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Author Archives: Sammi
Ten Steps to a Healthier Life: No. 2
Work Out
Needless to say, working out is good for you. It decreases the likelihood of getting various illnesses and diseases (such as type 2 diabetes and cancer), keeps one’s weight in check, strengthens bones and muscles, increases the one’s life span, and improves mental health and mood.
Plus there is nothing better than feeling stronger. Over the summer I got a lot stronger at camp. I topped the amount of push-ups I could do, and I was even able to do a few pull-ups. When I came home, I knew I wanted to stay active. However, I’m not really a go-to-the-gym-and-run type of person. Solution? Signing up for a cardio kick-boxing class at my college. Kick-boxing is great because it gives you a full body work out and makes you feel totally legit. I’ve love learning how to throw a good punch. On top of that, my hands have gotten faster and my reflexes have improved. Self defense isn’t for everyone, but there are plenty of fun ways to get a good work out that doesn’t involve lifting wights or running on a treadmill. Swimming, rock climbing, dancing, zumba and any sport are just a few other alternatives.
If straight up work outs are your thing, here’s some of my favorites:
This is a basic weight work out that my parents like: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U0bhE67HuDY
I love this leg workout! A bit of Katy Perry: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UvJURs7nJRI
Or if you really want some cardio, this one is for you: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y9raJrc-X9k
References
http://www.cdc.gov/physicalactivity/basics/pa-health/index.htm
http://www.webmd.com/fitness-exercise/exercise-for-energy-workouts-that-work?page=2
Tree Shopping
Ten Steps to a Healthier Life: No. 1
Life can be hard and stressful; however, I am here for you. Here’s a 10 part series to a healthier life. I’ve found each of these so true in my own life and seen their effects on others.
Go Outside
There has been a 400 percent increase in the number of teens and adults medicated with anti-depressants between 1988-1994 and 2005-2008, according to the National Center of Health Statistics. Anxiety disorders are the most common mental illness in the U.S. affecting 40 million adults. Depression and stress rates are also at an all time high for children — especially females entering adolescence. I know I have felt stressed and depressed over the last several years.
Instead of getting on a medication (that has plenty of its own problems), there is a much simpler solution to our nation’s stress problem: going outside. There have been hundreds of studies showing nature’s positive power on not only stress and depression but on many health issues. These health benefits are nicely outlined by the American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA). People who walk 15-30 minutes a day have fewer diseases, are less likely to get cancer,have a lower risk of heart attack and stroke, and have better bone density (US Department of Agriculture). The National Wildlife Federation (NWF) has also compiled articles and research showing the importance of the great outdoors (references on NWF — website below):
Body
- Outdoor play increases fitness levels and builds active, healthy bodies, an important strategy in helping the one in three American kids who are obese7 get fit.
- Spending time outside raises levels of Vitamin D, helping protect children from future bone problems, heart disease, diabetes and other health issues.8
- Being out there improves distance vision and lowers the chance of nearsightedness.9
Mind
- Exposure to natural settings may be widely effective in reducing ADHD symptoms.10
- Schools with environmental education programs score higher on standardized tests in math, reading, writing and listening.11
- Exposure to environment-based education significantly increases student performance on tests of their critical thinking skills.12
Spirit
- Children’s stress levels fall within minutes of seeing green spaces.13
- Play protects children’s emotional development whereas loss of free time and a hurried lifestyle can contribute to anxiety and depression.14
- Nature makes you nicer, enhancing social interactions, value for community and close relationships.15
I used to live outside. Okay, not really, but as soon as the temperature allowed me to go outside without freezing my face off, I was outside. As I became a teenager and mastering the cat eye took priority, I spent less and less time out of doors. I didn’t really realize how weak and overall blah I had become until I spent all summer outside again. Yes, even sleeping outside occasionally. I really felt like I was awake during the day — despite the fact that I had to get up at 7 every day. Normally, I take vitamins and vitamin D on a regular basis, but I was already getting so much sun, that I didn’t need the supplement (side note: vitamin D deficiency causes tiredness and soreness. If you’re getting enough sleep and still feeling groggy or if you are always sore, you might want to get your vitamin levels tested). Even though the food at camp was not healthy by any means, the house I lived in was full of mold, and I had to work in the rain and heat, I ended camp feeling healthier than I had in years.
