Reflections Week 13 and 14

Week 13

Unfortunately I was unable to attend the Good Will adventure, due to being sick. I heard a lot of great things about it though and I'm glad the class had a good time!

Week 14

This was our last day of class. We took time to view each others junking projects which I found to be very beneficial. I got some great ideas for some new projects I can make around my house.  For my project I used an empty fuze bottle, put some confetti strings in it along with a picture of me and my friends. I had a lot of fun with this project because it allowed me to show my creative side. Lastly, we talked about what we liked about the course. I have found that my SMART goal was very benefial and kept me motivated. I have also found that I saved a lot of money by not buying pop or plastic water bottles, which also helped the environment :).

Overall

This class was extremely beneficial and I could honestly say this was one of my favorite classes. I have learned so much not only about the environment, but about myself. Environmental Health was truly the class that I would find myself talking the most about. I have educated my family and friends on the information I found most interesting such as global warming and junking. I have also found my roommates being more eco-friendly which is awesome! I found the share and voice's to be really interesting, everyone had some great things to share! Overall, I thought this was a great class and I would strongly encourage people to take this course!

Eye Opener: Online Learning Activities

Advocacy Project: How Safe Are Our Beaches?

By Danielle's Dandy Environment

INSTRUCTIONS: Read and analyze the three websites listed above and answer the following questions.

1. List at least 3 types of disease-causing germs that can be found in recreational waters.
Infectious diseases= Giardia, Campylobacter nd Shingella
2. Who monitors the bacteria at swimming beaches in Minnesota?
Minnesota Pollutoin Control Agency
3. What are some major causes of water pollution?
StormWater Pollution, sewage spills, natural resources
4. What are ways that we can do our part to prevent water pollution at beaches?
Do not swim when you hvae diarhea, do not swallow pool water, practice good hygiene, take kids on bathroom beaks and change diapers in the bathrom, wash child thoroughly with soap.
5. Reflect on what you thought about this subject and what it means to you.
I live on Lake Minnetonka so I have heard of these diseases. I have always known not to eat more than one fish ut of the lke per year because the fish in the lake have so much mercuty in them. I have also ben taught to take a shower after you get out of the lake. Danielle had some really great information and some very educational websites!

Advocacy Project: Inform, Crossword Puzzle, Act!

 By Rita's Realm Instructions:First, read through the information I have gathered from different sources that I thought may get your attention due to this disease. Second, go through the crossword puzzle and see how much you learned. If you get stuck on a question, go to this link to help you. Third, take some action!!
 

ACROSS 4 Type of surgery that can result in weight gain afterwards 5 Classifications of this disease 7 Adulthood obesity My Answers accross 4. Bariatric 5. Two 7. Hypertrophic My Answers down: 1. Genetics 2. Hyperplastic 3. Baby Boomers 6. Obesity My Reaction: I am very intersted in this topic so I really enjoyed reading Ritas post and completing her activity. Obesity is clearly a big problem in the United States and as health educators, it is our job to help educate these people on ways they can change their poor habits.

DOWN 1 Not the only determinant of this disease 2 Childhood obesity 3 This generation might be the first to outlive their children's generation 6 Epidemic in our society

Share and Voice: Tree Hugger

So I just stumbled across this website and thought it was really cool! There are quizzes you can take such as a the "Are You a Green Gift Giver?" quiz and health quizzes. Also, there is a lot of great information on how to become more green. I strongly suggest you take one of the quizzes. I took the Green gift giver quiz and thought it was very interesting!!! Check it out :)

Main Site

Share and Voice: Arthritis

I chose to do a share and voice on Arthritis because I feel it is a very important topic that many people are not familiar with. Before doing research on this topic I thought it was something that only elderly people got, but unfortunately that is not the case. Arthritis is the worlds most common cause of disability, even affecting children. People who are in any form of accident may also be affected by this disease. I saw these video's (posted below) and thought they would be great to share to get people aware of how serious it actually is. If we do not do anything to change this, the risks of getting this disease will rise. Most importantly, if you have any symptoms, make sure to check it out with a doctor, it's better to be safe than sorry!

What is Arthritis?

What are Ways to Prevent Arthritis?

Advocacy Project: Arthritis Learning Activity

Purpose: To make others aware of the serious risks involved with Arthritis and to provide interesting information and statistics on the topic.

46 million Americans, including children are victims, to some form of arthritis, the worlds most common cause of disability. According to arthritis.org arthritis is a condition that affects the musculosketletal system specifically around the joints where the bones meet. This causes severe pain, inflammation and stiffness affecting the whole body, leading to weakness and instability. Athritis can affect every day basic activities such as typing on the computer, going up and down the stairs, walking, even brushing your teeth. This causes a lot of stress and frustration in patients because they are unable to complete simple tasks.



 According to the Centers for Disease Control, (CDC) every year arthritis is the cause of 992,100 hospitalizations and 44 million outpatients, which results in $128 billion medical bills. Unfortunately these numbers are expected to rise to 67 million by 2030 if we do not take action. 50% of people with arthritis are not able to work within 10 years of their diagnosis. It can lead to joint deformity and even worse, premature death.

