While looking for something on my computer I ran across these essays I had written for English II five years ago. I thought it was funny and thought I would share. I have always been a health nut. haha
Healthy Eating
Have you ever
tried eating healthy and just given up within a couple days or weeks? Everyone
has; at least one time in his or her life. Healthy eating is hard, and does
take practice; however, it can be achieved through, eating at appropriate
times, knowing your food’s benefits, and planning your meals a-head of time.
Healthy eating does not take place over night, and it requires patience and
determination to achieve this life-long benefit to your health. There are so
many foods out there that are extremely bad for you, like fast food, most
restaurant food, and many processed foods. I think it is important for everyone
to have the knowledge of this and learn about healthy eating strategies along
with its advantages.
To maintain
health, the number one thing that can be done is through your diet. Eating
healthy is hard, but with practice it can be achieved. While someone is trying
to eat healthy, it is good to take baby steps. By doing so you are not
depriving yourself from your favorite unhealthy foods all at once. If you
eliminate foods gradually, you will eventually have a long-term change in your
eating habits that will lead to life long healthy eating. Keep in mind that a
healthy diet does not just depend on what you eat; it’s how much you eat and
how often. Over eating of any kind of food is unhealthy, and eating when you
are not hungry or starving yourself is also unhealthy. It is best to eat every
three to four hours until you are satisfied. Eating every three to four hours
allows your body to stay satisfied, and that keeps down cravings so you are
less likely to over eat when you do.
When
people think of eating healthy they get discouraged right away. They think they
can only eat fruits and vegetables and think they have to say “so long” to all
their favorite foods. That is not true, because there are so many alternatives
and little things that you can do to keep your diet healthy while eating your
favorite foods. An example is, if you love hamburgers and absolutely love the
taste of them. You can put half ground turkey and half ground beef, where you
will still have the taste, while eating healthy at the same time. Another
discouragement is that people think a lot of foods are bad for them when they
are not; such as breads, pasta, cheese, and milk. Just because something may be
fattening does not mean your body doesn’t need it. You need carbohydrates that
are in bread and pastas, because carbohydrates are the body’s first source of
energy. You also need calcium for strong bones, which is found in milk and
cheese. To make your choices healthier, you should stick with whole grains to
help maintain your blood sugar level, and low fat cheese, and soy or skim milk
to keep calories and fat down as well. You can see the food pyramid for all
recommended daily intakes of different categories of food like carbohydrates,
protein, fruits, vegetables, dairy, and fats that will help you maintain a
healthy diet.
Everyone’s
life is so busy. They are too busy to plan their meals, or pack a lunch, or
snack to ensure they will get food at an appropriate time. Your body is like a
car you have to have fuel to operate. Our fuel is our food. Without proper
nutrition your body will not operate at it’s maximum level, leading to fatigue,
and lower mental alertness throughout your day. Extended lack of nutrition from
not eating or eating unhealthy can lead to health problems such as, strokes, heart
attack, diabetes, obesity and anorexia. Many people in the US are unaware of
these diseases and the drawbacks of not eating, or not eating right. To avoid
leading an unhealthy diet you should grocery shop regularly, and plan your
meals. Like I said before, baby steps can be taken, but eventually preplanning
your meals will come natural.
I
hope after reading this you will understand how important a healthy diet is,
and think about what steps you are willing to practice to work toward a healthy
eating life style. It is hard, because of our busy life styles, but ultimately
eating at appropriate times, knowing your foods, and planning your meals a head
of time will eliminate eating unhealthy and going through a McDonalds drive
through. Healthy heating habits lead to good health!
Physical
Activity
The
lack of physical activity has a major impact on our nation’s health today. Many
Americans are unaware of the benefits of physical activity and how it can
improve their health status mentally and physically. Physical activity is not
just exercise; it is doing other things as well as yard work, house chores, and
anything that will keep you moving. With all the benefits physical activity
offers, if everyone participated our population’s health status would
significantly change for the better. If people would partake in just thirty
minutes of physical activity at least three times a week, we could lower many
diseases, help maintain the side effects of disease, and improve mental health.
Physical
activity helps prevent many diseases and other health conditions. Like heart
disease, diabetes, osteoporosis in women, and helps prevent strokes, high blood
pressure, and obesity. All these diseases are what our society is suffering
from at high rates. Also these diseases come hand and hand with one another.
High blood pressure correlates with heart disease, and the same for obesity and
diabetes. They all intertwine with one another. One comes with the other, which
leads to more and more health problems.
Exercise
also has a major impact on mental health as well. People who exercise can
manage their weight and increase their energy level. Maintaining weight and
having energy all contributes to the decreased number of people affected with
depression, and increases the amount of people with high self-esteem due to the
effects physical activity has on the body. Exercise has also been proven to
help reduce stress and anxiety. Stress and anxiety can also lead to lead to
high blood pressure if it is not managed.
People
who are already suffering from a disease can also benefit from physical
activity to help maintain their symptoms from the disease and prevent other
health problems from occurring. If you are diagnosed with heart disease, your
doctor will instruct you to do physical activity to maintain your condition’s
side effects. Exercise gets your hear rate up and since your heart is a muscle,
it will strengthen.
Physical
activity is a ticket for a good health. If people were exposed to the
advantages of physical activity, they will be more likely to participate.
Everyone knows that exercise is good for you; knowing the actual details and
diseases they prevent and maintain would help motivate people to get into
action. Physical activity helps prevent serious diseases, improves mental
health, and helps maintain the effects of diseases. Promotion of physical
activity and their advantages should be demonstrated to help our societies
health status improve drastically.
