complex. Simple carbohydrates, or monosaccharides, are found in fruits, vegetables, and dairy. Sugar comes in many forms such as glucose and fructose which contain only one molecule of sugar. Sucrose; granulated table sugar, lactose; milk sugar. maltose; malt sugar. Lots of everyday products contain sugar and the amount can be found on the food label. If you see high fructose corn syrup or cornstarch are high on the list then it is loaded with sugar and should be avoided. Complex carbohydrates are found in grains, cereals, legumes, and other vegetables. Also known as polysaccharides.

Fats are also important in nutrition and not all fats are the same and our bodies needs it to function healthily. It would be best to avoid saturated fats, those that come in meat, dairy, and poultry products. I’ve started to eat less meat and more vegetables that are high in carbobydrates and fiber. Trans fat comes in butter, baked goods, and deep fried foods. Avoiding this by eating more peanut and olive oils. We are recommended to consume fats that is 20 to 35 percent of calories with 5 to 10 percent coming from essential fatty acids.

Some good fats that should be added to our diets:

• Fish(mackerel, salmon, sardines, or tunas) at least twice weekly.
• Using olive oil, peanut, soy, and canola oil instead of butter
• Adding more leafy green vegetables, walnuts, walnut oil, and ground flaxseed
• Reading the nutrition facts on the food label and making sure it is low in trans fat or trans fatty fat
• Adding lean meats, fish, or skinless poultry. broil, steam, poach, or bake whenever possible.
• Less cold cuts, bacon, sausages, hot dogs, and organ meats that are high in fat and sodium

Chapter 9

I’ve never had an issue with my body image. I thought I could improve by adding more muscle mass. Something I found interesting was popular diet programs. The mediterranean diet is a plan that emphasizes fruits, vegetabes, fish, whole grains, beans, nuts, legumes, olive oil, and herbs and spices. Poultry eggs, cheese, yogurt, and red win can be enjoyed in moderation. Sweets and red meat are saved for special occasions. Ever since I watched that video about how this diet has lead to a healthy heart and lifestyle. It has been widely considered to be one of the most healthy, safe, and balanced diets. Weight loss may not be as dramatic, but long-term health benefits have been demonstrated. Rated the number two best diet overall by the US News & World Report in 2017.

Skills for behavior change: Keys to successful weight management

• I want to make this change because I am curious on changing up my diet and seeing how effective it is.
• Positive aspects about this diet: eating more fruit (apples, bananas, strawberries, blueberries, oranges) eating less red meat, limiting seafood to twice a week.
• Eating only two meals a day with fruit and veggies throughout the day. I’ve been adding hummus and some peanut butter to my snacks
• I try to establish a meal plan while I have free time.
• Exercising more at home and going for jogs around the block in the evening
• I have planned a bike ride with a couple of friends and also plan on swimming at the gym.

I have a friend who suffers from disordered eating and I hope to be able to share what I learned in this chapter with them.

The following chapters describe how our environment and choices in everyday life that may affect us in the future. The people we want in our lives, how we interact with each other, and having healthy relationships. I learned about female contraceptive and it is useful knowledge. My health aspect is to keep track of my relationships as well as practicing safe sex practices.

Chapter 4

In this chapter I learned about healthy relationships. There are many questions to ask about yourself before being in a relationship with others. You have to ask yourself if you love and take care for yourself enough to be in a relationship. Also, are you ready to be in a relationship? Are you ready to accept responsibility for your own decisions, choices, and actions? I hope to be able to develop my potential through exercising and eating well. Self nurturance means being able to know your self worth and to work to the best of your ability to be grow responsibly.

What makes a healthy relationship?

• predictability: being able to predict their behavior based on past behaviors
• dependability: rely on them for emotional support
• faith: feeling certain about their intentions as well as behavior

Self disclosure is key to creating healthy communication so being able to talk about your past is important. Getting to know yourself and your behaviors and how to properly disclose them. Become more accepting of yourself because you are who you choose to be. Be willing to discuss your past because it helps to learn from your mistakes and being responsible about your health to people you care about. Know when and where to discuss your history. Do not be talking about your sexual history during a party or at dinner. That’s just wrong place, wrong time.

