A Healthy Future

As you all know this blog was intended to be something of a sexual health/women’s sexual health blog but it turned out to me something much more different than I imagined. It turned out to be an array of different health and personal topics. Throughout the course of the semester I was able to not only inspire others through my topics but also learn about myself.

I learned that health topics are sometimes the most awkward, scariest, uninviting topics one could ever talk about. But I did try to lighten the tone of my blog post and hopefully make everyone laugh. My hope for this blog was that it would bridge the gap of people who are (and hopefully “now” were) weary of the mentioning of health problem and learning about them. I know for myself I really really enjoy health issues and interesting facts but I  also know for others it can be an overwhelming and difficult time.

But nonetheless, my hope for everyone who comes in contact with this blog feels that they are able to take their own spin on health situations and realize that not everything has to be scary or negative. (But that DOES NOT mean that it takes away the seriousness a way 🙂 ) Look at your health as something to improve or keep up the maintenance on, much like a vehicle. You want to change your oil now and again in order to keep it running good so do that with your bodies  by eating right and taking preventive measures!

So my wish for you is this, DO NOT GIVE UP! I know that when it comes to my health I get lost in all the information the media is putting out there, as well as my doctor, and other sources. But remember that your in control, so take control of your life, your health, and your well being! Make a healthy future for yourself 🙂

And on a positive note …..

You just have to “Fake it until you make it”!

This post is going to be a little different than normal. See, I’m stressed. I mean really really STRESSED! Not only am I thinking about all the papers, presentations, and assignments that I need to finish like yesterday, I’m also stressed about the little problem called WHAT THE HELL AM I DOING WITH MY LIFE?!?!  Ok, that might be a little dramatic but really are you stressed out right now?

When I was younger,  I was not a procrastinator. Today I am. Is that not the first step to recovery, to admit you have a problem? Here’s my issue. So maybe I’m not a procrastinator compared to some people. But sometimes I focus on being so organized that I waste time organizing (if that makes sense or not). But that scares me. It scares me that I have 2 semesters to go and all I seem to focus on is planning my wedding, what I’m cooking for dinner tonight, and how I can better organize my planner. How ridiculous is that? Shouldn’t I be focusing on all the papers and school work I have? Yes, but I’m burned out to max.

As college students, most of us have forced ourselves to put more effort into our school work then we ever thought imaginable. I mean really, did you work this hard in high school? Probably not because you realized your life was not depending it. Of course you wanted to get into college but were we really thinking about our lives 4 years from then? I know I wasn’t. But now the tables have turned. Its seems as if all I do is think about how my future employer will look at my transcript and shake their head in awful feelings. But then I try to trick my brain into thinking who am I kidding, what employer will look at my transcript all they care about is that diploma. Then reality hits and I feel as if I’m having a mini heart attack 🙂

With finals soon approaching (too soon for my liking) I begin to feel even more sluggish. Its like I know I should be working at my best possible ability but yet in some way I think to myself “oh I’ve got this”. Who am I kidding?…. definitely not myself. I want you to know that it’s ok to feel overwhelmed in this point of the game. I’ve been telling myself for awhile now that I should be able to manage my feelings and the stress of college finals week but sometimes that’s easier said that done, I know.

If your sitting there reading this post I want you to take a deep breath and realize that you are not the only one who seems to be off topic or a little behind. The only people who aren’t are the ones who can fake it until they make it 🙂 My new motto and should be your’s as well!

See, nobody ever knows that its going to be ok. Really they are just working at the speed they think is acceptable as well as prioritizing. So this is what you and I need to do. We need to think about what needs to be done and give ourselves ample amount of time to finish it. This will allow us to work at our own speed as well as getting all the assignments done.

So the next time a professor, family member, or friend asks you how its going respond with “Couldn’t be better!” … even if its not true buy by telling yourself that you are all more able to kick your butt into gear!

Until then…

The Magic Pill for Weight Loss ( your wildest dreams will come true!)

How often have you walked into Walmart and saw the latest weight loss miracle and thought to yourself  ” oh I should try that I will then look like Jillian Michaels”?

Yes, that’s right she is pointing to you!

Yeah I know, your probably not thinking that exact thing but you get the point! Well I’m here to tell you its not true! More likely than not if you begin to take those miraculous pills your body will soon begin to feel its worse. Normally, these pills are filled with diuretics, minerals, herbs and other things that cause your body to have an access amount. You then urinate them out 🙂 oh what fun it is to piss money down the toilet. But like most things, people will still try them. I think it is amazing all of the “fad” diets and weight loss regimes there are now a days. I remember growing up all I heard about was the Weight Watchers or my mom walking with Richard Simmons! Boy I do not miss those days!

