Monday, October 17, 2011

I don't feel good today so i didn't go to the gym.  I was a bit bored tonight so I decided to listen to what my mentor said about simply glancing through the daily paper to get ideas for this course and I saw today's Globe in our recycling box. Well, I am lazy, but this was on the first page of a section, so it kinda jumped out at me!

Anyways, there was an article (Globe Life, Health & Fitness, section L) that talked about "natural" foods as it relates to nitrates.  Well, we learned about chemicals and food nutrition in science class a while ago and learned that nitrates are usually found in vegetables and are considered harmless. Nitrates are also used in processed meats like hot dogs, to help preserve them longer.

So what the article says is that it’s not really OK to eat processed meats that are sold as “natural”. This is because they are still adding nitrates that come from celery extracts. "This combo has been linked to some risky and serious health problems" says the article.

So… reading labels helps, but only if you know what to look for. So for marketing people, it helps them say that their products are “natural” because it makes people believe that they are doing something healthy. 

 

But some labels are misleading and some people think that we are easily fooled by the word "natural”. Me, I think it's used to help a product look better than what it really is.

What do you think?

Saturday, October 15, 2011

I am not into the “passive, aggressive, assertive” assignment. 

I have it written out but now I need to record it in an mp3 format an upload it for my assignment, but my mentor was wondering whether the swearing in the aggressive role was necessary.

I mean it's for a school assignment and it might not be OK to use lots of swear words, but it’s the way we kids talk and I am trying to create 3 scenarios.  I am not sure right now what to do, so I’ve put it aside for a bit and I’ll think about it. 

In the meantime, I’ll work on the “Identifying Hazards” assignment – that one is easy since my mom works in the industrial chemical field and we reviewed SIMDUT earlier in the year (I think SIMDUT is called WHMIS in English – yeah, I go to French school so sometimes I have to check for the english version of words) . 

I checked my notes and yes, WHMIS is called SIMDUT in French!

Friday, October 14, 2011

Met up with a fitness trainer at the gym this afternoon to give me a weight training program.  He took me through the steps and is putting something together for me to work on strength, but not the heavy duty weights. 

I also did some flexibility training on this machine that helps you stretch to extend your splits. I'm not sure I like the machine as much as doing it myself. 

But I finished my workout by impressing myself (and others!) with 3 sets of 18 dude push ups!

Later on in the evening, I hooked up with friends to go out to see a movie!

Thursday, October 13, 2011

Treadmill, here I come! I know that I enjoyed the 35 minutes I spent on it – they went by so fast! 

But I forgot to take the bpm info! Dang! All because of some new music downloads that I was working out to!

Wednesday, October 12, 2011

I avoided the Yoga instructor tonight and headed to the Pilates class instead!  Boy is my butt sore! 

Pilates is a body conditioning routine that helps not only build your flexibility, but also your strength, endurance, and coordination in the legs, abdominals, arms and back.  

It emphasizes your core (your inner middle) strength and your stability. Since I am trying to work on these, pilates makes sense! 

So what I learned tonight was that when you perform your exercises, be sure to avoid quick, jerky movements. Every movement you do should be slow, but still strong and flexible because the movements are designed to flow like a dance.

Tuesday, October 11, 2011

That’s it! I’m done with Yoga! No more! Finished!

I really don’t like being the youngest one in the class with these older people. I’ve got to find something with more people of my own age.  I’m tired of always being the person to demonstrate, the person she picks on and pushes harder than everyone else.  “Oh, look at Kim” or ”Do it like Kim is doing it”. Aaaaargh…..

It made me think of the assignment that I am working on where I need to take the role of Joseph Frederick a Juneau, Alaska student in a conflict about free speech, and act it out in 3 ways:

1. passively (lose control of yourself resulting in a lack of confidence),
2. aggressively (lose control of the situation resulting in anger),

3.      assertively

So the next time I go to class and feel like I am being picked on, I need to use an assertive way of letting the instructor know that I just wan to be treated like everyone else in the class.

Sunday, October 9, 2011

Happy Thanksgiving weekend! 

I didn’t have a Runner’s High, but had a Turkey High!  

 LOL  Happy Thanksgiving….

Saturday, October 8, 2011

Went to the YMCA and did some rock climbing. It was nice since there were not many people at the gym this morning.  The instructor led us through some great stretches – he said he needed to make room for turkey so he made us all work harder (lol).

Then I went to the treadmill – did I say how much I liked the new ones they have a the YMCA? I enjoy running and am comfortable maintaining my bpm in the 160-170 range for 30-40 minutes.

One of our class assignments (for Week 9) talks about  Runner’s High. Its actually a release of ENDORPHINS, a transmitter that helps your brain send and receive signals (I haven’t learned this in science yet, but am anxious to know more since I like science and psychology). Anyways, this endorphin kinda makes you high during and after running. I think that is what I feel while running after about 20 minutes sometimes

I really didn’t believe in this, but once I knew what it was, I think I’ve experienced it, although not always running, but with TaeKwonDo and snowboarding so I don’t think that it is only a runner thing. For me it’s a combo of a mind and body thing when things are just going well!

