PRACTICING WHAT I SOON WILL PREACH
In my Applied Aspects of Human Nutrition course, I was assigned a project where I had to log my diet for a week and write a paper analyzing the aspect of my diet. The report required that I include the averages of my intake of calories, carbohydrates, protein, cholesterol, sodium, sugar, and other macronutrients and micronutrients. Macronutrients consist of carbohydrates, protein and fat, while micronutrients include vitamins and minerals. I was taking this course while I was playing volleyball. I had just moved out of my home to live on my own for the first time. It was so easy to grab something quick to eat and run out the door to my next location without thinking; however, this did not make for a healthy diet. My diet consisted of more processed food than I am proud to admit. I ate mostly fast food and ramen when I did eat, and other days I ate barely anything at all. When I was writing my paper, I accredited my poor diet to my busy schedule.
In Anatomy and Physiology, I learned about the aspects of cardiac output and blood pressure. Cardiac output is the amount of blood ejected from the left ventricle of the heart in a given unit of time. Arterial blood pressure can be observed through systolic and diastolic pressure. Systolic pressure is the pressure on the walls of the arteries during contraction. Diastolic pressure is arterial pressure at its lowest during a contraction and relaxation cycle. When diastolic pressure is consistently high it can be destructive to the heart and arteries. Diastolic pressure is supposed to be a period of relaxation, and the heart spends over half of its time in this state. Steady states of high diastolic pressure will cause normal, smooth arteries to develop more connective tissue due and roughen due to stress. The human body runs like a machine, and rough arteries give potential rise for blood to move slower and clot.
I have struggled with high blood pressure since I was sixteen years old. With the last year of my life being particularly stressful, it has worsened again causing me to have to take my medicine more regularly than normal. I was not troubled with my blood pressure problems until after learning this in lecture. I am twenty years old, and the thought of my body not functioning properly in my young age is concerning. Health problems tend to worsen with age, and it is important to me to keep my body in the best shape it can be in.
I also had the opportunity to participate in the S.M.A.R.T. Study. I was helping conduct as a participant. This meant that my student researcher peers were taking my measurements, and my numbers would be inputted into the study. I have never been the person that avoids looking at my height or weight. I have always been tall, and I have also weighed more than my friends. As a participant in the study, the realization of a need to treat my body better was evident. When my height was measured, I was two inches shorter than what I believed I was. This meant that my body mass index that was once in normal range was now in the overweight category. Body mass index does not take into consideration muscle mass or bone density, but I was no longer an in-season athlete when I participated in the study. There was no excuse for my measurements. I was not spending my time in the gym, and the values for measurements body fat percentage and body mass were not numbers where I wanted them to be. I felt the need to make a personal change towards a healthier lifestyle.
The particular research my colleagues and professors conduct has forced me to be consciously aware of my body weight and to what is considered healthy from a numerical stand-point. Constantly, I am surrounded by the anthropometric values like body weight, fat percentages and hydration levels. By working with these types of measurements, I am obligated to be aware of what is healthy and what is not. In my career field of choice, physical therapy, it could be viewed as hypocritical of me to maintain my unhealthy habits. I cannot expect the patients that I will be rehabilitating to make the best choices for their body if I am not practicing the same. My career will demand of me that I be able to provide my patients with positive motivation to do the best for themselves. As a physical therapist, it will be a necessity for me to be on my feet and actively engaging with patients to provide the best care. It is imperative for me to focus on my health in order to live and become the doctor I desire to be for myself and patients. I must be an example of how personal conviction and knowledge can accomplish goals. It will be imperative to teach my patients to practice a lifestyle that aligns with their health goals to further aid in rehabilitating their bodies.
In my Applied Aspects of Human Nutrition course, I was assigned a project where I had to log my diet for a week and write a paper analyzing the aspect of my diet. The report required that I include the averages of my intake of calories, carbohydrates, protein, cholesterol, sodium, sugar, and other macronutrients and micronutrients. Macronutrients consist of carbohydrates, protein and fat, while micronutrients include vitamins and minerals. I was taking this course while I was playing volleyball. I had just moved out of my home to live on my own for the first time. It was so easy to grab something quick to eat and run out the door to my next location without thinking; however, this did not make for a healthy diet. My diet consisted of more processed food than I am proud to admit. I ate mostly fast food and ramen when I did eat, and other days I ate barely anything at all. When I was writing my paper, I accredited my poor diet to my busy schedule.
In Anatomy and Physiology, I learned about the aspects of cardiac output and blood pressure. Cardiac output is the amount of blood ejected from the left ventricle of the heart in a given unit of time. Arterial blood pressure can be observed through systolic and diastolic pressure. Systolic pressure is the pressure on the walls of the arteries during contraction. Diastolic pressure is arterial pressure at its lowest during a contraction and relaxation cycle. When diastolic pressure is consistently high it can be destructive to the heart and arteries. Diastolic pressure is supposed to be a period of relaxation, and the heart spends over half of its time in this state. Steady states of high diastolic pressure will cause normal, smooth arteries to develop more connective tissue due and roughen due to stress. The human body runs like a machine, and rough arteries give potential rise for blood to move slower and clot.
I have struggled with high blood pressure since I was sixteen years old. With the last year of my life being particularly stressful, it has worsened again causing me to have to take my medicine more regularly than normal. I was not troubled with my blood pressure problems until after learning this in lecture. I am twenty years old, and the thought of my body not functioning properly in my young age is concerning. Health problems tend to worsen with age, and it is important to me to keep my body in the best shape it can be in.
I also had the opportunity to participate in the S.M.A.R.T. Study. I was helping conduct as a participant. This meant that my student researcher peers were taking my measurements, and my numbers would be inputted into the study. I have never been the person that avoids looking at my height or weight. I have always been tall, and I have also weighed more than my friends. As a participant in the study, the realization of a need to treat my body better was evident. When my height was measured, I was two inches shorter than what I believed I was. This meant that my body mass index that was once in normal range was now in the overweight category. Body mass index does not take into consideration muscle mass or bone density, but I was no longer an in-season athlete when I participated in the study. There was no excuse for my measurements. I was not spending my time in the gym, and the values for measurements body fat percentage and body mass were not numbers where I wanted them to be. I felt the need to make a personal change towards a healthier lifestyle.
The particular research my colleagues and professors conduct has forced me to be consciously aware of my body weight and to what is considered healthy from a numerical stand-point. Constantly, I am surrounded by the anthropometric values like body weight, fat percentages and hydration levels. By working with these types of measurements, I am obligated to be aware of what is healthy and what is not. In my career field of choice, physical therapy, it could be viewed as hypocritical of me to maintain my unhealthy habits. I cannot expect the patients that I will be rehabilitating to make the best choices for their body if I am not practicing the same. My career will demand of me that I be able to provide my patients with positive motivation to do the best for themselves. As a physical therapist, it will be a necessity for me to be on my feet and actively engaging with patients to provide the best care. It is imperative for me to focus on my health in order to live and become the doctor I desire to be for myself and patients. I must be an example of how personal conviction and knowledge can accomplish goals. It will be imperative to teach my patients to practice a lifestyle that aligns with their health goals to further aid in rehabilitating their bodies.