See, he’s creepy but whatever floats your boat. But anyways people were focused on more of what they can change such as amounts of particular foods, counting of calories, and the big thing that you probably wont believe EXERCISE! Are you still with me? I know its hard to believe but yes, people did loose weight through exercise. Its seems now a days weight loss programs are focused on more medically induced methods such as surgeries, pills, and other therapies.

One of the most bizarre fads that I recently heard about was the “wrap”. The first thing that came to my mind was a food wrap, you know like the snack wraps at McDonald’s? I love them! But no its a wrap that allows for a person to loose weight almost instantly. How does this work you ask? Well let me give you the exact definition from the website itself.

“Once the wrap has been applied and secured to an area of your choice, its botanically-based formula begins seeping into your skin through your pores. The body wrap is left in place for at least 45 minutes, where the user is encouraged to relax, watch television or even to sleep.

The ingredients continue penetrating your skin over the course of 72 hours while the user is encouraged to drink at least 8 glasses of water every 24 hours which will ensure optimal results.”

If you are unsure of what this means, its means that it is causing your body to dehydrate itself so you loose all your water weight. Does this sound healthy to you? Nope, I didn’t think so.

What I’m getting at is this, if you want to loose weight and be healthy  about contact a specialist. Don’t just assume that because some famous celebrity who has an amazing body just takes this pill when in reality they are probably in the gym 7 days a week, eating a great diet with a personal trainer along side getting paid millions to endorse that pill. My motto is this, ‘ the best things in life you have to work hard for ‘ and I believe this is true for weight loss and fitness. It shouldn’t come easy. You should have to work your ass off, to get a nice ass 🙂

Mammogram – the boob squeezer!

Have you ever had a procedure or test done where a body part is tightly pressed between two pieces of plastic? Did you ever wish to participate in such a test? Is your answer “Hell No”? Yeah me neither but unfortunately all us women will have to “grow a pair” and take the plunge. As for myself I am too young for a mammogram… at least that is what the doctors say but really why am I TOO young? My great grandmother died from black lesions on her breast so why shouldn’t I be concerned? The doctors have told me time after time that I should only be concerned if my grandmother or mother have had breast cancer, both which have not. However, I still have this eagerness in myself to be aware of what possibly problems could arise within my body.

I used to be an intern with J.C. Blair Memorial Hospital here in Huntingdon. My position was a special events coordinator and I mostly dealt with the Pennsylvania PinkZone Campaign (http://pennsylvaniapinkzone.org/). In that moment in my life the last thing I was concerned about was whether or not my boobs had small tumors or if they could some day be infected with a deadly disease but that internship changed my life. During my internship I was planning trips to local high school’s basketball games to raise awareness of the PinkZone as well as raise monetary donations. This experience allowed me to interact with many people who had either been a victim of breast cancer or had known someone with it. All of their stories and personal experiences caused a changed within myself. Not only did it show me how cancer does not care who it affects but also how we as women can make a difference.

Me at the Southern Huntingdon girls basketball Pink Zone game.

The women that were buying the pink shirts or the sparkly, flashy, pink hats were proud to fight this war. In fact there were even men who were all decked out in pink. Breast cancer awareness is the most recognizable cancer awareness there is but yet women still choose to not help in the fight. Every time a woman goes to get her yearly mammogram is giving to the cause. Its allowing for doctors and research to help find a cure and beat this awful perpetrator.

So what I’m trying to get at is this… it doesn’t matter whether your great aunt had breast cancer or if the women who comes to monthly reading group has breast cancer, it will probably affect you or someone you know within your life time. However, if you are a woman reading this make sure you take the proper precaution such as yearly mammograms or self exams in order to health fight this war. If you are a man, make sure to support this fight! Its not easy having to expose your boob to cold metal place in order to protect yourself but you do what you gotta do! So next time you debate on whether or not to make the call for your mammogram just remember your not only helping save yourself but also the lives of others!

How much of a good thing is a bad thing?

