Unit 2 Reflection

All in all, health, in my opinion, is the perfect balance between the five pillars of health(sleep, stress, exercise, nutrition, social). I think my lifestyle is somewhat healthy but I definitely lack in certain aspects. I am definitely deficient in nutrition and the exercise aspect. But with sleep, stress and social I feel that I am balanced in those areas. I get a sufficient amount of sleep per night and tend not to fall asleep at school. Also, I do not get stressed over little things in life and try to stay positive. My social skills have definitely improved over the past years and I try not to be as shy in public and have made many new connections. Many of the people at SHS are strong in certain aspects as well. But as a whole, we are sleep deprived and overstressed. Many students take so many AP/honor classes so they sacrifice sleep to do well in school. On top of taking so many rigorous classes, many students have many different extracurricular activities outside of school. Trying to get a good balance on all 5 pillars is really hard especially at SHS. By getting so little sleep each night, it adds to the stress already created by the schoolwork and it is a never ending process. Many students may end up burned out by the stressful environment. To promote greater health and wellness on campus can be done by having more clubs that promote this topic and hosting events that help students de-stress. From this unit of health, the main themes are the five pillars of health and balanced hormones. Our body need insulin, leptin, glucagon & cortisol to maintain a healthy state.  From nutrition, I learned that high fructose corn syrup is extremely bad for our health but is used in everything processed. For exercise, I learned that we need at least 3 days a week of aerobic, muscle strengthening & bone strengthening activities. And having a shorter but more intense workout is actually better. Learning about this topic definitely opened my eyes more about the different physical activities I should be doing. From sleep, I learned how important sleep really is and that being sleep deprived is equally or worse than being drunk. Also, I learned that cortisol is what wakes us up in the mornings and our brain is actually cleaning when we sleep. A surprising thing I learned is that napping can help reduce our sleep debt because I tend to nap a lot. I discovered that there is good and bad stress and that there are phases to bad stress and there are consequences for each phase. Finally, I learned that social pain is basically the same as physiological pain. Having a social life means a reduced risk of death from diseases and a longer, happier life. I still do not understand how our body transitions from the resistance to exhaustion phase. How does the brain know how long before it reaches the exhaustion phase? Next unit I will try to improve by getting more out of each of the labs rather than just going through them without trying to understand the concepts behind each of them. 

This unit emphasized on being a healthy individual. But specifically nutrition & hormones connect to the college major of nutrition. Being a nutritionist means specifically studying how food impacts people and advising people what to eat. Advising people what to eat is their main goal but having background knowledge in the other pillars may be important especially if they are helping people with weight management. Food is such an essential part of our everyday lives and could potentially impact the rest of the 4 pillars if abused.  

My health goals are...

• cut down on overall sugar intake
• exercise more each week
• eat a more balanced diet every day

Actions I will take...

• try to avoid sugary drinks and snacks and reach for fruit infused water or natural fruits instead 
• set apart more time each day to complete a workout, whether it be doing a few workout videos, going on a run, or going to the gym
• make sure I pay more attention to the different foods I am putting in my body and carefully read their nutritional value

A healthy life is important to me because...

• I want to feel better & live longer.

I will know I have reached my goals when...

• I am stronger & enjoy exercising 
• I no longer crave sugar



What student at SHS want to do all day

Healthy Diet

Exercise