Changes in a Student's Lifestyle - Personal Statement Example

Personal Journal on Health January 7, Monday Life offers a lot of nice things. One of these things is waking up in the morning, seeing a shed of light passing through my window and feeling the cool morning but nothing beats a loaf of bread topped with cream cheese and a cup of coffee. This is my usual morning breakfast before going to school. Then at mid-afternoon, playing football with my friends is my usual hobby. I love being sweating, running and being active—these are the simple joys in my life as an international student. Having lived on my own for two years, I can say that I have adjusted too well with the environment, the people, and even the food. However, I noticed a big change in my lifestyle. With all the pressures of being a student and living on my own, I have realized that it was too soon that I have changed physically. Although I am very active and busy, I have gained a lot of weight in the past year. When I arrived here, I was of average weight. Later, when I visited my family last December, I received comments that I have become bigger. Some said that I looked cute with my slightly chubby cheeks, others said I looked more mature (I am not sure if this is a compliment or what) than my age. I guess what they wanted to say was for me to go on a strict diet lest I wanted to join “The Biggest Loser” on TV. Of course I don’t want to face that kind of challenge and shame (friends here and back home would be watching and laughing at me). Neither do I want to grow old a big fat man. For this reason, I thought of shedding some pounds so I could keep on playing my favourite sport even if I grow older. Getting slimmer could also lower risks of heart disease and other sicknesses. Therefore, it is something I should take seriously in the next few days or months. January 15 Tuesday I have not made a diet plan and I think I need to research on this to find out what I should eat and drink while trying to become physically fit. Anyway, I have a strong feeling that I need to really lose some weight because I am getting lousy at football. My friends whom I play with are better. They could run faster straight to the goal while I lagged behind, feeling sorry for being this heavy. I wish losing weight would be that easy and manageable, something that could happen in a click. Nevertheless, I also know that I have to work out and really face the problem because if I don’t, I would go bigger and bigger and become unmanageable. I swear, one of these days, I’m going to create a diet and exercise plan good for at least two months. The diet plan that I should make has to be gradual. I can’t and don’t believe in crash diets because for one, they are too difficult to obey. Second, I heard they are unhealthy. Crash diets composed of fruits and vegetables could lack other nutrients needed such as iron. Therefore, what I am going to do is to research on a diet plan that is safe and could lessen the calories that I take each day. January 18 Friday It’s Friday again and it’s time to play football with my friends. The week’s been very busy; exams and a couple of hangouts took my time so I found it difficult to sit down and look for the diet plan I wanted. Nevertheless, I tried to drink a lot of water especially after the game in order to avoid getting dehydrated and to flush out the toxins in my body. I am not sure if it helped lose some calories or fat but I certainly felt better after the game. It’s about time that I look for some diet plan to work for me because I can feel some pain in my ankles as I played football earlier. I was wondering this could be due to being overweight but I need to make sure so I don’t get into a treatment plan that won’t work for me. I’m going to an orthopaedic doctor to know what’s causing the pain and find out the best thing to do to treat this case. Later, I hope to find something that could dramatically change my condition. January 21, 2013 The pain I feel at the heels gets worse in the morning and when it is cold. When I put on some socks, my feet get better. Later in the day, I wouldn’t feel the pain except when it is cold. I have seen pages on the net, talking about some pains in the heels. Doctors call it plantar fasciitis. Suspecting that I have plantar fasciitis, I went to the doctor yesterday and the doctor requested me to undergo Xray of the heels. When he saw the results, he noted that I am starting to have bone spurs. For this reason, he advised me to wear some heel pads and start losing weight. According to him, the spurs are causing a tingling sensation in my heels and the way to stop the pain is to repair the plantar fascia. To do this, I need to wear heel pads and lose some weight because if I am heavy, the bone spur will further sink into my plantar fascia. This news made me feel more serious about losing some weight. January 24 Thursday The web site I visited reports ways on how to get well from my condition. Although mine is not worse, I thought I needed to start with the diet plan to avoid feeling pain in my ankles. To aid the diet, I plan to do some exercises to get better. Stretching exercises is the first in my list of treatment plan. Some doctors found out that stretching and strengthening exercises helped to treat PF patients more than anything. These exercises include feet exercises that flex the plantar fascia, allowing the tendons and muscles of the feet to relax. Exercises for PF are light ones; they involve minimal movements and weight for the feet. One form of exercise I made was the leaning wall stretch which is done by leaning with two hands on a wall and one foot bent forward, allowing the tendons at the heel stretch without giving much effort. When I did this stretching exercise, I felt some ache in the tendons and muscles in my heel but after two sets of eight counts, I felt relaxed. I should like to continue doing this at least once a day until I overcome the pain in my heels. Another stretching exercise in my treatment plan is the curb or stair stretch in which I stand at the edge of the stairs using only half of my feet, leaving the heel part unsupported. This allows heel flexes that may relieve