I don’t know about you but growing up it was always pounded into my head about the importance of brushing my teeth. Not only did they tell you to brush your teeth 3 times a day (morning, mid-day, night), they also stressed the idea of flossing and rinsing with mouth wash. However, did you ever think that someone out in this big world of ours maybe thought brushing their teeth more than that would be a good idea? Well I’m here to tell you YES! Yes, of course someone thought it was a good idea to brush their teeth more than clinically recommended because you know… they are smarter than someone who went through a lifetime of education and has an abbreviation of DDS after their name.

According to a doctor from Brookline Dental he states, “If you brush your teeth more than four times a day, it could contribute to the root of your tooth being exposed. Brushing too hard or too often can also erode your tooth enamel, gum tissue, and root surfaces. The best course of action is to brush very gently for two to three minutes, two to three times daily.” That’s it. Nothing more and nothing less. If you continue to brush them to often or too hard this will cause the teeth to yellow due to the lack of enamel or it may even cause root exposure which can be painful and cause some serious health issues.

“How often am I suppose to shower?” WHAT?!? You seriously have to ask that? This was my conversation when looking over a poll recently taken by wepolls.com. I personally feel someone should shower at least once a day but what do I know? Anyways I decided to look into it. Can someone really shower too much? I definitely knew that people can shower too little but I was amazed when I read could you shower too much.

Jezabel.com stated “According to an AOL poll from 2009, I’m not “most people.” They found that 65 percent of people showered every day, with 21 percent showering every other day, 10 percent going it once a week, and 4 percent showering actually more than once a day.”

So what these stats tell me is that its normal to take a shower daily, abnormal to shower every other day, weird to shower once a week, and overachieving if you shower more than once a day. I guess I can say this much, I think we have been trained to think its appropriate to shower at least once a day. It usually makes a person feel more awake or just better about themselves. I myself could not allow for my hair to look like it does when I wake up. It sorta looks like this —>  

However, I have come to realize that some people are just not accustom to washing everyday. Some people believe that its not natural. However, when showering too much a person’s skin may become dry and irritated ( red and itchy). Sometimes their hair becomes course and unmangable because they have depleted all of the oil that was produced by their hair. But that can also apply to the opposite with too much oil if one doesn’t shower enough.

So when it comes down to it, like most things within the health world, its what works for you . If you notice your hair being too oily take more showers. If you notice that your skin is too try try lotion or not taking a shower every day. However, when it comes to brushing your teeth you want to make sure that you are taking precautions to serious health problems such as the retraction of your gum around the base of your tooth.

And lastly this little reminder: 

Reference:

http://jezebel.com/how-often-do-you-really-need-to-shower-1510228527

OMG what is she wearing?

How often do you walk past someone and wonder “did they look in the mirror before they walked out that door?” or “Didn’t I see them yesterday with the same outfit”. The answers are probably no and maybe. However, I think these questions to myself on a daily basis. But sometimes I have to stop and think about how appropriate my thought was or how inappropriate it was. This post is going to tie into the post about personal hygiene and what the views of what people are wearing or look like reflect on the judgement one may receive.

As much as I hate to judge people I will be honest and say that sometimes its hard not to. Dont get me wrong I enjoy the occasional yoga pants and sweatshirt but when that is all you wear and your hair looks like you haven’t showered in 3 days people tend to judge you. Even though this may not be “right” it happens. Even though we are on a college campus and going to class everyday is not the most thrilling thing to do, getting a shower and putting on a pair of jeans may allow people to see you in a different light.

Sometimes when people do not wear “put together” or “professional” clothing people tend to think of you as lazy, non-hygienic, or even dirty (and when I say dirty I do not mean sexually 😉 I mean gross 😦 ) The United States standard of what is appropriate to wear to Sheetz compared to school/class has changed drastically in the past 10 or so years. As of right now it seems that in today’s society you are able to wear whatever you want whenever you want whether it is dirty or not. But in reality that is not really the case.

What I am trying to say is that even though everyone is doing it there is are still times when a future employer or a patron of your business will see you in your “not so fabulous” clothing. As much as they shouldn’t judge you, your clothing and personal hygiene maybe what they base their first impression of you on. So all I’m saying is the next time you get up and feel like not getting a shower or putting on those sweatpants you were wearing yesterday remember that today maybe the day that you run into a future prospect or boss!

 

Healthy Grocery Shopping 101

How often do you walk into a grocery store and find yourself wanting to grab 1 of everything just because it all looks so good? Well of course I do! I know its awful but sometimes its hard to resist all the temptation that is there. You’ve probably heard how if you eat before going to the grocery store you will be less inclined to buy all the unhealthy snack foods that our bodies instantly craves for. I know I’ve tried it but I still find it difficult to not buy that box of ho-ho’s that look so delicious.

