Healthy Weight: Tips for Parents

The article I chose to read was very informative and will definately be useful for my final project. First off, I found it on the official CDC website, so I knew it was credible.
The article began by explaining why doctors have suddenly become so concerned about childhood obesity. They also listed examples of diseases that are caused or brought on by being overweight. I liked the way they explained this, because they listed physical as well as psychological affects on the children.
The rest of the article listed several healthy ways for a parent to keep an eye out for their child. This website was really helpful to me and I know it would be to any parent as well. I also liked how the article had several other helpful links posted at the end. This article/website not only informed me on the subject I am studying, but it also gave me an idea on how I should lay out my website in order to make it effective.
All in all, theis article was very helpful.

Works Cited

"Healthy Weight: Tips for Parents | DNPAO | CDC." Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Web. 25 Mar. 2011. <http://www.cdc.gov/healthyweight/children/index.html>.

What Interests me?

1. What part of the newspaper do you read first?
     I normally don't read the newspaper. When I do, I tend to only read the articles from the front page that look interesting.
2. What are three books you’ve read in the past year?
     I read the entire Twilight Saga as well as "Wuthering Heights."
3. As a child, what did you do in your free time?
     When I was a child, I mainly played outside and colored in my free time. I also wrote poems sometimes.
4. What’s a goal that has been on your list for a few years?
     A goal I've had for a while now is to start eating healthier and exercising regularly.
5. What do you actually do with your free time?
    In the time I'm not doing homework, I'm normally texting friends or playing guitar.
6. What types of activities energize you?
    As much as I hate running, I love the way I feel after I'm done. I also love bike riding and playing baseball.
7. What famous people intrigue you?
    I don't really keep up with any famous people.
Although she's not incredibly famous, First Lady Deal intrigues me. She interests me because of her honestly and willingness to help the people, as well as support her husband, Governor Deal.

For this assignment I could not choose only one quote. The following quotes are so powerful and outline the themes of my life: perseverance and optimism.

 

Mary Pickford

"If you have made mistakes, there is always another chance for you. You may have a fresh start any moment you choose, for this thing we call 'failure' is not the falling down, but the staying down. "

~ Mary Pickford

 

 

 

 

 

 

"Forget about all the reasons why something may not work. You only need to find one good reason why it will."

~ Dr. Robert Anthony

 

 

The first quote by Mary Pickford illustrates perseverance. It is one of my favorites because it encourages you to keep pushing on even if you have already made mistakes. My favorite part is the end when she says, "...for this thing we call 'failure' is not the falling down, but the staying down." I love that part because it lets people know that simply not succeeding isn't failure. You do not fail until you give up.

 

Dr. Robert Anthony's quote depicts optimism. I love being optimistic and searching for the good in everything. Anthony's quote describes this optimistic outlook because it encourages people to stop stressing over the millions of reason why something won't work out and to focus on the one perfect reason for why it will. It remind me of a quote by Thomas Edison that went along the lines of, "I have not failed 1,000 times. I have successfully discovered 1,000 ways to not make a light bulb."

 

To tie these quotes together I would say this: True success comes from innumerable attempts, a positive attitude, and perseverance.

Photos

Here are just a few photos of my recent highlights:

Taken when the HMP class met First Lady Deal

Me at the STAR Student banquet with my STAR Teacher, Mr. Craig Cantrell

Me at the STAR Student banquet with the school counselor, Mrs. Leigh Cumiskey, and the principal, Mr. Jeff Cooper

The Happiness Project Assignment



Gretchen Rubin, Author


Summary of "7 Tips for Avoiding Procrastination"
Here are the tips in simple list form:
1. Do it first thing in the morning
2. Try doing it every day
3. Have someone keep you company
4. Make preparations, assemble the proper tools
5. Commit
6. First things first (Don't push off big tasks with little ones)
7. Reflect on the great feeling you'll get when you've finished

Gretchen Rubin included more detailed descriptions of each tip, so I will simply summarize them.
Rubin's first tip is to do the task in the morning so that you don't have all day to list excuses. She says, "Do it now. Without delay is the easiest way."
Although doing the undesireable task every day may seem counterproductive, it actually helps. It helps because it leaves no room for confusion or "schedule juggling". If you know you have to do something everyday, you are more likely to do it.
Studies have shown that having someone to keep you company while doing the task makes it more enjoyable and keeps up moral.
Making preparations and assembling proper tools also make procrastination less likely. You are more likely to complete a task if your materials have been put together and prepared ahead of time.
Committing is Rubin's 5th tip. She says that, although cliche, it helps to write out your goals, no matter how short-term.
By first things first, Rubin means that bigger tasks should not be pushed off by little ones simply because the bigger ones are more time consuming. First things first.
Reflect on the great feeling you'll get when you've finished. Rubin says that studies show that reaching a goal releases chemicals in the brain that give you pleasure. You may not feel like completing a certain task, but you know you will feel much better about yourself once it is finished.

Overall, I personally found all of these tips very helpful. I happen to be a bit of a procrastinator myself. These tips by Gretchen Rubin have inspired me to get things done in a timely manor, hence finishing this assignment before the absolute deadline.

Project Ideas:

I am still choosing childhood obesity as my topic and my essential question has not changed.
Everyday I work at my mentorship I am overwhelmed by the childhood obesity epidemic. Lately I have noticed that when a child is overweight, 99% of the time the parent is also. This intrigued me, and I'm focusing on making connections like that in my project and presentation.
My project will be two-fold. As my presentation tool, I will most likely put togther a website with easy access to all the information I uncover. I have already found several sources which will come in handy in my preparation.
The second part will be out in the community. Using the information I find, I will conduct an informative class on preventing and ending childhood obesity. The class will teach parents and children simple and healthy ways to prevent obesity. I'm planning to advertise the class mainly among elementry schools and the pediatric office where I mentor.
I am really looking forward to completing this project not only because it is interesting to me, but so that I might prevent children from the dangers of this disease.
That is my detailed plan thus far but I would love any advice or ideas on how to improve it!

Empathy Assignment

When I took the empathy quiz, my quotient was 46. This number rates about average. The website said most women hit around 47. I believe I'm quite average in my empathy rating; however, I thought this number would be much higher. I thought I was a little more empathetic than average.
I do believe you can be taught empathy, but as Oprah and Daniel Pink said, it's a spectrum. You can teach a child or someone to be more empathetic but they can only learn up to a certain degree of your spectrum. There is a person in my family who is the model of emapthy. She is constantly doing things to help people out. She can easily sense how you're feeling and how to help out in a situation. However, on the opposite of the spectrum, I used to have a friend that was the antonym of empathy. He was rude and inconsiderate. He would never go out of his way to help a person, especially if the cost affected him negatively. I once told him my grandmother was very sick and he replied with a simple, "Again?" I believe that is the polar opposite of empathy.
Overall, I believe empathy is a very important quality to have, and even more so in the career field I'm aiming for. If I wish to become a succcessful pediatrician, I must be able to relate to patients and families properly.