the pain. When I did this stretching exercise, I felt the same pain I had with the wall stretch exercise but it was more excruciating with the latter. After the stretching, I felt some relief as I did in the leaning wall stretch but the former involves more effort due to the use of stairs. The other exercise that doctors recommends is the ball rolling exercise which requires the use of a tennis ball to be rolled by the heel. This exercise allows the ball to hit the painful part of the heel, relaxing the tendons of the feet. However, it only gives momentary relief. Nevertheless, I would continue doing this at least once a day in order to relax my feet. January 31 Thursday I started with my diet yesterday. It was difficult because I had to cut down on fries and cheese. For breakfast, I had some cereals and fresh milk, then for lunch I just had chips and fries. I knew I shouldn’t eat fries and fried chicken but there was no choice. I had to rush to my class so I just went to KFC for some food. To avoid feeling guilty, I went to the gym near my place and did some workout. At the end of the day, I just had some bread and eggs. I heard somewhere that I shouldn’t eat the yolk if I wanted to get slimmer but I still ate it anyway and didn’t feel guilty because I sweated a lot in the gym.. Before the night ended, I thought I wanted to have some beer so I drank two bottles. I do this every now and then especially when it’s hard to get some sleep and there was no one to talk to. Living alone is really difficult; I get lonely sometimes despite all the communication means to reach friends and family across the countries. The beer helped me feel drowsy and I slept right away. February 4, Monday I came home early today because I needed to finish some school requirements. I missed having breakfast earlier but I am glad that I have practically lived on cereals for breakfast. Some days, especially Sundays when there’s no school, I would miss breakfast because I wanted to sleep the whole day. Although this may be unhealthy, I find it helpful to lose some weight. In less than a week, I lost two pounds already, which is quite good news to me. I intend to continue my diet and try to avoid fatty fries so I could totally say I am healthy. Tonight, I will eat some fruits and garden-fresh salad for dinner. I just hope I can skip drinking beer later so the whole plan won’t be ruined. By the end of the week, I want to see another two pounds off my weight. Such would really amaze me. February 7, Thursday Doughnuts! Whoever invented doughtnuts must be punished. I was hoping to get two pounds off my waist by the end of this week but I was wrong. This is totally devastating because the two pounds that I lost in the previous weeks, I earned right away in a day or more so, in one sitting. I had some doughnuts and coffee with my friends yesterday and I did not bother to look for anything else in the coffee shop because everybody ordered doughnut. I knew I should have eaten something like whole wheat bread but come to think of it, it’s also amazing how sugar can cause one to gain weight, bad calories. In just one occasion, all my hard work disregarded. The doughnuts were pretty good, anyway and I enjoyed the coffee with friends so I am thinking that there is a negative as well as positive in what happened. Nevertheless, I hope that I’d be more choosy in the next days to complete my diet plan. February 11, Monday It’s Monday and we were very busy in school. Lots of assignment and things to review but I am happy to be coping healthily. I have lost the two pounds again and added another one since I’ve been eating salads every night, straight for four nights. I have also cut on fries but allow myself to go to McDonald’s or Pizza Hut once or twice a week because it is difficult to cook. For breakfast, I have also trained myself to settle for some cereals and milk, although there were times when I ate hotdogs for breakfast because I had to be early in school. Yesterday, I had some honey on my bread, instead of peanut butter or jam. I read somewhere that honey is best with cinnamon though I haven’t tried it. My sister reported she had tried it and it tasted ok. I hope I could try it too but I always forget the cinnamon when I do the grocery. All in all, I could say that I am on the right track because my efforts have paved even just a little. February 13, Wednesday It’s another hectic day. I continue with my diet and training exercises for the ankle and the limbs. I saw some burgers and fries on the television and nearly wanted to have some but was able to control myself. Fortunately, I lost 5 lbs. since the start. This is not much I know, especially since the pain in my ankle hasn’t disappeared totally. Nevertheless, I have been very careful about what I do. I have limited myself to playing football twice or once a week because according to the doctor, I needed to make the planter fascia heal. Good thing, I have strictly spent the nights with salads and cereals in the morning. However, I miss eating a lot of foods like pizza, ice cream, etc. Normally, after the game, I and my friends would go out for some snacks and drinks. In those occasions, I have maintained eating very minimally. Also, when I needed to eat pizza, I would settle for the vegetarian pizza. February 19, Tuesday It’s been too long since my last entry. However, I never forgot about my diet and exercises. Lately, however, I have been lax about exercising because there is not much pain in my heels now. I guess it aches whenever it’s cold so I would always wear socks every now and then to avoid the pains. February 23, Saturday It was Jimmy’s birthday and I couldn’t avoid having fun with the boys. We went to his place and drank some beer, eat a lot and I forgot about my diet. It was fun, anyway and I had some nuts, chicken, potatoes and steak. I wanted to stay away from too much calories but what the heck, I thought. It was just a day and it was Jimmy’s birthday, anyway. I also neither went to the gym nor had my usual feet exercises but I need to rest now so I guess I’ll do everything tomorrow or Monday. I thought now it‘s really hard to be on a diet especially during occasions because