See here’s the thing, my fiance Todd and I have had our own apartment for 2 years now. Before that we both lived with our parents and would occasionally go grocery shopping with one of our parents. However, once we moved out and starting buying our groceries ourselves it became even HARDER to resist that crappy junk food due to the accessibility of it as well as the inexpensive cost. The first couple of times we went grocery shopping it seemed so overwhelming. The thought of having to make sure we had enough food for our breakfasts, our lunch food ( we both pack for school & work to save money), and food to make healthy and hearty dinners. We both had never done any of that but boy we were about to learn how.

I grew up in a house were we always ate healthy. We hardly ever had snacks or soda and eating after 8 was a big fat no-no. Todd’s family was a little different. So just to make a grocery list was a task but we knew we had to do it in order to stick to a plan of what to buy and stay within our budget. We both agreed that to spend extra money on better cuts of meat and vegetables were more important that name brand mustard and bread. It was hard to break out of what we were use to but we had to make a list of what was necessary and what was not.

Todd and I try to spend only 50 dollars a week if that on groceries. That may seem like a lot to you or not enough but that is what our goal is. I am a huge coupon clipper ( of course only if they are something we use), I buy the Saturday and Sunday papers just to increase my coupon counts. But I also buy meats that marked down and free them in order to make meals later down the road.

Here are the simple tips that I want you to know in order to make you shopping trips more enjoyable and healthy without giving up everything you like.

1. Create a budget – look at how many meals you plan on eating at home ( do you go out to eat a lot or do you only go out once a week?)

2. Decide what items you can have without having a name brand and what you cant

3. Get a good idea of a meal plan ( decide on what you will have for dinner most of the nights and plan on packing similar meals for lunch throughout that week)

4. Make food items at home such as cakes or cookies rather than buying prepackaged or already made.

5. Make a grocery list ( we only go shopping once a week. This allows us to look at the weekly circulars and plan our meals around what is on sale)

6. Stick to your list! If its not on your list you do not need it.

7. Splurge once a month! Allow yourself to buy something that you normally don’t have such as steaks.

 

These are tips that I follow and I hope they help you too. Remember that its hard to separate a need from a want but when planning our meals and only buying what is on your list, you wont be as tempted to buy everything you see. Get a routine that works for you as well a budget and good luck!

 

Finding the RIGHT Yoohoo Doctor

The more I try to tell myself to repress this feeling I have I cant seem too. I really feel that my true passion is female health and since I’m a female it comes natural to be able to find topics that I find important. So as much as I hate to say it, guys you may find some of things I talk about to be too much information but lets face it if you ever plan on having children this will be a preview as to whats to come 🙂

 

 

So I’m searching for a gynecologist. I mean I didnt loose any or anything but damn, who really wants to spend time looking and searching for a doctor that is going to see your most personal area. Not me. But anyways, I use to go to the gynecologist that my mother went to. He delivered me so I guess its not too bad since he’s practically known me all my life but to some degree that is what I most despise of him. Its bad enough that he has seen my mother’s lady’s parts but mine? No thanks (because for some odd odd reason I think he might compare us or something?). And to make it even worse he is also my future mother in law’s gynecologist. I’m sorry but I really think its awkward when I walk into the doctor who is about to be elbow deep inside me, talking about sex and there she sits. Is that wrong of me to feel such hatred towards a family gathering at the most awkward doctor alive? Nah.. I think I’m justified.

Anyways, I’ve  decided to look for a female gynecologist. Most women would probably think that’s weird to have a female looking at your vagina but I disagree. I think its psychological in the fact that when you enter that lovely room with a table and stirrups, you wish to not be looking at some guy you barely know down south. I must say its quite difficult to find one of these so called “female gynecologist” which if you can imagine my mom puts attitude towards every time she says it, like they are from outer space or something. Its amazing how many are not accepting new patients.. so I’m  just sitting  here hoping that one makes an exception for me so here in a couple of months I’m not reminded that my previous doctor has seen everyone’s yoohoos that I know.