Anyways, after coming down from my high, I felt really good about everything so when I got home, I felt like baking so I volunteered to bake some special cookies for our family gathering tomorrow for Thanksgiving!


 This is me mixing the dough and then rolling out the "fingers"!

You need to bake them with the almond on the "finger tip".

Once baked, you remove the tip and add some red food colorant and then stick the "nails" back on the "fingers"! Look good, eh?

What do you think of my Witch's Fingers?

I can’t wait for the turkey, stuffing, sweet potato and all of the other stuff that my grandmother makes for us!

Friday, October 7, 2011

Had a busy day today. At school I was part of the organizing committee for our Terry Fox day and we had a lot of participation!

Then tonight, I went to the  "Alliance Against Violence" concert!  Managed to get autographs from Neverest band members and got my picture taken with Aylssa Reid!

Wednesday, October 5, 2011

I wanted to go to the gym today, but I got call for an audition for this evening and it turned in to a late night ‘cause I got a second reading. I finally got home at 1h30 am which is abnormally late.  I already know that this is not a great thing for me as I get really cranky. 

My mom let me sleep in the next morning just to help me out so i could get my sleep. Did you know that too little sleep affects your glucose metabolism? (yea, I was listening in science class!). Glucose is a simple sugar that the body uses for energy. If your body make too much, it stores it as fat.

 

There was a recent story on CBC News (http://www.cbc.ca/news/health/story/2011/09/30/sleep-teens-weight.html) that presented a study that showed that teens who go to bed late and wake up late are more likely to be overweight than those who go to bed early and rise early. I’m not really sure about that, since I believe that teens really have different sleep patterns than adults.

Whatever, I know that when I don’t get my sleep, I get cranky, so whatever the reason, I still gotta get to be and get my full 8 hours.

What so you think?

Tuesday, October 4, 2011

This afternoon I went to the conditioning room to work on my flexibility and stretching.   I really felt like I needed to do this since I find it relaxing.  My splits are now at almost 3-inches off the floor, so things are looking good! 

I also need to work on one of my VHS papers and need to look a t a few more articles having to do with non physical violence.   

One of the things that I know I want to look in to is how older people (like my grandparents) are getting taken advantage of by sleeeezy people just looking to steal their money. 

Another thing I want to look at is bullying with cell phones and Facebook. I’ll see what I can find for my paper.

Monday, October 3, 2011

Today was a great workout day as I did 35 minutes on the treadmill and kept my bpm at 170 and I had a great cooldown doing some Yoga.
 
I also got to hang out with some of the Youth Group members at the YMCA.  They are organizing the "Alliance Against Violence" concert in the theatre square, their goal being to unite the youth in the spirit of anti violence.  Their pamphlet says that “By outlining the dangers of youth violence in the community in a fun and lively setting, getting the message across to youths becomes easier as they are engaged at the interactive concert.” 

So this Friday I am going to see Neverest and Alyssa Reid!
  

Sunday, October 2, 2011

I’m back from a week long of leadership activites in Ottawa where I met so many kids from across the province of Ontario – they are all leaders at their schools and are in grades 11 and 12, so me being in grade 9,  I was one of the youngest there! 

 

At school, I am on the student council, but this year (it’s my 3^rd year) I am in charge of Publicity and Communications, so some of the sessions I attended were specific to my duties! 

Anyways… I was soooooo tired from all the activities and loonnnngggggg days, but I decided to hit the treadmill this afternoon just to stay awake!  A friend was going to the gym and I thought that spending time with her sounded nice.  It was fun!  Funny how I actually like the treadmill.  Well, I impressed myself cause I managed 3 miles!   

Do you think that I should also start tracking my distance?

OK, gotta go - i have a lot to catchup on this week…… bye....

Sunday, September 25, 2011

Yipeeee!!! i am going to the FESFO Regional Forum in Ottawa!  I'll be one of four students from my school going to participate in this week's forum and activities with other french students from across the province.

What is FESFO?  (http://fesfo.ca/apropos.html) Well, it’s called La Fédération de la jeunesse franco-ontarienne, a non-profit Franco-Ontarian organization dedicated to Franco-Ontario youth between the ages of 14-18 (all French language Ontario high school students are automatically members of FESFO). 

The organization advocates for causes important to francophone youth and well as providing information, leadership sessions, regional forums and other services and opportunities for Franco-Ontario youth to get involved, to network, and to develop on a personal and professional level.

I am soooooo EXCITED to go and I will be away until next Sunday! Stay tuned…..

Saturday, September 24, 2100

Had fun last night with my BFFs!  It is important to have some downtime and just chill with friends.

Today I have a lot of science homework and it’s a family weekend, so I finished that up before going to the Y to get some Cardio, Flexibility and some Strength workouts!  

 I think I had a good workout and feel great about my progress!.

-         - my Cardio is easy at 30 minutes with 170-180 bpm

-         - my splits are really coming along with 3½” to go

-         - I am awesome with my dude push ups doing 3 sets of 16 today (yes, I am keeping my back straight!) 

  

I think that if I keep finding this easy, I'll have to make a change in my goals to make things more challenging!

Friday, September 23, 2011

Hello Fall!   

I had an audition after school for a television pilot. 

No work outs today, just came and had a girls movie & popcorn night.

Wednesday, September 21, 2011

For my cardio workout, my target heart rate needs to be between 70%-85% of my maximum heart rate, or 144-175 bpm so I think that I am doing things right! 

What do you think MW? Thanks for your comments up till now.  I wonder who else might be reading since the stats show more than one follower - one is in Germany!!!!?  Who has been following my blog? Write me and send me some words....

Anyways, I didn’t feel like cardio today, so I went rock climbing and had a great flexibility workout.

Then I went to Yoga again.  Did you know that before beginning your yoga class, you should really go for a pee?!?  No explanation needed here so need I say more?

Tuesday, September 20, 2011

I am not fond of stupid people!  (My mom taught me to say "I am not fond of" instead of "I hate...")

Today I was in an all day Student Council seminar and planning session (before my big trip next week) and was getting frustrated with two particular participants – they are not taking their roles seriously and are doing more talking and fooling around that contributing. We have a job to do and they think that it’s just free time out of class!

Anyways, when I got home, my dad listened to me spouting off about this person and that person until he finally said that my talking about it doesn’t solve anything or get anything accomplished.  Maybe I needed to take some time to empty my mind and think about what I need to do, so I went to the gym to work out to get rid of my frustrations! 

I got there just in time for my favorite Yoga teachers class, so I joined in and felt good as I concentrated on my stretches.  Anyways, it worked! So then I went to the stepper and was working out on it - I really, really like the stepper cuz it really burns calories fast and it’s a fast workout. I tend to use the treadmill to warm up, then I run, then cool down. Then, afterwards I use the stepper.Today, becasue of the Yoga, I went right to the stepper.

 

Today I noticed again that I can distress myself just by working out - something that’s really gonna help me when exams come! I’ve noticed that my work outs help me destress

My BPM was 174 today during my run. Hey, they got something new today too in the gym - new machines!  All you need to do is put your hand on and it tells you your bpm!  Its so cool!

Sunday, September 18, 2011

The pool was still closed and a lot of people were complaining, so not so nicely.  The gym wasn’t busy so I headed for the stepper and did 35 minutes and had a heart rate of 175 bpm for most of the time. I just love this!!!

Anyways, this afternoon I had to start reading up on another paper on Assertiveness.  This was interesting just because I saw the people this morning complaining about the pool being closed and some were very aggressive and mean, some were passive and only one person was assertive.   

It was a very interesting observation.  So, here’s part of the text from my course...

Taking the assertive approach is not about winning or losing. It is about reaching the best outcome for all.  I have the right to:

• Respect myself
• Recognize my own needs 
• Say how I feel
• Make mistakes
• Change my mind
• Think things over
• Be proud of myself
• Ask for what I want
• Be responsible for my own behaviour, and only mine

Equally importantly, I respect others, and their rights as above.

I need to look at the paper I finished yesterday about Joseph Frederick and act out one role in the conflict in three ways; firstly passively, then aggressively, and finally assertively. It’s not coming easily to me today and I have so much to do and study for as I am away all of next week.  My brian is mush and I am tired.  Mom … Dad ….  Help! ..gotta go!  

Saturday, September 17, 2011

Today I finished working on a paper on conflict. It had to do with values and how people might want different things. Sometimes the differences make us clash with each other.  The text for my course says, “It isn’t possible for both of our desires to be met. Our wants are incompatible. In a case like this, unless one of us simply gives in (which isn’t necessarily the best solution anyway- see why later), we have what is called a conflict. Two or more parties have incompatible goals, and therefore, in trying to reach their goals, they also try to prevent each other from reaching theirs.”

My paper dealt with Joseph Frederick’s Bong Hits 4 Jesus display during the Olympic Torch relay through Juneau, Alaska in January, 2002. What he did was reveal a banner that caused conflict and resulted in his case going all the way to the US Supreme Court. It was dealing with the right to free speech. Quite interesting.

Anyways, I found it neat because I was in Juneau in August and was on the street where he was so it felt kinda neat to be able to write about it!

I’ll let you know my mark!

Today’s workout was wet and awful – I went to the pool to do laps and the swimming lessons were not over yet, so I had to avoid the lanes with all the little kids.  I was hoping that none of them would spring a leak, if you know what I mean. Lol     

So I got 24 minutes of lap time in before one of them sprang a leak and they had to close the pool… ugh!  Gross…..