Monday, September 26, 2016

Wellness Day Reflection

The first topic that came to mind immediately while we discussed the parameters of the Wellness Day project was yoga. When I am in a yoga class, I get some of the deepest, most effective stretches and workouts in my life. I stretch muscles I did not even know were in my body. When I leave the class, I feel an overwhelming sense of wholesomeness, a deeper knowledge and connection to the world around me. The mental and physical benefits of yoga have bettered my life for many years, and I felt it fitting to pay homage to an art that benefitted me in so many ways.
Some of the most interesting things I learned were about the history of yoga. I did not know what its origins were, and I found the 5 principles by Swami Sivananda to be resounding. These principles, proper relaxation, proper exercise, proper breathing, proper diet, and positive thinking and meditation, are the basis of what makes yoga so effective. When these principles are applied to all aspects of life, not just in the classroom, the lives we lead can become happier, healthier, lovelier.
The fun and unusual types of yoga were also very interesting. Like Doga, yoga with your dog. I would love to do downward dog with my little puppy, or aerial yoga nestled between silks suspended above the ceiling.
While researching the Sunrise Salutation, I learned about the reasons behind this specific sequence, the sequence I have been doing since I was eight years old. I did not know where the solar plexus is located, but now I know that it rests behind the navel in the central part of our bodies, and the Sunrise Salutation opens and extends the plexus to the sun’s embrace, feeling its warmth for the duration of the sequence. Knowing the story, the purpose behind the sequence makes it more than just a series of moves; it’s a moment of gratitude for something so much grander than us, yet that makes our lives possible.
Yoga is important for our mental and physical well-being because it emphasizes the importance of the self. While getting a vigorous aerobic workout or stretch, we internalize and focus on our thoughts. We regulate our breathing and bring a sense of structure to the mayhem of life. I have not practiced another form of exercise as effective as healing my mind and my body as yoga.
I would grade myself at an 8, because I did an equal amount of the preparation as my peers for the presentation. Kaitlin did a bulk of the research on the background, I was the creative mind in charge of the activity and poses, and Hayley did the benefits, bibliographies, a and other miscellaneous slides. We worked well as a group. Not one person did too much or too little. I think I got a little rambly during the presentation because I was nervous, but other than  that I thought the class was well engaged during the activity.

Nutrition Analysis

When I began this analysis, my idea of a quick "diet" was to eat very little, maybe even nothing at all. I do tend to struggle, as most teenage girls in this society do, with my appearance. Sometimes I compare myself to other girls, or fall into the deep hole of seeing the unnaturally small models in the media and believing that those women have the desirable, healthy bodies. This assignment has been a wake-up call. Instead of being morbidly over the calorie and sodium count like I thought I would be, I was very low in every single category. Even on my cheat day, where I had an In & Out burger with 480 calories and french fries with 395 calories, I was still 834 calories under the suggested daily calorie intake for my weight, gender, and age. I think this has partly to do with my poor habit of eating little amounts of food. I tend to feel full very quickly, and stop eating after only a couple bites. In fact, on some days I did not have breakfast because I overslept, leading me to eat even less.
So why, I ask myself, do I still believe myself to be a little heavier, to retain weight and fat in the unsightly places? Some part of this, I think, is my food choice. Look at my food intake for Day 3. Out of the 8 foods I ate that day, 3 of them were laden with carbohydrates, toast, a bagel, and white rice. Bagels and white rice are both notorious for being carb-heavy and unhealthy. I could substitute my bagel lunch for a more protein-heavy lunch. In fact, my only protein intake that day was one portion of chicken! I could swap the white rice for the far more beneficial brown rice. I could increase my portion size while being mindful of what I’m eating, like having 2 eggs for breakfast instead of a sugary Starbucks scone. My only veggie intake that day was broccoli! That is unusual for me, but still concerning.
Another factor to my appearance might just be genetic. My family has a vast history of being overweight (partly because of the Italian family’s killer pasta recipes). Sadly, I do not know how I can remedy this.
The scariest day for me to see was Day 1. I had only 695 calories! I ate only 7 different foods. I was vastly below in fiber at only 7.4 grams, Vitamin C at 17.12 grams, iron at 3.96 milligrams, sodium at 1803 milligrams, Vitamin B-6 at 0.3 grams, and magnesium at 76 grams. That is not a healthy diet for a moderately active 17 year old girl who danced for 3 hours that day. I see that not a single nutrient was fulfilled that day. How was my body still functioning?
I need to increase my protein intake and my fat intake while decreasing my carb intake. As I stated before, I tend to “overcarbsume” like many other Americans. I also need to sadly not eat my favorite and dear Kind Granola Bars. I am addicted to the Almond and Apricot bars, and for some reason I built up in my mind that they were healthy. They are not. They are a better choice than a bag of Lays, but not better than having some veggies with hummus, or a handful of almonds without the added honey and sugar.
As a moderately active person, I am in the studio or gym often, whether it be teaching my crazy little munchkins or working my max on a solo routine. I expend a lot of energy, even more than regular because of my pre-existing and exercise-induced asthma, which causes moderately intense or vigorous activity to be even more difficult. I often hit the wall that you described in class, because I have no stored energy reserves after my initial carb intake runs out. This impairs my growth as a dancer.
Also, I struggle with a regular sleeping schedule, which I have read can wreak havoc on your weight fluctuation. When I sleep less my body doesn’t heal or rest properly. I feel as though I am dragging my way through the day, a feeling that is intensified by my lack of energy from food. Hopefully this will regulate when I am done with college applications.

