Cindy Ngo

Health Education 44 Online

Professor Silva

24 March 2019

Project 1

Being a human comes with many perks, including the ability to control our lives at any

point for better or for worse. Prolonging our lives by being healthy or accelerating our aging

process by being unhealthy. As a young adult woman in her 20’s I should be at my “peak,” or

being at my healthiest, happiest, most fertile time. What I feel however is, stressed, anxious, on

birth control to refrain from getting pregnant and eating unhealthily. Living in an era which

stresses heavily on how successful an individual is by the money they make, people in my age

group are constantly trying to frame their future at this point in their lives. As a result I am

constantly buried in my books thinking of the future, spending more time reciting vocabulary

words than making a proper meal and staying late nights and days, sometimes not even seeing

the sunlight. I constantly make excuses such as, “there will be time in the future where I can

catch up and be happy on the time I’m losing right now” or “it can’t be that bad to my body right

now, I am young.” In the back of my mind however, I know that habits will be hard to break and

change will not happen unless there is an effort to.

Maintaining or creating a healthy lifestyle to follow will only help prolong life by

decreasing risks of diseases or by having the energy to do what a person loves to do. According

to the U.S. National Library of Medicine, “improving the wellbeing of the population is

emerging as a key societal aspiration” (Steptoe). Ways to improve a healthy lifestyle is to

maintain a positive outlook or be content with your mental health. Investing time in yourself,
waking up early to make a breakfast, meditation to remain calm and even doing reading will

clear the mind. The root of an individual’s life is the way they perceive life itself, by focusing on

mental health they will be happier and view life positively. Meditation will help destress and

help the individual become more connected to their body and ways to soothe their emotions.

Reading will not only help increase vocabulary but it will take the mind on a voyage to

“somewhere else” and create an imaginative alternative world. Relationships with others and

overall performance will increase as there is more of a positive beginning to everyday. For

example, an individual with mental illness will only live a sedentary lifestyle, not wanting to get

out of bed, staying inside the house, constantly living a negative perception of the world. It will

also lead to an increased risk for lifestyle attained diseases in the future. As compared to

someone who awakes everyday with a positive outlook and will to want to work towards

improving themselves.

Another option to improving a healthy lifestyle is integrating exercise into the daily

routine. Simple efforts such as walking daily or even going the extra mile can help as, “these

habits can help you lose or maintain weight” (Familydoctor). Benefits of regular exercise

include, decrease risk for obesity and obesity induced diseases such as atherosclerosis or

clogged arteries. Even children can combine any small form of exercise into their daily routine

so that their future will be shaped in a healthy way. By exercising daily, a habit will be formed

and could be continued on into the future when they are teenagers or even adults. In women, a

previous physically active lifestyle before being pregnant will only be beneficial during

pregnancy. According to the American Pregnancy Association, exercise during pregnancy will

prevent constipation, hemorrhoids, leg cramps, swelling and strengthen muscles needed to
withstand pregnancy. After pregnancy, women are also more likely to lose weight quicker than

compared to those who have not exercised previous to pregnancy.

A third option to enhancing a healthy lifestyle is changing eating habits to reflect a

healthier mainly plant based diet. Meat is required on some degree for protein but cutting out

unnecessary fats and oils from meat will decrease risks for plaque buildup in the arteries. Taking

the skin off chicken or turkey, cutting the fat off raw steak and grilling meat instead of frying it

are healthier ways to consume it. Decreasing sugar intake from sodas or flavored beverages and

picking juices or water will increase energy and decrease thirst. Adding green tea and yogurt to

serve as probiotics to help bowel elimination will reduce straining on defecation. Small snacks

throughout the day will reduce empty stomachs and the “burning” sensation. Meals high in fiber

such as broccoli, asparagus, or spinach and low in meats such as beef, chicken, turkey is

considered healthy according to Family Doctor. A simple guide is following the size of a

person’s palm to equate the amount of meat they should consume in a day. Fruits and vegetables

can replace granola bars and processed foods filled with preservatives.

As a nursing student I am constantly stressed out about upcoming exams and fears of the

future if I do not study for an exam. This creates an unbearable cycle of stress with little leeway

to focus on exercise or mental health. My everyday diet includes a meal after school and a large

meal before bed. Hours at school start from six in the morning to six at noon and clinicals are

about the same. For four days out of the week I am spending half the day at school and the other

three days are spent studying and mentally preparing for the upcoming four days. I personally

believe that nurses are the most stressed individuals because our days are dedicated to our books

and once in the workplace our emotions are set aside to focus on patient interactions. The most

social interaction we receive during our shifts included doctors, other employees and patients
who may be in pain and suffering. Our waking moments are not spent with our loved ones and

our days off are spent catching up on sleep and chores of the first world such as picking up a

package or buying groceries. Ways I can improve my health is possibly taking vitamins, studying

outside, cooking meals from home and finding days in between to rest. At times that I skip out

on sleep I find myself irritable and eventually it becomes a downwards slope of negative

emotions and feelings of unworthiness. In between commuting from school to the hospital I find

deep breathing exercises and planning step by step what I need to do to perform well throughout

the day helps. Cutting out dairy, drinking more water and eating more vegetables also adds to my

energy to survive throughout the day instead of drinking coffee and shaking from the caffeine

surging through my veins.

A healthy lifestyle is a personal opinion as everyone has their ideas to what they consider

healthy. However on the basis of a scientific explanation to what “healthy” is, creating a positive

outlook in life or being mentally stable, exercising regularly to maintain a healthy weight and

having healthy eating habits are all essential to being healthy. Starting early is the key to success

for the future but it is never too late to start. Simply taking small steps such as eating an apple a

day or walking the extra block to your car can help.

REFERENCES
“Effects of Exercise on Pregnancy.” American Pregnancy Association, 29 Mar. 2016,

americanpregnancy.org/pregnancy-health/effects-of-exercise-on-pregnancy/.

Familydoctor.org editorial staff. “Nutrition: Tips for Improving Your Health -

Familydoctor.Org.” Familydoctor.Org, 17 July 2017, familydoctor.org/nutrition-tips-for-

improving-your-health/.

Guthrie, Diana W. "Holistic Health and Diabetes." Diabetes Spectrum, vol. 12, no. 1, 1999, pp.

49. ProQuest, https://login.ezp.pasadena.edu/login?url=https://search-proquest

-com.ezp.pasadena.edu/docview/228641149?accountid=28371.

Steptoe, Andrew, et al. “Subjective Wellbeing, Health, and Ageing.” The Lancet, vol. 385, no.

9968, Feb. 2015, pp. 640–48, doi:10.1016/s0140-6736(13)61489-0.