Chapter 5

This chapter describes the many reproductive choices. This included many methods of contraception, protection, as well as fertility awareness methods. Reproduction is important to know how to prevent pregnancy and what safe sex practices are.

Barrier methods include male and female condoms. It was news to me when learning about the female condom, spermicides, contraceptive sponges, diaphragm, contraceptive skin patch, vaginal contraceptive ring, contraceptive injections, contraceptive implants, and IUDs. The female contraceptive has many advantages and disadvantages. For example: the male and female condom is similar to the male condom as it is single use and also has the risk of a tear. Spermicides can be: a jelly, cream, foam, suppositories but the only downside is it can be messy and/or cause allergic reactions. A contraceptive sponge is convenient and lasts 24 hours but it can cause allergic reactions or even cause toxic shock syndrome. A diaphragm or cervical cap is used with spermicides and can fit inside the woman and offers protection as well as being used multiple times. A contraceptive skin patch is similar to the pill but can be changed once a week. The downside is that it may cause side effects when used along with combination pills. Contraceptive implants such as Nexplanon is a small plastic capsule that is inserted into the womans upper under arm. It releases progestin for up to 3 years and suppresses ovulation which can be costly and can be only inserted by an clinician.

Behavioral methods and feritility awareness methods. Some methods of contraception require more self control such as withdrawal. Abstinence is deliberately avoiding intercourse. Fertility awareness methods (FAMs) rely on altering sexual behavior during certain times of the month. The first 5 days of the menstrual cycle is relatively safe for unprotected sex. Days 6-8, when sperm is deposited it may remain viable at ovulation. Days 9-13; unprotected sex is not safe. Day 14 is ovulation. Day 15-16; unprotected sex is not safe. Days 17-18; ovum may remain viable through this point. Days 19-28; safe for unprotected intercourse. Knowing your menstrual cycle is important to avoid unexpected pregnancy.

Chapter 6

Addiction is a serious, persistent, compulsive dependence on a behavior or substance that has negative consequences. There are substance addictions such as drug abuse, smoking, drinking and there are process addictions such as gambling, gaming, sex, shopping, eating. There is usually a sense of pleasure or euphoria involved that causes people to constantly crave it to feel normal. Physiological dependence occurs during addictive behaviors and results in withdrawal syndrome. Our bodies react in a way where physiological dependence or behavioral dependence would change our bodies on the cellular level.

There are five symptoms present in addictions.

1. compulsion or obsession
2. loss of control
3. negative consequences
4. denial
5. inability to abstain

Biochemical messengers called neurotransmitters are altered at specific receptor sites in our brains caused by drug use or chronic stress. Our tolerance towards mood altering substances and experiences increases and would require doing more of it to get the same amount or intensity of the high. Stopping causes withdrawal and can stop the bodies production of endorphins which would cause depression, cravings, or moodswings.

Addiction is dangerous and people with low self esteem, tendencies for risk taking behavior or poor coping skills are more likely to develop addictive behaviors. People who look outside themselves for solutions and explanations for life are more likely to experience addiction. Environmental influences and cultural expectations can help determine whether people engage in certain behaviors. The social learning theory describes how people can learn behaviors by watching their role models like their parents and celebrities.

Something about myself I hope to change is to be able to balance work, school, and relaxation time. I have a few friends who I hang out with that seem like they have it all together and I know we are trying our best to be healthy. Health is the process in which we all follow to have happiness, great relationships, and fulfillment of life goals.

Chapter 1) Healthy Change

Making healthy choices is what I always strive to accomplish but after reading Chapter One, I realized I can always improve. Health is cultivated by maintaining the six dimensions of health known as physical, social, emotional, spiritual, intellectual, and environmental.

My goal is to improve on these six dimensions by taking this course and learning about myself along the way. Starting with the physical health; working out three days a week. Social health; I am taking summer courses but I do not think it will impact my social life much. I have healthy relationships with my friends who support me. Intellectual health; I keep in my mind the coursework that I have to do and, like others, I procrastinate but I know I can only improve. Emotional health; I realize that I experience a wide range of emotions like feeling stressed and angry about tests. When it involves school I feel that I am hard on myself but the relief at the end will be worth it because this is an important time of my life. Spiritual health; I figured that I must be pretty special to be born in this moment of time and I want to live my life to the fullest. Environmental health; I always respected the Earth with everything it has to offer so I hope to someday be part of the healthy change that would better ourselves and for the future.

