Monday Wellness: Snacking

     The healthy snack we just made had apples, peanut butter, and almonds. They all had vitamins that are essential for our well being.  I liked that we got to make our own snack. Now I have an idea of what kinds of snacks I should make instead of eating something like chips. You should snack 2 to 3 hours before lunch and dinner and eat foods with less than 200 calories. You should stay away from snacks with empty calories.

Monday Wellness: Music

     Alyssa and I chose to do music for our Monday Wellness presentation because it is a topic that we both have a great interest in. Music has always been a big part of my life and I had heard about the health benefits of listening to music. I listen to music as I do homework and I wanted to know if that had a positive or negative affect on how I was doing my work. I wondered if the lyrics or beat affected how I worked as well. I thought this project would be perfect for looking into the validity of these health benefits. I knew listening and making music made me happy but I never really knew why or how. While researching I learned that listening to music increases the release of dopamine in the brain. Dopamine is known as the “feels good” neurotransmitter which controls the flow of information from other parts of the brain to the frontal lobes. Having a deficiency of dopamine can cause problems with memory, attention span, and problem solving. This also explains why music helps motivate people when they workout. The beat of the music can also affect how efficiently exercisers are using their oxygen. Another interesting thing I learned while preparing for this presentation was that music was used to help surgery patients with their pain. Some patients required less morphine, showing that music can be more powerful than a drug. This topic is important for health and wellness because of the way music affects the five pillars of health. Many studies have shown that music can relieve stress and anxiety by reducing heart rate and cortisol levels. Chronically elevated cortisol levels can create insulin resistance and elevate leptin levels. Managing stress is very important to our overall well-being. It is really hard to get out of the exhaustion phase of stress which can cause many health problems like headaches, impaired memory, and sleep disturbances. Music can help prevent anyone from reaching this phase of stress, keeping them healthy and happy. Music, in my opinion, plays a role in the health triangle as well. For example, music can help us cope with stress which applies to the mental side of the triangle. It motivates us and helps us function better, applying to the physical side of the triangle. It affects the social side of the health triangle as well. I have made tons of friends simply because we had the same music taste. It has brought me closer to the friends I have already too. Overall, I believe music is beneficial for our well-being. On a scale of 1 to 10, I would give myself a 7 for a grade. I think we could have included more information on music that related back to the health unit; however, I thought our activities kept the class involved. I think they learned more from the activities rather than the actual presentation because they were actually participating. I thought it was interesting that even though everyone in the class had differing music tastes, we could all agree that music made us happier.

     Our presentation: https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1GWQCxRh2lqS35KoIcmU-1ubmw8O0KsoS43_y_-aCimQ/edit#slide=id.p

Measuring Blood Pressure Lab Analysis

     The systole is the first heart sound produced as the atrioventricular valves close and the semilunar valves open. Systolic blood pressure is the number on the gauge when the first heart sound is produced. The diastole is at the end of systole as the semilunar valves close and the atrioventricular valves open. The diastolic blood pressure is the exact point when the sounds stop. The index and middle fingers or stethoscope can be used to measure heart rate. The stethoscope and sphygmomanometer, or blood pressure cuff, can be used to measure blood pressure. Using the thumb to measure pulse is not ideal because it also has a pulse and can cause confusion while counting.
    First, make sure the blood pressure cuff is completely deflated. Put the cuff on the arm, above the elbow, of the person whose blood pressure is being measured. The head of the stethoscope should be under the edge of the cuff. After making sure the valve on the pump is closed, start pumping until the gauge reaches 150 mmHg. Then open the valve of the pump so the air goes out slowly. Watch the needle on the gauge and listen for a heart sound. The time when you hear the first heart the systolic blood pressure. The last heart sound you hear is the diastolic blood pressure.

Unit 2 Reflection

     Health is a combination of mental, physical, and social well-being. In order to maintain good health, one must have a balance in the five pillars of health: exercise, nutrition, social, sleep, and stress management. I think I am a pretty healthy person; however, I could work on my sleep and stress pillars. Most of SHS has the same problem: we're all sleep deprived and stressed out. In order to promote greater health and wellness on campus, there should be more communication between teachers and students. Knowing that teachers care about the well-being of students can make a big difference.
     A big theme of this unit is working on each pillar of health. From this unit, I learned about the six nutrients: carbohydrates, protein, lipids, nutrients, minerals, and water. I learned how the phosphagen, glycolytic, and oxidative pathways help the body meet its energy needs. I also learned about the affects of sleep deprivation and how it messes up the body's circadian rhythm. I still don't fully understand how the stages of stress transition from alarm phase to resistance phase to exhaustion phase. For the next unit, I will try to get the more out of the labs we do in class.