What are the biggest challenges to regular exercise and a healthy diet that you face? How are these challenges going to change for you over the next five years?
Exercise used to be a second thought to me. You know when you go to the gym and its just not fun for you so you get bored and don't give it your all? I never had that because my form of exercise was always playing soccer, something I enjoy and take pride in. Now, after a few years of college, I have found myself outside of anything I have ever known. I actually have to work to stay fit! And it feels like work to me...
I have taken on a challenge. I will develop a lifestyle I enjoy. That means I need to stay active any way I can. Therefore, I found out about my companies indoor soccer team and I joined it. I was really nervous because I knew no matter how much I ran, I was not going to be fit enough or ready for this new season. I was also scared because well... it was a mens league.
The biggest challenge in my life right now and forever will be having the discipline to stay active and having the time to do it 3 or more times a week. I don't have a family right now but I can only imagine how that will impact my life. But some times I just have to think about the statistics of heart disease or problems associated with living a sedentary lifestyle and I get enough motivation to get my butt off the couch (or bed) and go for a run. AND IT FEELS GREAT. I always feel so good after a run. I get to to put on my headphones and relax. It sounds crazy right... elevated heart rate and relaxed? Its actually a feeling I relate back to being a child and being carefree. There gets a point where it isn't always easy to run given Houston's weather or what I had for lunch but never the less, no matter what, I always feel great after words. And I had nothing to loose by going for a run. 30 minutes for myself is worth it and everyone should have 30 minutes to relax, get away, and do something! For me, in the next 5 years, I plan on joining a womens soccer team. Partly because the happiest part of my life was playing with my girls and partly because guys play rough! 2 torn ligaments and I'm thinking maybe I should stop. I see myself at least trying to live an active life and no matter what, in the future, I will always remember and keep in mind the small things that make staying active so worth it.
Sara Abbasi
Friday, October 29, 2010
Tuesday, October 19, 2010
Blog 8 Menopause
Menopause, in our society, is viewed as something that most women do not look forward to. In most cases, they have valid reasons given the hot flashes, inability to reproduce, and other side effects that affect womens sexual life. But, it is also the beginning of something new. I think, at times, we stray away from the things that matter in life. Experience, age, family and friends... these things come with time and are all things to look forward too! Like these things, menopause is something we all know will happen for us. Its just another obstacle we women go through but it too will pass. I am only 23, but I cant imagine that this period will be too hard for me because although society looks at menopause as a bad thing, its just another time in our lives that we experience change. Sometimes I wonder how this can be viewed so negatively because its a natural part of life for women! As this time approaches, I think it's extremely important to remember who they are and that they can enjoy that person well into old age. If they can maintain a healthy lifestyle and make decisions that are best for their bodies and health, this process will only be that much less stressful.
I remember when my mom started to experience the beginning stages of menopause at around her mid forty's and she was devastated. It was a time in her life she viewed as "getting old". Yet, she looked great, had lots of energy, was in a great job position, going back for her PhD, and still had lots of energy to travel and learn new things. How in the world could she think she was old? It is amazing what social stigmas can do to an individual and how they can break someone down like this. Now, after going through menopause for a few years, she is fine. She is the same person and although she still goes through some physiological changes every now and then, shes learned that it didnt really effect her the way she thought it would. Some ways we could change this view of menopause is to, as individual women... stand up for the natural process. As a women, I know I will have to embrace what is happening to my body and learn to change with this process. I also know that if anyone talks negatively about menopausal women, its my duty to stand up for them. I think we can all make that choice to embrace our biological changes and to also make the choice to not engage in behavior that only stimulated negativity of this change.
Sara Abbasi
I remember when my mom started to experience the beginning stages of menopause at around her mid forty's and she was devastated. It was a time in her life she viewed as "getting old". Yet, she looked great, had lots of energy, was in a great job position, going back for her PhD, and still had lots of energy to travel and learn new things. How in the world could she think she was old? It is amazing what social stigmas can do to an individual and how they can break someone down like this. Now, after going through menopause for a few years, she is fine. She is the same person and although she still goes through some physiological changes every now and then, shes learned that it didnt really effect her the way she thought it would. Some ways we could change this view of menopause is to, as individual women... stand up for the natural process. As a women, I know I will have to embrace what is happening to my body and learn to change with this process. I also know that if anyone talks negatively about menopausal women, its my duty to stand up for them. I think we can all make that choice to embrace our biological changes and to also make the choice to not engage in behavior that only stimulated negativity of this change.
Sara Abbasi
Wednesday, October 13, 2010
Blog # 7 STD's
Many people equate STDs with immorality, promiscuous behavior and low social status.
When I was in high school, I didn't know much about STD's. All I knew was that people who had them were promiscuous and it seemed to me that most of them were of the lower social status. Now that I am older, and more educated on the topic, I have come to realize that the statistics of people who have STD's effect all races, all cultures, and all social economic statuses. It is really sad that people make comments judging others who have an STD because in reality, no one is safe from it. Their are men and women who are born with it, who are raped, and who are lied to by their partners. In fact, in our culture, not even using a condom can fully protect you. I know a few people who have contracted an STD from their husbands because they were too scared to tell their wifes what they had. Instead of socially ostracizing people with a disease, we should be putting in all of our effort to find cures and better treatments for them. People are dying every day from untreated STD's all over the world and I find it repulsive when someone takes the time out to say how gross and dirty STD's are and that anyone who has them must be ignorant sexually active person. I often wonder if it is those people who actually have a secret themselves.
Education, as usual, is the best way to inform people about the risks they are taking when becoming sexually active. The research being done on the treatments for STD's is only getting better each day and is only getting closer towards a cure. I hope that people will only mature as they grow and take into consideration the magnitude of their influence in helping this cause. It's actually really scary when you think about it because we are all looking for someone to spend out life with and even when we find that person, you can never really know you are safe. Hopefully, the research can improve in the next couple of years to include ways prevent the spread of major STD's with no cure and permanently find cures for them.
Sara Abbasi
When I was in high school, I didn't know much about STD's. All I knew was that people who had them were promiscuous and it seemed to me that most of them were of the lower social status. Now that I am older, and more educated on the topic, I have come to realize that the statistics of people who have STD's effect all races, all cultures, and all social economic statuses. It is really sad that people make comments judging others who have an STD because in reality, no one is safe from it. Their are men and women who are born with it, who are raped, and who are lied to by their partners. In fact, in our culture, not even using a condom can fully protect you. I know a few people who have contracted an STD from their husbands because they were too scared to tell their wifes what they had. Instead of socially ostracizing people with a disease, we should be putting in all of our effort to find cures and better treatments for them. People are dying every day from untreated STD's all over the world and I find it repulsive when someone takes the time out to say how gross and dirty STD's are and that anyone who has them must be ignorant sexually active person. I often wonder if it is those people who actually have a secret themselves.
Education, as usual, is the best way to inform people about the risks they are taking when becoming sexually active. The research being done on the treatments for STD's is only getting better each day and is only getting closer towards a cure. I hope that people will only mature as they grow and take into consideration the magnitude of their influence in helping this cause. It's actually really scary when you think about it because we are all looking for someone to spend out life with and even when we find that person, you can never really know you are safe. Hopefully, the research can improve in the next couple of years to include ways prevent the spread of major STD's with no cure and permanently find cures for them.
Sara Abbasi
Thursday, October 7, 2010
Blog # 6 Surrogacy
Surrogacy is something the just recently started to become very popular. Adaption seemed to be the only outlet for mothers and fathers that were infertile or had problems having children. I never really gave this any thought because like most young women, I can only imagine myself having children one day. But what if the chances I cannot have a child fall into my steps? Its truly a very frightening thought that I can one day realize I am unable to carry a child. The pain a woman goes through is probably the worst feeling she will ever have. But now there are some great options out there. Among the many ways to help a woman get pregnant, there is an alternative for women who have no chance or need another outlet. Its called surrogacy and its where a woman is paid to carry a child to term for a couple. In the video clip, a woman who helps the couple and agrees to carry their child describes the emotional journey both her and the couple face. She talks about how easy it is because she feels as though this is what she was meant to do. The video also shows how she has a family of her own and a husband who supports her in her decision to be a surrogate. This is extremely important in the process because both the couple and the surrogate need to have emotional support. I just think its great that we can help one woman to the next with something like this.
We, as women, face so many issues and hardships and to be able to extend our bodies to carry for another woman is just magical really. Technically, the child is created from the husbands sperm and the surrogates eggs. So realistically , the child is hers too. But she notes that the planning involved before the pregnancy was about this child being apart of the couples life and how the baby was planned before it was created to be their (the couples) baby so that the decision was not a hard one to carry the child and give birth to it and hand it over to the couple. This takes true strength and compassion and I can only admire a woman capable of doing this. I hope woman across the world will reach out a hand when needed and put themselves in another womans shoes.
Sara Abbasi
Reference
Marinella, K (Performer), Mallicoat, F (Performer), Wankum, M (Performer), & Ratte, M (Performer). Surrogate Moms [ Television series episode]. In (Executive producer), The Ten O'Clock News. Boston: WB
We, as women, face so many issues and hardships and to be able to extend our bodies to carry for another woman is just magical really. Technically, the child is created from the husbands sperm and the surrogates eggs. So realistically , the child is hers too. But she notes that the planning involved before the pregnancy was about this child being apart of the couples life and how the baby was planned before it was created to be their (the couples) baby so that the decision was not a hard one to carry the child and give birth to it and hand it over to the couple. This takes true strength and compassion and I can only admire a woman capable of doing this. I hope woman across the world will reach out a hand when needed and put themselves in another womans shoes.
Sara Abbasi
Reference
Marinella, K (Performer), Mallicoat, F (Performer), Wankum, M (Performer), & Ratte, M (Performer). Surrogate Moms [ Television series episode]. In (Executive producer), The Ten O'Clock News. Boston: WB
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