Learning about mindfulness in this chapter, it relates to the health aspect I have chosen when I practice it every day. I like to take walks in the summer and I appreciate being in the moment. There are theories of mindfulness that it helps with self regulation and control of negative emotions. Activities that help promote mindfulness is yoga, knowing your purpose for the day, and cultivating compassion. My health aspect has to do with mindfulness because I aim to exercise everyday and eat two nutritious meals a day.

The Transtheoretical model of behavior change is what seems more doable to for me. There are six phases to this model. Since I have chosen to eat healthier and to exercise daily, I have begun to go through the six phases.

• Precontemplation is when you are the stage where you do not see anything needs to be changed. Or if you have tried but could not. Like procrastination.
• Contemplation is when you finally start to see the negative effects of your actions and start to think about bettering yourself . There has yet to be any action or preparation taken.
• Preparation is finally thinking about what you need to do to start changing a behavior.
• Action starts when you take the first steps on the list of bettering yourself.
• Maintenance is continuing going through the list of steps everyday for as long as you need to. It becomes a permanent staple of your life.
• Termination is when you no longer feel that constant doing will have any further effects.

Chapter 2) Psychological Health

I feel that we are in a weird time in our lives living in America. There is so much going on right now that I feel we have no control over. Many issues that are going on in the world linger in my mind, I can not help but to feel like we should be doing more. This chapter made me think about my own psychological health and I realized I could always improve. Psychological health is made up of emotional, physical, spiritual, mental and social aspects.

In my daily life, I get along with my parents and my sister. They have helped me a ton throughout school and I want to repay them by doing my best. Interacting with my co-workers or other students, I always try to be patient and understanding. I rarely get angry at people because I am sure they are experiencing their own trials. If there is ever an opportunity to help, I would try my best to help. My purpose in life is to find meaning to my life and right now that is my parents and my friends. I am totally aware of my faults such as procrastinating, drinking, and smoking. I feel that everything should be done in moderation. When I am feeling in the dumps, I do not use substances to feel better but I try to reflect and reading books helped expand my horizons. Now I try to better myself by limiting the amount of fun when I have to focus on coursework and my relationship with my parents.

Psychological health is the combination of how we think, feel, relate, and exist everyday. Feeling good about ourselves while dealing with stress and our needs. Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs is very relatable and I can see myself using it because it details the five levels in which we would need to be healthy. Survival needs include having clean water, organic food, sleep , exercise, sexual expression. Security needs include shelter, safety, protection. Social needs include belonging, affection, acceptance. Esteem needs include self respect, respect for others, accomplishment. Self actualization needs include creativity spirituality, fulfillment of potential.

Mental health professionals include psychiatrists, psychoanalysts, psychologists, social workers, and counselors. Many therapy methods exist, including psychodynamic, interpersonal, cognitive, behavioral, and mindfulness therapies.

Chapter 3) Stress

Distress is negative stress. Eustress is positive stress. Acute stress is intense stress that flares quickly and disappears as quickly. There is episodic acute stress is the kind that I have. Stress that happens throughout the day. Stress about deciding what to eat, how to exercise, and when to do things, whether or not I could afford to procrastinate. These kinds of stress I hope to be confident in accomplishing.

Daily stress to me is being able to learn and get a degree with my parents money. I think the pressure that I receive in school and at home stresses me out. Of course I understand they mean well but the way stress affects me would be the flight of the fight or flight response. I have a lot of memories of going outside to skate in order to avoid my responsibilities. Skating outside on the smooth pavement while listening to some Joji, I feel my worries lessen for the time being.

If I had more discipline then I feel most of the stress school gives me would not be so bad. However, I think I have too much on my plate right now such as bills to pay and my job. I understand now being a college student as well as an adult, this is something I have to go through in order to gain the necessary skills to survive in America. The things I appreciate the most is the time consuming activities such as eating, reading, and sleep. Imagine a scale. Balance is key.