But here’s my thinking. When I type in WebMd into google it allows me to hit the Women’s Health page. It then gives an abundance of health information about the right birth control, slideshows of anything imaginable, along with quizzes and videos. Well hell yes I would rather go on there and learn everything possible so I automatically assume what is going on down there but is that the smartest thing? Possibly (not). Is it convenient to not undress in a cold room with a weird doctor? Hell to the yes (maybe too convenient). Is it logical? No. So this is where I’m at… Do I really want to go? No but should I, yes. So I guess what I’m trying to say is that you should really take the time to look at the doctor’s in your area and see who seems like the best for you. Look at their profiles and see if their specialties are what your interested in or that you may have family history in. It’s important to be comfortable with this doctor. Make sure that when your at your consult that you feel able to talk to them about the most personal of things because lets face it, their job is dealing with the most personal of places on your body. So I want to leave you with image to help you make your right choice!

Accessing Personal Hygiene

Do you ever get out of bed thinking ” Do I really want to get a shower today? I mean I could spray myself with ten gallons of perfume and nobody would ever know right?” WRONG! If anything, that makes people just assume that you didn’t get a shower today. Personal hygiene is not just about whether you shower or not but it encompasses much much more. It includes the education you’ve had on being clean, the access you’ve had to hygiene materials, and the access you’ve had in general to health care.

To be honest, I cringe at thinking about people not washing her hands after using the bathroom. I’m sure it happens more than what I would like to think. I mean really, the sink and soap is right there.  Have you ever walked into a restaurant bathroom and there is a sign there saying ” all employee’s must wash their hands” like really? You have to tell your employee’s that before returning to work they must wash their hand that were near their genitals? I mean how gross can you be? As you can see below I posted the picture of the hand-washing poster, just in case you never saw it before.

Look at how simple that is.  6 steps to be hygienic, woohoo! However, we have to realize that people are not always educated the same way as others. For instance, not everyone is taught about singing Happy Birthday while they wash their hands or to brush your teeth for 3 minutes twice a day going in circular patterns. But this is a fact of life, that not all people are educated or have the access to the most basic of needs.

I know I have taken it for granted all the medical treatments I have had access to such as the doctor, dentist, eye doctor and orthodontist. But many people have not had the same luxury as I have. Yes, I said that the dentist and doctor are luxuries. I say this because not everyone has even encountered a dentist before or better yet even have a toothbrush. They may have gone only when they had to, not because they could.

With the scenario at the beginning of blog, was someone who had access to a shower, but was not inclined to take advantage of access to health that they had. So many times we think that everyone around us is a copy of ourselves but there couldn’t be anything further than the truth. The next time you see the hand washing poster or the employee sign just remember that this may be the first time a person is seeing it, let alone understanding it.

So the next time you get out of bed and don’t know if you want to take a shower or not or if you go to the bathroom and question if you really need to wash your hands, DO IT ANYWAYS. Do it because you can, you have the access to keep yourself clean when others may not. And when you have the chance to help people who may not have the access to health that you do, do it anyways. Help make people health literate!

Sex Ed. or Sex Practice?

So normally I search the internet to find some kind of idea as to what I should write about for my blog.. sometimes it helps, and other times I find myself sleeping. But this time I found an article from this past summer that I found quite interesting.

Let me ask, how do you remember learning about sex? Was it through family members or friends or do you remember the basics of the birds and the bees in health class? Maybe it was more like you wanted to be like Christopher Columbus and use the art of discovery method. But hey whatever floats your boat! Anyways, so the article I came upon was about parents who were upset because the school their children were attending decided to use a health book that talked about other “naughty ideas’ while explaining the other basics of health which included ideas such as bondage and sex games. Oh my!

But really, is this appropriate? I mean do I want my 13-year-old child to be hearing about what adult couples do in bed in an educational setting? Um no?! But.. since I don’t have a 13-year-old child I can not answer that question to best of my ability obviously. So one of the argument that was mentioned multiple times throughout this article was that kids read books such as Fifty Shades of Gray ( I guess it’s a kinky book or something? ) So of course I had to look it up and now I see the argument..

Lets get real here. I mean its sex. You cant keep your hormonal kids from it, nor can you put them in a bubble for their entire life but hey if you want something to fuss about why not choose the sex ed book. I just figure that now a days kids learn through their peer groups rather than studying a text book. I guess I was wrong because according to dosomething.org, “More than 90 percent of parents of junior high and high school students believe that it is somewhat or very important for sex education to be included in the curriculum. So there you have it folks, let your kids learn whatever they can learn in school before they choose to take the old-fashioned course of sex practice instead!