As I am writing this, it is November 6th and a remarkable 70 degrees out. I brought my hammock to school the other day and took a peaceful hour break from homework and classes over my lunch break. There aren’t going to be many more days like this left in the year. That’s a scary thought… finals and freezing temperatures… Blizzards and graduating! Moving out and — excuse me, I’m going to go take a 30 minute walk.
References:
http://www.asla.org/healthbenefitsofnature.aspx
http://www.fs.fed.us/pnw/about/programs/gsv/pdfs/health_and_wellness.pdf
http://www.nwf.org/What-We-Do/Kids-and-Nature/Why-Get-Kids-Outside/Health-Benefits.aspx
The power of being specific
Two days left at camp. It’s been a very eventful 67 days. I’m going to level with you. I didn’t want to come. It often seems like I really REALLY don’t want to do something that turns out to shape my life. It was that way when I went to Hallstrom. I did not want to try out for that first play. And now I can’t imagine how my life would have been if I hadn’t have gone. Anyway, God has a way of closing all other doors and pushing me through one — or just having my mother force me through. I applied for several other jobs and didn’t hear a word from any until I applied (very half-heartedly, I must say) for Lake Geneva Youth Camp. Then after applying for LGYC, I got two calls back from other companies. I even had an interview with the Girl Scouts. I was waiting to hear back from them when I was interviewed by LGYC and offered the job on the spot. Okay, God, so you want me at camp.
I’ve already mentioned being stronger since I’ve come back from camp, so I won’t go too much into that. Instead I want to focus on God. Specifically His goodness. One of the things about camp and church and Christians is they challenge individuals to give themselves completely to God. (I suppose the bible tells you to do that too). It’s not that this is a new idea to me, or that I didn’t want to do that, but I realized I really hadn’t done that. Not that anyone truly has either, but this was my thought process.
Question 1: Why should I give myself to God?
Sunday school answer: Because of His unfailing love and because His plan for your life is perfect and He has your best interests at heart. (Selfish reasons, but they are all true.)
Question 2: How can I really know that God’s plan is perfect for me?
Sunday school answer: Because He is a good God that cares.
Question 3: How can I personally know that God is good?
Sunday school answer: Because he died on the cross for my sin, I can forever live with him.
Those are all true, but somehow I’d heard them too often and they had lost meaning — like a fact memorized for a test or knowledge without understanding. So my life was not fully given to God because deep down, I didn’t believe — I didn’t know — that God was good. It wasn’t real to me. How could God be good when I had experienced so much pain from other Christians? How can I know if God is good? How can God be good when he hasn’t shown ME?
When I was at camp, I had an epiphany: why don’t I just ask God to show me His goodness? I had never thought of this before… A lot of my prayers consisted of “your will be done”. That is still a great way to pray, but it’s not very helpful sometimes. For one, how can you know if your prayer is answered since you don’t really know what you’re asking for (that is unless you know God’s will for everything). But I think I didn’t pray for something so specific before because I was scared. What if God didn’t respond? Praying for something specific means that whatever happens you can’t just say “well that must have been God’s will, so prayer answered!” When you pray for something specific, you’re believing there’s a God who will hear you. You’re believing that He will answer you. You’re believing He is all powerful. You’re believing He can do anything. That’s scary because what if He doesn’t do or isn’t those things? General prayers can turn into cop-outs because there are so many ways they can “be answered”. Specific prayers mean business.
I was at camp. I meant business. So I asked God to show me His goodness, specifically through other believers that summer. I had it in my mind that it would take most of the summer for me to see God’s goodness, so I wasn’t prepared when the very next day He dropped it on me like a ton of gold. That day and every day after it I was loaded and loaded with more signs of His goodness, kindness, and love.
I’ve now been home for quite a while (yes, I take a while to finish posts sometimes), and I’ve had my faith restored in God through fellow believers and through that, my faith restored in believers. The real lesson here is this: God is big enough to answer your prayers — even the specific ones.