Tag Archives: tips

Push for No More Tobacco

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tobacco-figure1

From http://www.hhs.gov./

Source: Johnston, L. D., O’Malley, P. M., Bachman, J. G., & Schulenberg, J. E. (2014). Monitoring the Future national survey results on adolescent drug use, 1975-2013: Volume I, Secondary school students. Ann Arbor: Institute for Social Research, The University of Michigan.

Over the last 40 years, the use of tobacco has steadily decreased due to many enforcement of laws, regulations, government and local support, and established health awareness programs. But the concern is now focused on teens and adults who are still buying and using tobacco in different forms. Once someone has used tobacco, they could eventually or become immediately addicted to nicotine.

So what are the trends of using tobacco besides smoking tobacco:

  • Oral tobacco products that dissolves in the user’s mouth; they still contain tobacco properties that puts the user’s health at risk and they can come in different forms and flavors.
  • Hookah is a mouth piece smoking pipe that is commonly popular among teens and is used among groups where they pass it on to each other. Not only is it not sanitary of bodily fluids, it is technically like smoking a cigarette where the toxins are released and inhaled into the body.
  • Smokeless tobacco is in the form where tobacco can be sniffed and chewed. “For smokeless tobacco use, the highest rates of initiation are in the seventh through 11th grades. Although approximately equal proportions of male and female adolescents smoke cigarettes, users of smokeless tobacco products are nearly all males.” – http://www.hhs.gov/
  • E-cigarette is a cigarette that can be used electronically to vaporized a liquid that gives off the feeling that one is smoking tobacco. Although e-cigarettes has no tobacco, they still contain nicotine.

Sometimes, people don’t understand the consequences of using tobacco. The fact that tobacco was scientifically proven to lead to other cancer diseases and cause the user to have other health related problems is already a concern. We can’t stop the production of tobacco, but at least try to educate the public what tobacco can do to the body.

  • Increases the risk of almost every organ disease such as the mouth, bladder, stomach, lung, heart, kidney, and more.
  • Worsen asthma symptoms
  • Nicotine is scientifically proven to be a addictive stimulant and can cause people to rely on it for temporarily relaxation
  • Affects the body’s sexual, thyroid, pituitary, and adrenal hormones
  • Affects the production and sensitivity of insulin that could lead to type 2 diabetes and other potential health issues
  • Trying to quit smoking tobacco can cause physical reactions such as strong cravings for the substance, an increased appetite, insomnia and sleep disturbances, gastrointestinal problems and mood-related complaints including anxiety, anger and frustration, depression, irritability and restlessness. –  [source: MayoClinic]” – http://science.howstuffworks.com

So before using tobacco in any way of any form, think about how it could affect you, your body, and your health in the long term.

 

What causes obesity?

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What causes obesity?

According to www.cdc.gov, obesity and/or overweight are labels for ranges of weight that are greater than what is generally considered healthy for a given height.

So what exactly can contribute to obesity within people? Here is the quick guide about what factors that may be lead to obesity.

  1. Lifestyle

The way we live affects our body’s health and it can sometimes show through our weight, skin, eyes, hair, and more. If we tend to have little physical activities it will or may become a habit. Or it could be the choices of foods or our eating habit. It could cause a problem with our body because there is an unbalance between intake of calories and output of energy. So balance is the very key to keeping our body healthy so that our body doesn’t take in more calories than needed for our daily activities.

  1. Genes

Genetics can be a reason why some people have more difficult time maintaining their weight or was born and struggled with being over-weighted. Having a family history in obesity can be concern and often times, it could lead to other health related problems; therefore, one should consult with their doctor for any weight concerns and questions.

  1. Outside factors

Sometimes, there are things that we take in or do that may affect our body. For example, a taking a type of drug or medicine could increase or decrease your weight. If you are on a form of birth control or using a drug for something, it is required to consult with your doctor because no one knows entirely how it may affect your body.

  1. Environment

Depending on where we live, our surrounding environment is one of the main factors that affects our physical activities. For example, one person may live in a neighborhood that does not have proper walking conditions and no walking or bicycling trails nearby. It could be a possibly reason why they would avoid going outside or not being as motivated to be more active in their environment. So our environment does an impact on how we chose to be more active and interact with out surroundings.

 

 

Holiday Eating

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It is that time of the year again! We all will stuff ourselves on Thanksgiving and Christmas because we all love food. But there are some ways to avoid becoming stuffed turkeys ourselves. Becoming unhealthy after holidays is not the best outcome. It’s all about that balance between your eating habits and your life style choices.

So here are some things to remember when you are enjoying the holiday:

1. Eat a little bit of everything. Although there will be very great food provided, it is best to sample everything you like. Instead of eating a lot of some food, try to enjoy bits and bits from here to there. It’ll give you more chances to try varieties of delicious dishes.