Genetics and family history increase the chance of developing arthrits. Fortunately, there are ways to help prevent arthritis. There is a lot of helpful information on the Arthritis Prevention site I found. There are ways to help prevent arthritis. First of all, if you notice any aches or pain during every day activities or recreation-related activities, do not ignore the signs. This will makes things worse in the long run. Make sure to excersise your joints. Excerise does not have to be strenuous, just make sure it is regular. It is important to eat healthy, over weight people are at a greater risk of this disease due to lack of exercise and unhealthy eating. It is also important to drink a lot of water. Coffee and pop black absorption of water. Lastly, yoga is great for your body because it increases muscle tone and gives off a range of motion to your joints.



After reading the summary, please answer the following questions:


1. True or Fale? Arthritis only affects people 65 years and older?________
2. True or False: Arthritis can affect every day activities such as brushing your teeth?__________
3. True or False: Obese people have a greater risk of Arthritis?________
4. Arthritis Affects the____________
5. True or False? Arthritis is the most common cause of disability?_________
6. True or False? Arthritis is expected to increase by the year 2030?__________
7. What helps prevent arthritis? a) Eating Healthy   b) Exercising c) Yoga d) all of the above 
8. What percent of people with arthritis are not able to work within 10 years of diagnosis? a) 10 b) 20 c) 0 d) 50

Read 'n' Seed 6: Final Review of "The Food Revolution"

Overview
"The Food Revolution" was a great book with a lot of interesting information. The author, John Robbins, was raised in a wealthy environment and could have easily taken over his families ice cream company, Basken Robbins which would have lead him to a successful life. It is very inspiring to see that he chose his own path, moved to British Columbia, and lived financially unstable. He did this to stand up for what he believed in, which was to grow most of their food, learn the truth about food, and the process it goes though to get to our plates and teach the world about his findings. The book talks about diets, genetically modified foods and health effects.

Three Most Significant things I Learned
I learned about vegetarians. I learned that statistics show that blod cholesterol  levels of vegetarians compaired to non vegetarians are 14% lower.  Soy proteins hae been found to lower cholesterol levels and eating healthy reduces your risks of many diseases. It also lets you experience many levels of passion in your life.

The average U.S. kid sees 1,000 ads each week that promotes eating unhealthy. This includes retaurants such as McDonalds and Taco Bell. Most kids sgtart eating unhealthy at an early age which puts them on the path to bad habbits and obesity. More than 5,000 schools in the United States have contracts with fast food companies and suppl vending machines, this only supports unhealthy eating.

Lastly, I learned about slaughter houses and how farmers have been economically advantagous to raise their animals in conditions that are unnatural and unhealthy. Animals are stuck in cages, some cages are so small they cannot take a single step in their entire lifetime. 70% of U.S. pigs have pneumonia at the time of slaughter. Also, 90,000 cows and calves are slaughtered every 24 hours in the U.S. and 14,000 chickens are slaughtered every minute.

What Does it Mean to Me and Why is it Important?
This book was very beneficial for me to read. It completely changed the way I vew my foods, especially meats. Learing how the animals were tortured and what chemicals they put into our foods is making me re-think the foods I buy at the grocery store. I have also learned about certain diets and how most of them provide completely untrue information. Lastly, a shocking thing I read was that advertisement such as the milk mustache commercial provides false information. They say that drinking milk will decrease your risk of osteoporosis, when all they really wanted was to get their advertisement out so they could sell more of their product. It makes you think twice about what you buy and what is actually true.

Recommend?
I would definitely recommend this book. The author, John Robbins, is very passionate and "real" about what he is talking about. He is puts things into perspective so that everyone can understand the statistics. This book is very eye opening and provides a lot of benefical/shocking information! I suggest everyone read "The Food Revolution'!!!

Eco-Chic Lifestyle Change Week 10: Overall Project Reflection

What was your SMART goal? Did it change at all during the project? Explain.

My SMART goal was to stop drinking pop and start drinking out of a reusable water bottle. Towards the end I decided to add on to my SMART goal to eat healthier.

 

 What helped you be successful? What things got in your way? How can you address these in the future?

 I have always wanted to do something like this, but was never very motivated. When I started this goal I was really excited for it and was determined to be successful. When ever someone offered me a pop I made sure to stay strong and decline. Giving up pop for 10 whole weeks made me realize, I do not need it. Sure, I can have one once in a while, but I feel so much better and not so "sluggish" if I don't drink it.

 How did you benefit from this project? What did you learn about yourself? What did you learn about behavior change? 

 This project has been very beneficial for me. I learned that I was drinking waaay too much pop and drinking out of non reusable water bottles. It's nice because I have learned that drinking out of a water bottle not only keeps me dehydrated (since I fill it all the time) but keeps me from drinking unhealthy fluids. I learned that I am way more "upbeat" when I drink healthier fluids.

 How did others and/or the environment benefit from you changing this behavior?

 I had my roommates try giving up pop for a week and they went through with it and actually bought reusable water bottles. They agreed that it was beneficial and they were not as sluggish either. The environment also benefited from my SMART goal because I was not using so much plastic. I thought it was really cool how me being healthy could benefit the environment!

 Will you continue this behavior? Why or why not?

 I will definitely continue this behavior. I love how I feel when I drink healthy fluids and it makes me want to eat healthier. Before this lifestyle change I was getting headaches because I was so dehydrated. After I started my SMART goal my headaches went away and I feel great!

What recommendations do you have for others about making a lifestyle change?

 I would strongly recommend that they are motivated going into the change so they have motivation throughout the challenge. I would also tell them that it is definitely worth it and you feel more accomplished!

Blogged for the Eco-Chic Lifestyle Change Week 10 hosted by Amy@Eco-Chic with Amy