Blog 15

• End of semester reflection- Of the topics and information that we have covered this semester in the course, what has been the most impactful or interesting?  

The information that mostly had an impact on me would be the nutrition and living a healthier life style. I have lost some weight and I plan on sticking to my diet. It is really amazing what exercise and eating right can do for oneself. I can see a change in my attitude towards people and I'm a lot happier. It boosted my confidence and it amazes me how much people I have interacted with. I watched the movie Super  Size me and it had very educational information about getting fast food and how unhealthy it is. I am now directed away from eating at fast food places because of the general information given in the video and how many Americans that are obese and the numbers keep rising.

Blog 14

• What can a woman do to reduce her risk of assault? Woman can do a lot of things to reduce the risk of assault. Woman need  to be aware of their surroundings and there are several tools that they can carry for protection. I am someone who carries mace around everywhere because I feel protected. There are a lot of self defense classes that are held in a number of places. People show how they act by their body language too. If a man is starring at a girl intensely then that is an obvious sign that he is interested, she should stay in a public area at all times and make sure she is not being followed. A woman should always have a phone in a reachable area to make sure they can call 911 just for an extra precaution.

Blog 13

• Is it a sign of personal weakness or strength for a woman to admit that she has a problem with alcohol or drugs?   I believe that admitting that a woman having a problem with either drugs or alcohol takes a lot of courage. Most woman do not really admit they are wrong because as women it is very hard to say that "I" am wrong about anything. If a women admits they are wrong it just tells who ever they are with that they want to change and they want to make something of themselves and make a changing point in their lives. The person has to be committed to making their lives better too because if they are addicted to worst thing that I would be able to see is a person going through withdrawals. When I did rotations at the hospitals I saw a man and a women in one of the patients rooms. They were both intoxicated and were trying to find their clothes to leave. And they were very determined to leave and it got to the point where they were rude and just wanting to get more alcohol to feel better. It was very sad to watch because they were addicted. I think it is fine for woman to admit they are wrong as long as they want to change their lives.

Blog 12

• Have you ever known someone with a mental illness? How did/does the illness impact his/her life? What have you learned about this mental illness just from knowing them? You may provide pseudo names to protect their identity.
  
  
  When I was in high school I actually had a field trip for clinical rotations. We went to the Terrell State Institution to visit with people that had illnesses. Our class got to listen to one lady who had voices inside her head and it was astounding to hear about it but also frightening. She was an African American and was taking medication to control the other person she talks to. She also talked about how the voices would tell her to kill her mother and brother. And it got to the point where she feared herself because she attempted to kill them. 
  The illness impacted her because if she didn't take her medication she would go back to her dark place and continue to hear negative things and she wouldn't be able to move on with her life. I learned that her illness was dramatic everyday and it wasn't the life she wanted to live. She talked about if she didn't have to take her medicine and was normal she would go back to college and get a good job and survive on her own. Before we left she said she was going to enroll back in college once she got out of the Institution as well. When we left her room the doctor said statistically people who leave the institution will eventually come back because they refuse to take their medicine and they go back to the way they were. It made me sad to think about that happening 
  
  

Blog 11

• If everyone lived “with our future in mind,” do you think that we would live different? (different habits, behaviors, etc)

 I think if everyone had their futures in mind and how they lived it would be completely different. People would probably have brighter futures because they would be occupied and literally be more productive in making a life for that person or persons they are trying to provide for. I believe that people in the United states would also have more motivation to exercise and live healthier. People would also have a sense of a proper diet and not want to eat junk food and it would make their bodies more efficient and more active during work, school, and other daily activities that they have. 

Blog 10

What factors can influence women to adopt healthier lifestyles and engage in preventative behaviors so as to reduce their risks of cardiovascular disease and cancer?

Factors that  can influence living a healthier lifestyle can be support groups and also having a group of friends who are involved in activities that do not involve smoking, eating unhealthy foods, and people who don't do a lot of exercise.  To avoid getting cardiovascular disease or cancer people need to watch their blood pressure and cholesterol levels. This is a must because it helps women to stay at a healthy range and keeps their bodies balanced. Women who do not smoke are more likely to not get cardiovascular disease or cancer.

blog 9

• What are the biggest challenges to regular exercise and a healthy diet that you face?  How are these challenges going to change for you over the next five years?

The challenges for regular exercise and going on a diet for me is the determination. I go through looking at myself everyday saying I need to do it and I never do. I know that sounds bad but I have people around me as well who enable me to stay the way I am. I ask my friend if he wants to exercise with me three times a week and he always says oh will start on Monday. That phrase has been said in my family too and then Monday comes around and it never happens. I've been learning just to start and finish on my own because I need to exercise and eat properly for myself. I already let 4 years slip by me pretty fast and I'm not going to let the next five years pass. I am currently on an exercise plan and I'm figuring out the eating plan though. It is really hard with temptations around me on a regular basis and someone who is always wanting to eat out.