2. Eat a bit now, a bit later; the point is to enjoy the foods. Along with the first tip, enjoy a dish now, enjoy another later. The food won’t run away so take your time. It’ll make you appreciate their flavors and tastes more.

3. Balance out your diet. We all have our guilty pleasure foods such as sweets or friend foods. We can enjoy those of course and no one will blame us. But it doesn’t hurt to eat some fruits and vegetables too. It does help a little to ease your cravings.

4. Drink lots of water! Try to avoid sugary and calories filled drinks because that’s where most of your calories will come from. So let’s not waste them on pop and sugary drinks, but instead yummy foods!

5. Dress comfortably. You may want to have more space to expand your tummy and relax. So dress in clothes that will allow you to stretch because the last thing we want to struggle with is fussing with our tight clothes.

All in all, enjoy your holidays and eat well! Happy holidays!

Bicultural Healthy Living Poster

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Living biculturally is about having balancing in your life, family, diet, health, and friends. There are many great things one can incorporate in their daily lives that compasses more than one culture. Here is a fun poster on possibly things to do:

PPO3_BiculturalHealthyLiv_Poster_MidSection

Here are other tips to outreach in other ethnic cultural groups/communities:

1. Meet international students!

If you’re a student or is housing a international student or know someone from another country, take the time to get to know them better. You will better understand their background, the culture, and the world they live in. Not only will it allow you to hear from a person’s firsthand experience, you’ll get better information than reading and finding them on your own.

2. Be part of different communities!

Participate in festivals, holidays, and other activities in different ethnic communities. It will provide you opportunities to expand your network and let you enjoy the different kinds of celebrations/activities a culture can offer.

3. Learn about your own culture!

You may not know much about your own culture and there may be many things you didn’t know before. So before expanding out to other cultures or if you don’t know where to start, think about your own culture(s). Try to get involved in your culture(s) through families and friends. Eventually, you’ll find something about your background that you’ll enjoy.

 

Eat & Cater Your Own Healthy Diet

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There’s a saying that “you are what you eat”. Often time, people don’t realize that part of being healthy is eating healthy and it is in our human nature to want to eat yummy delicious food. Unhealthy food that are fried, loaded with fat, sodium, and have too much sugar can cause you to feel sick inside and out. That is why it isn’t ideal to eat out often or eat junk food on a daily basis because it does affect your health. Also, eating a limited range of foods doesn’t give you proper nutrients, it can contribute to obesity, and body related diseases. So it is up to you to determine how your body can become more healthy or unhealthy. It doesn’t take much, but for you to realize what you’re putting in your body.

Tip 1: Cook your own food. Even if your food isn’t organic, you can wash it multiple times and cook it properly. Also, you know what you’re eating, how much you’re consuming, and what you put in it. So you would know what’s in it compared to eating something that was prepared unseen.

Tip 2: Balance your eating habits. It’s ideal to have at least 3 proper meals a day, but eating snacks in between breakfast, lunch, and dinner can actually benefit you. It’s because you won’t feel the need to eat more when you’re less hungry and your body will crave less. You may consume more calories here and there, but remember these are snacks, not a small meal. So just be careful of what you are snacking on.

Tip 3: Have varieties in your dishes. This means that keep your diet full of different fruits, veggies, carbs, proteins, and such. If you’re stuck on a certain carb like bread or rice, make sure to mix it up and add some color. You’ll enjoy eating something more with colors and textures.

Tip 4: Cut down on eating junk food. We all have some cravings at some point, but we can always try to decrease having them slowly. If you’re eating a donut today, maybe wait another 3 or 4 days to indulge again. It’s all about that balance you want to find and keep up.

Top 5: Drink water most of the time. If not, all the time. We all know pop, juices, mochas, frappes, and those other drinks have high levels of sugar. We can have them once in a while, but the body doesn’t need all that unhealthy sugar. Water can promote better circulation of fluids in the body as well as keep you hydrated throughout the day. Remember that our body does contain 50-60% of water. That’s a lot of water require to make your body function properly.

Fitness Is Fun!

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Help improve your health physically and mentally by doing fun exercises! It’s never too late to take a step towards a healthy living lifestyle. Many studies all over the world has shown that people who exercises on a daily basis tend to be healthier and happier. Why? Exercising can help reduce stress hormones in your body like adrenaline and cortisol. It also promote your body to produce more of endorphins that can help raise your happiness, activity, and decrease your overall stress level. Here are some great resources to check out!

Want to know more information? The more information you know, the better you understand how your body works!

Reference: https://www.presidentschallenge.org/

E-mail at info@presidentschallenge.org for more information and questions.