All in all, if I eat more meaningful calories with nutrient-dense foods, increase my protein and fat intake, reduce my carb intake, sleep more, etc. then hopefully I will see more results.

Bibliography:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chicken_fingers
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Penne
https://www.fatsecret.com/calories-nutrition/generic/pesto-sauce
https://www.fatsecret.com/calories-nutrition/generic/chicken-parmesan
http://mobile.fatsecret.com/calories-nutrition/usda/yellow-sweet-corn?portionid=59083&portionamount=89
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Espresso
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ice_cream
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spinach
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Banana
https://www.almondbreeze.com/products/almondmilk-original/#nutritionalFacts
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Egg_as_food
https://www.caloriecount.com/calories-kind-almond-apricot-bar-i214668
http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/baked-products/4872/2
https://www.fatsecret.com/calories-nutrition/smuckers/strawberry-jelly
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/food/calories/natural-jif-creamy-peanut-butter-1-serving-357013801?v2=false
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carrot
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cucumber
https://www.fatsecret.com/calories-nutrition/kraft/natural-mozzarella-string-cheese
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chocolate-covered_raisin
http://pizzamyheart.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/PMH-NutritionFacts.pdf
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Butter
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bagel
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cream_cheese
http://www.fatsecret.com/diary.aspx?pa=fjrd&rid=57097
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Broccoli
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/food/calories/starbucks-pumpkin-spice-scone-362000702?v2=false
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hummus
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Onion
http://www.in-n-out.com/pdf/nutrition_2010.pdf
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lemonade
https://www.fatsecret.com/calories-nutrition/generic/caesar-salad-(with-romaine)?portionid=19864&portionamount=1.000
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Date_palm
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/food/calories/asian-noodles-noodles-310598318?v2=false
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/food/calories/generic-1-3-cup-of-filipino-chicken-adobo-dqf-350951758?v2=false
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rice

Friday, September 16, 2016

What is Health?

These are the pillars of health as shown by various pictures I've taken. Health, to me, means being conscious of the decisions I make in regards to my body and how they affect my overall well-being. Health has 5 pillars: nutrition, exercise, sleep, stress, and social. When I feel healthy, I am eating well, sleeping enough, exercising often, hanging out with people I love, and minimizing stress. Sadly, most of the time, I do not feel like I am healthy in all these ways. My weakest pillars are stress, exercise, nutrition, and sleep, in that order. I do believe I spend enough time with my loved ones, though. Personally, I need to change my pessimistic approach to health. When I am sad or upset (90% of the week), I find it hard to motivate myself to get moving or to not eat comfort food. Hopefully this will change.

Wednesday, September 7, 2016

Specialized Cells: Keratinocytes

Specialized cells are cells that have a different structure than the basic cell, a structure which serves a very specific purpose in the body. One example of a specialized cell is a keratinocyte, the cell that makes up 95% of the epidermis.
Keratinocytes begin as stem cells in the lower part of the epidermis. They then differentiate and begin to produce keratin, a structural protein responsible for forming a barrier against environmental damage such as UV rays and parasites. These cells have the normal organelles found in animal cells, producing the keratin proteins in the endoplasmic reticulum. The keratinocytes are in stratified squamous rows. After a keratinocyte produces keratin, they turn into corneocytes, cells that have lost their nuclei and organelles, eventually being shed from the skin through desquamation, or shedding of the skin. This process takes around 48-50 days.

The tissue made of keratinocytes is classified as connective tissue, comprising the Integumentary (skin) organ system.

Sources:
http://www.keratinocyte-transfection.com/keratinocytes-and-the-epidermis/
file:///Users/Katrinacoglitore/Downloads/the-basement-membrane-zone--study-notes-.pdf
https://prezi.com/zzdle6chu8fu/organelles-of-a-skin-cell-by-alena-todd/
Blausen.com staff. "Blausen gallery 2014". Wikiversity Journal of Medicine.DOI:10.15347/wjm/2014.010ISSN 20018762Own work
By Mulletsrokk (Own work) [CC BY-SA 3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons