I woke up early this morning for a workout. Instead of walking to the gym or going for a jog around campus I rolled out of my bed and turned on my computer. I spent the next hour following online yoga and pilates videos.
Although I usually take a slightly negative approach to relationship between health and the media, I use the media to maintain my health nearly every day. The thought of online workout videos concerned me at first. I wondered whether the videos were credible and if they would actually bring results. After trying a few different ones, I have realized that the videos are pretty legit. I have seen results and love the fact that I can workout on my bedroom floor.
The media often portrays health in a way that may not be accurate, but there are ways in which the media can be used for good. There are plenty of online videos and websites that offer plenty of options for those times when you can't make it to the gym or you just want to get your exercise in at home. Here are a few of the videos I use often.
Exercise TV: This website is the best for online workout videos. The videos are organized by type, length, and fitness instructors.
My favorites include: Less Is More Pilates and anything by Cindy Whitmarsh.
Hulu: You have to search around for workout videos on this site. I usually just type the style of work out I want to do and a ton of options come up.
The website also has a Health and Fitness channel that offers a lot of interesting options.
Women's Health Magazine: There are plenty of workouts all over the site. Most are written out but usually include videos of the moves.
Lately I have been doing the Body Type Workout.
Maybe the media doesn't always have the public's best interest at hear when dealing with health issues. I think these workout videos say otherwise.
Wednesday, April 20, 2011
Wednesday, April 13, 2011
Practicing the Post-Pig-Out Plan
Last night I felt like a bottomless pit. I came home from a full day of classes and volunteering desperately searching for a way to quell my hunger. I made a sandwich and carrots thinking it would be enough to satisfy me. Negative. About an hour later I found myself digging into a bowl of fruit and yogurt, munching on almonds, and eating nearly everything in sight like there was no tomorrow. I realized that there was a tomorrow when I woke up this morning wondering why in the world I ate so much last night. I started off with healthy foods, but a few bites of the chocolate cake that was sitting on my kitchen counter and a leftover cupcake made also it's way into my mouth. This unhealthy indulgence combined with the shear amount of food I ate last night caused me to feel less than stelar about myself when I awoke.
As I was internet surfing today I came across this article that surprisingly made me feel a bit better about the sudden eating rampage that took place last night. Most of the articles I have read in the past focus on how "not to over indulge" rather than offering tips on what to do if you eat more than you should. This article went against the norm and gave helpful advise on how to make up for a night (or day) of overeating.
What I like most is the layout of the article. It offers encouragement by empowering the reader through easy to follow suggestions on how to get back on track. By giving the reader the power to bring the change themselves, the magazine is offering a way to motivate the reader to change what they have done through their own efforts. They didn't just offer words of encouragement, they gave an action plan. I find this approach much more helpful than simply writing a bunch of nonsensical babble about things like how to "do better next time", and that "it's ok if you ate an entire cake last night". Sometimes, it's not ok. I did not need to eat as much as I did last night, and reading this article helped me see that even though I might have over-indulged a bit I can fix the problem right away.
I usually think that media sources don't really address health issues in a helpful way but in this case the article was very well done. Now excuse me why I try to fix my night of overeating with a workout and a gallon of water.
As I was internet surfing today I came across this article that surprisingly made me feel a bit better about the sudden eating rampage that took place last night. Most of the articles I have read in the past focus on how "not to over indulge" rather than offering tips on what to do if you eat more than you should. This article went against the norm and gave helpful advise on how to make up for a night (or day) of overeating.
What I like most is the layout of the article. It offers encouragement by empowering the reader through easy to follow suggestions on how to get back on track. By giving the reader the power to bring the change themselves, the magazine is offering a way to motivate the reader to change what they have done through their own efforts. They didn't just offer words of encouragement, they gave an action plan. I find this approach much more helpful than simply writing a bunch of nonsensical babble about things like how to "do better next time", and that "it's ok if you ate an entire cake last night". Sometimes, it's not ok. I did not need to eat as much as I did last night, and reading this article helped me see that even though I might have over-indulged a bit I can fix the problem right away.
I usually think that media sources don't really address health issues in a helpful way but in this case the article was very well done. Now excuse me why I try to fix my night of overeating with a workout and a gallon of water.
Monday, April 11, 2011
Veganism and Pregnancy
As I was web surfing today I read that pregnant Natalie Portman has given up that vegan lifestyle that she has been following since 2009. She apparently said something about how it's hard to not eat eggs when all you want is everything in the local bakery case. Natalie, I feel you girl. I could never give up local baked goods, or eggs.
In case you were wondering, veganism can be viewed as taking vegetarianism one step further. Those who participate in veganism abstain from eating any animal product and bi-product. Like vegetarians, they don't eat meat but also stay away from dairy products like milk and eggs.
After reading that Portman gave up veganism, I came across this article that analyzes the safety of going vegan and while being pregnant. The conclusion is that it's safe as long as you are sure to get all of the typical nutrients that come from animal products (like iron and calcium) from other sources.
Personally, the thought of both veganism and pregnancy cause me to nearly break out in hives. Why? Because I'm a wimp and because I really love scrambled egg whites and the mere sight of children often sends me into a panic attack. But this is beside the point.
What I find really interesting about all of this is the way the media often promotes lifestyles like this in a way that can turn them into the newest fad. In addition to promoting veganism, celebrities are jumping on the Gluten-Free bandwagon and also talking about vegetarianism. Often times these lifestyles are brought on because of food allergies and are followed because they allow people to be at their healthiest, not because they want to lose weight.
I've always seen veganism when connected to a celebrity as simply a way to try to start a new trend. The articles don't really talk much about the benefits of veganism or ways that one can start a vegan lifestyle if they wanted to, leading me to believe that the articles are just trying to bring attention to a lifestyle that a few celebrities follow in order to make it more popular.
In case you were wondering, veganism can be viewed as taking vegetarianism one step further. Those who participate in veganism abstain from eating any animal product and bi-product. Like vegetarians, they don't eat meat but also stay away from dairy products like milk and eggs.
After reading that Portman gave up veganism, I came across this article that analyzes the safety of going vegan and while being pregnant. The conclusion is that it's safe as long as you are sure to get all of the typical nutrients that come from animal products (like iron and calcium) from other sources.
Personally, the thought of both veganism and pregnancy cause me to nearly break out in hives. Why? Because I'm a wimp and because I really love scrambled egg whites and the mere sight of children often sends me into a panic attack. But this is beside the point.
What I find really interesting about all of this is the way the media often promotes lifestyles like this in a way that can turn them into the newest fad. In addition to promoting veganism, celebrities are jumping on the Gluten-Free bandwagon and also talking about vegetarianism. Often times these lifestyles are brought on because of food allergies and are followed because they allow people to be at their healthiest, not because they want to lose weight.
I've always seen veganism when connected to a celebrity as simply a way to try to start a new trend. The articles don't really talk much about the benefits of veganism or ways that one can start a vegan lifestyle if they wanted to, leading me to believe that the articles are just trying to bring attention to a lifestyle that a few celebrities follow in order to make it more popular.
Sunday, April 10, 2011
The 17 Day Diet: just another fast fad
I'm not really one for dieting. My freshmen year of college, a few of my dormmates and I decided to try the Special K diet. It promised a 6 pound weight loss in two weeks simply by replacing 2 daily meals with a bowl of Special K cereal. I probably lost about 4 pounds, but found myself feeling constantly hungry and never wanting to see another flake of cereal again. Since then, I have learned a lot about health and have come to the conclusion that diets are just not for me. In fact, I don't think diets are really good for anyone. Because of this I'm always fascinated that the media often promotes fad diets as the answer to all weight problems.
According to this article on Yahoo Shine!, the 17 Day Diet is the latest craze in the dieting world.
-The diet is 68 days in total and is broken up into 4 parts, all 17 days each.
-The diet also incorporates 17 minutes of daily exercise.
-The diet promotes the use of meal planning while on the diet, often supplemented with snacks and meals made specifically for the 17 Day Diet.
The article focuses on the pros and cons of the diet as a way to explain the way it works. Some of the pros include the fact that the a significant initial weight loss often occurs during the first 17 days making the results easy to see. The cons include the fact that there is no real scientific proof that this diet works.
After reading through the article, I think the way the information is portrayed is helpful. Clearly, this diet is yet another fad and does not seem promising. Perhaps what is most alarming is the fact that this new way of eating and exercising is promoted as a "diet" when it could easily be incorporated into a lifestyle for the long term.
I don't know about you, but I often view diets as something that is fast and used for a quick weight loss. They often fail because it's easy to fall back into the same patterns after only changing them for a few weeks. By promoting this plan as a diet, the same view remains. It seems like the plan may work, but ultimately, this plan could be yet another yo-yo waiting to happen.
This idea of "fast" is something that is all too common in the media today. Everything in our country is valued as long as it's fast and relatively easy. We want things as soon as possible, therefore if something is promoted to bring results quick it will become popular. By relying on this idea, the media is most likely going to be successful in promoting yet another diet failure.
According to this article on Yahoo Shine!, the 17 Day Diet is the latest craze in the dieting world.
-The diet is 68 days in total and is broken up into 4 parts, all 17 days each.
-The diet also incorporates 17 minutes of daily exercise.
-The diet promotes the use of meal planning while on the diet, often supplemented with snacks and meals made specifically for the 17 Day Diet.
The article focuses on the pros and cons of the diet as a way to explain the way it works. Some of the pros include the fact that the a significant initial weight loss often occurs during the first 17 days making the results easy to see. The cons include the fact that there is no real scientific proof that this diet works.
After reading through the article, I think the way the information is portrayed is helpful. Clearly, this diet is yet another fad and does not seem promising. Perhaps what is most alarming is the fact that this new way of eating and exercising is promoted as a "diet" when it could easily be incorporated into a lifestyle for the long term.
I don't know about you, but I often view diets as something that is fast and used for a quick weight loss. They often fail because it's easy to fall back into the same patterns after only changing them for a few weeks. By promoting this plan as a diet, the same view remains. It seems like the plan may work, but ultimately, this plan could be yet another yo-yo waiting to happen.
This idea of "fast" is something that is all too common in the media today. Everything in our country is valued as long as it's fast and relatively easy. We want things as soon as possible, therefore if something is promoted to bring results quick it will become popular. By relying on this idea, the media is most likely going to be successful in promoting yet another diet failure.
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