it would seem like everything would disappear all in one day. All your efforts will be for nothing if you don’t control yourself. I still did. I did not drink much because I know that beer could really make my belly swell. Also, it wouldn’t be good to drink and drive. I got home safely and happy because I have friends near me. February 26, Tuesday I am really delighted to see some results of my sacrifices. I lost five pounds now and although it is not much, it is quite a consideration. I have also lessened smoking and drinking, and always tried to get some good sleep. I guess that is one more thing I need to do, to sleep at least eight hours a night, as recommended by doctors. Sometimes, when I get hooked up on the net, I could let the night pass without sleeping. I’m sure this isn’t healthy that’s why I need to avoid it and I will try doing so. Another thing about being healthy is cooking your own food, which is something I don’t do but I know I need to do it if I want to push through with this diet plan. I hope I could start cooking my food in the next few weeks. I can’t help feeling excited just thinking about it. The ingredients could be from the net but I have to find low-calorie ones to fit my diet. March 1, Friday It’s almost two months now since I started my health plan and I am proud to claim that I have lost eight pounds since then. Not bad, I suppose. Because of this, I feel healthier and younger. The workouts and diet are really worth it. My friends noticed the change in me and they all agreed that I’m looking better this time. Now I know that the reward of losing weight is not just feeling healthy but getting compliments for what you’ve done and how you look. I still intend to continue my diet plan and I will certainly try cooking my own food. Earlier, I made some sandwich with tomatoes, pickle, and egg. It was nice to munch the vegetables, knowing that you would look better later on. One more thing that I have worked out is drinking lots of water. Formerly, I would drink less than eight glasses a day but now I can exceed that. March 7, Thursday I have finally started cooking and found salmon a nice meal to start with. I got a recipe from the Maccormick web site and the ingredients from a grocery nearby. The ingredients included orange juice, parsley, and olive oil, among others. After cooking, I ate on my own and realized that I cooked for three so I had to eat more than what I intended. The whole experience of cooking and eating your own food makes one feel proud and hungry! Now that I have experienced cooking, I want to try more ingredients that are good for the body. I guess it would be wise to compile recipes, make some notes about food to cook, and take pictures of my own cooking. The thought of this inspires me and makes me feel healthier. March 9, Saturday It’s Saturday once again and I am filled with school requirements. I almost forgot to take lunch earlier and had to drop by a restaurant to take out some salads. I am very busy, I could forget about my grouching stomach. Lunches are usually like this whenever I’m in school. Nevertheless, dinner was nice because I cooked it myself. This time I had some barbecue chicken. I read somewhere that grilling helps to lessen the fat of the food but it can also be harmful because of the carcinogens that it contains. March 11, Monday My usual cooking schedule and exercises are done. In bed now, I look back at all the things I went through, especially the cooking. I am amazed at the way I have been transformed by our professor’s assignment. The pains at my ankles are almost gone, possibly because of the exercises I had and the balanced diet. Right now, I still go to the gym and do exercises at home. Moreover, I will still continue my diet plan and cook my own food. Cooking is fun and challenging when you want to be healthy but if you do not care, that is easy. I am happy that I had the opportunity to write this journal because if not for this, I wouldn’t know how to prepare my own food and everyday I’ll have the same kind of food to eat. March 14, Thursday I weighed myself again earlier and found out that I already lost ten pounds. This is really an enormous transformation, I thought myself. When I was in the store, I saw some new pants and I thought of trying on some. Unbelievably, my waist line has changed and I felt terribly happy. I looked in the mirror and said to myself, this is it! After school, I went to the gym, my second visit this week and I could just feel the inspiration and energy my body possesses, knowing that I have lost ten pounds in just nearly three months. I just hope I don’t change or lose the inspiration to maintain the healthy body that I have now. March 18, Monday Mother called me up earlier. She was asking for a pasta recipe. I told her I made some seafood carbonara using oil as base. I can’t believe it, I’m the one being asked by my mother about recipes and I am not even an expert! Again, I thought that the benefits of being healthy does not end in having a nice and healthy body. Rather, there are too many. Among which is influencing the people around you such as your loved you to live healthy, eat good foods, etc. March 20, Wednesday School is nearly over. I am inviting some friends to my place on Saturday to let them test my cooking. The whole idea of having a diet and exercise plan led me to discover something else I could offer other people, that is, to promote good food by cooking healthy. There are three things I realized in trying to be on shape. First, nothing is impossible if the person is willing. I lost ten pounds, found a way to resolve my feet problem, and learned to cook. These things seemed too far from reality but they happened because of my willingness to accomplish them. Second, being healthy brings a lot of benefits. It allows you to feel more confident about yourself, the way you dress up, face people, etc. could be changed if you are confident that you are healthy. Third, I also realized that being healthy is a responsibility we have to claim for ourselves and for others. Being healthy should be promoted not only by schools, health practitioners and media but by every person in the world. Read More