I failed the challenge

So an update to my cold shower challenge. It was not a success for me. I think I may have lasted for about a full week and then I started to cheat by turning to cold water at the end of my showers. One guy described his one week experience of cold showers on Men'sHealth.com. I do agree with him that taking cold showers motivated me to begin my day.

However, it turns out cold showers are not beneficial for everyone. Quora explains that people with heart disease, high blood pressure, and who may have a fever will not benefit from taking cold showers. With heart disease it could trigger a stroke and with high blood pressure it could cause a stroke. This makes sense because even when I turned the cold water on, my heart would skip a few beats.

Also, cold showers do not have a long term effect on weight loss according to HealthResearchFunding.org. It turns out is does not burn fat the same way in everyone.

I still encourage you to take cold showers if you can handle it. And kudos to those who can!

Do you get enough sleep?

When you’re my age (21), you may often question “what is sleep?” I don’t even come close to the eight hours of sleep that researchers suggest I get. However, I may need to start getting that sleep if I want to stay healthy. WebMd suggests that studies show serious health problems that can arise from a lack of sleep such as heart attacks and diabetes.

Getting the correct amount of sleep can relieve stress according to Health.com. I can support this idea 100% because whenever I am stressed, if I am able to sleep, I tend to feel better when I wake up. When I have the chance to sleep, I take it. The article also claimed that stress and health, “can affect cardiovascular health.

Surprisingly getting enough sleep can help your immune system function. The article says, “Some cytokines have a protective effect on your immune system by helping to fight inflammation and infection. The immune system release those cytokines.

Click on any one of these websites to learn why sleep is so important and why it is needed.

Health is Golden

A few years ago, USM started the "Health is Golden" campaign to promote a healthy lifestyle in the Hattiesburg community. I'm sure you have heard about the freshman 15. This is when some freshman gain weight, about 15 pounds, while on campus. Many students gain weight because we have the option to "snack" on foods until the wee hours of the morning. Also, some people like to eat when they become extremely stressed. Being in college can sometimes cause a person to become stressed out as a result of exams, projects, and trying to maintain a personal life. One article explains that Blue Cross Blue Shield of Foundation granted USM with a $250,000 grant to fund the campaign. To get the program started, Student Health Services provided the community with different ways to keep them motivated to living healthy. Click to here read the full list of opportunities. The program first started with the community and it had a great response as shown in this video. Student Health services later extended it to students on campus to promote a healthy lifestyle as a student.

More Moving Less Sitting

In today’s society, people do a lot more sitting throughout the day. Whether it is at work, school, or even at home, everyone sits for long periods of time. Most people know that sitting for extended periods are bad, but do they know how bad it is for their health? The Washington Post has an article on their webpage that provides a picture of the body sitting down. In the picture, they describe each body part that is damaged as a result of sitting for a long time. They explain that heart disease is a big problem to sitting since it’s linked to high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and an increase in getting cardiovascular disease.  

Like me, many people think if you work out during the day that will balance out the time lost from sitting. Well, according to an article in The Huffington Post, cardiology experts determined that “no amount of physical activity is enough to combat the dangerous health effects of sitting.” So does this mean that all my time spent exercising because I had desk job was for nothing? On the bright side, exercising is still beneficial, it just wasn’t going to change the fact that I sat for eight or nine hours.

So what are those people with jobs that require long hours of sitting to do? The Mayo Clinic provides some ways to get moving even while at work. Standing while talking on the phone and having meetings while walking laps instead of in a room are two great ideas. Click here to see other ways to stay moving at work. 

Group Exercise

So I have been working out lately to lose weight and get a tone body. Spring and summer time are quickly approaching and I love to go to the beach! I have been going to the Payne Center on campus and I love the facility. One of the programs offered is group exercise. I usually go on Thursday afternoons. Last semester Zumba was offered and now it is Cardio and Core. Click here to view all of the group classes offered and their description.

I like the group classes because I am able to change up my workout routine during the week. Motivation is another reason people choose group exercise according to one article. I do believe this is true because when I feel like quitting during the workout, the instructor or other in the class encourage me to finish strong.

Working out in groups can be fun for some people because they can work out with friends or make new friends. Having fun is the best way to ensure a good workout. Once you get into the workout and keep up with the upbeat music, the pain will ease and you’ll want to keep going. Click here to see this articles’ take on having fun while exercising.

Drink that Water!!

Everyone knows that drinking water is the best thing for your body, but some people (like me) still do not like to drink it. I have gotten better with trying to drink more water throughout the day, though. I found many different reasons of why people should drink water. By learning about these tips, maybe people will continue to try to drink as much water as they can. I knew water could be used for replenishing fluids back into your body, but I did not know our body is composed of 60 percent of water, according to WebMD. I can see why it is so important to drink water, now.

Another interesting reason why people should drink lots of water is because it helps to prevent hangovers. I do not drink alcohol much, so I have never had a hangover. Authority Nutrition suggests people should drink glasses of water in between drinks and have a big glass before going to bed at night.

So what about people like me who just do not like to drink water? I mean, water literally has no taste! Well the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), recommends to put lemon in the water so it can have a better taste. They also explain that freezing a water bottle with water in it allows you to carry cold water around all day. For some reason, cold water does tend to taste better, well at least to me it does.

Take a closer look at each of the websites above. They include more information on why water is an essential part of the body.

Why get vaccinated?

Well, my son turned one last Thursday which meant that it was time for those one year old shots. He was a trooper, though. Babies are forced to get all these shots within the first year, and most parents (like myself) go along with it because it is the best thing to do. Other parents, however, ask all the questions of why their child should receive so many vaccinations, especially if the child stays home.

One article explains why it is important to get children vaccinated. The most important reason they list is that it could save the child’s life by protecting them from the dangerous diseases. The article comforts parents by explaining how the shots are safe and effective.

My son received the chickenpox vaccine, also known as varicella, and the MMR (measles, mumps, and rubella) vaccine during his most recent visit to the doctor.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) provides information on numerous vaccines, including these two. I learned here that before the chickenpox vaccine, about 11,000 people were hospitalized and about 100 people died each year from the disease.

The article about MMR explained that mumps could lead to deafness which is something that I did not know. Without the vaccinations, this disease could return to the United States.

Be Happy: Have a Healthy Heart

So last night, while listening to the radio, I learned that Forrest General Hospital has a wellness page that provides tips on healthy living and eating. They also have blogs which provide interesting tips on how to stay healthy. I found a blog about keeping the heart healthy by being happy. The blogs suggests that happiness reduces stress and lower blood pressure.

When you think about it, this makes perfect sense. When people are truly happy, they are not depressed and usually are calmer when it comes to hard times or stress. In return, I can see how happiness helps a persons’ heart.

I learned that positive feelings can result in longer lives as well as other factors. This makes sense as well, because you may know someone who has lost a spouse, then, that someone later passes away. Sometimes the depression and loneliness can lead to that person passing away within the next year of their spouse dying. Could it be that the lack of happiness resulted in their death? Check out the entire article.

In fact, WebMD wrote, “the researchers found that the happiest people were 22% less likely to develop heart disease…” I personally haven’t ever had any heart problems or unbalanced blood pressure, even while pregnant. Maybe it is because I am a pretty happy person overall!