Reflection: Weeks 9-12

Over weeks 9-12 I have learned quite a few valuable things. I found doing the THOMAS search and looking at bills for my healthy people goal was very interesting. I'm really interested in seeing the progress of improving the air quality because I think its such an important issue that affects us all. Many other people in my web group had similar goals so it showed the extent of this problem among many of us. Also starting our SMART goals has been very beneficial to me over the last few weeks. I have been able to increase my green vegetable intake by quite a significant amount and actually enjoy doing so.

Watching the video "Unnatural Causes" really made me think about how many people have insufficient healthcare. It was really upsetting to see the problems that many people face everyday. The woman who couldn't even get a job because if she did she would lose her benefits. That seems totally wrong to me, and just goes to show how much we need to reconstruct our system. We need to start creating more awareness and advocate to others so we can make a change. Many of the healthy wealthier people are the ones benefiting from healthcare not the ones who truly need it.

I enjoyed doing the photo essay, it helped me to look at my diet and SMART goal as a whole. I did my essay on what I ate the past week and how environmentally friendly some of these things were. It made me really see that I am increasing the amount of vegetables I'm eating but I'm not reducing the amount of bad fast foods that I eat when I'm in a hurry.

Overall the past few weeks have been very beneficial and knowledgeable. I feel as though doing some of these activities has really helped me not only in the classroom but also in my life outside of class.

Eco-Chic Lifestyle Change Week 4: Weekly Update

1. My SMART goal was to eat 2 cups of green vegetables 4 times per week for the next 9 weeks. I did very well in achieving my goal. I made sure to switch things up and eat salads some days, broccoli another, and also added in green beans on other days.
2. What I was successful with this past week was changing up the vegetables I chose to fulfill my goal. I made sure to use a variety so I wasn't getting sick of the same thing every time. I didn't really face any challenges this week, I thought Thanksgiving might have made it difficult but there were plenty of vegetables to make sure I stayed on track.
3. The feelings I experienced in the last week were that I was feeling more awake than usual. I think getting more foods that were good for me helped me to focus and not be so full on greasy foods I would have otherwise filled up on.
4. This week I learned that making my diet healthier isn't as hard as I figured it would be. Adding in more green vegetables slowly with each week seemed to help really well to build up a routine.
5. My plans for next week are to continue with this goal. I'm working a lot more this upcoming week so I want to make sure I can keep up with my goal even with a busier schedule than usual. So I will stay with 2 cups of green vegetables 4 times per week for the next 8 weeks.

Blogged for the Eco-Chic Lifestyle Change Week 4 hosted by Amy@Amy in the Rain

Eye Opener: Photo Essay

For my photo essay I chose environmentally friendly eating. I kept track of all the things I ate this past week and my results were so so. While I was keeping track of my meals I noticed I tended to eat more foods that were less environmentally friendly when I was eating at school or when I was at work. While at school I drank more beverages from bottles because they were the most convenient. (Don't worry, no bottled water!) While at work I ate more fast food mostly because I either forgot to pack a lunch for the day or simply forgot.

Before school I tended to eat more quick things like cheerios, yogurt, and toast. I recycled the containers from the yogurt, and the boxes from the cheerios so I tried to be as environmentally friendly as possible when eating packaged foods. 

 

For some of my lunch meals, at work and at school, included some fast food items such as Domino's marinara pasta bowls, ( they are soo delicious!)  taco johns, and a cheeseburger and fries from the burger hub. Most reasons I was eating this foods is simply because of convenience. I only eat at school Monday's on my long days and with all my books and computer I already drag along its really discouraging to also bring along a packed lunchbox. Looking back I want to start eating more salads or soups on my long Monday's. 

However, while I was at home for lunch or had more time I chose my healthier, environmentally friendly choices. Such as leftover ham from thanksgiving, fresh salads, and vegetables. I made sandwiches out of the ham we had left over, so even though eating meat still isn't as good for the environment I made sure we were not wasting it by eating the leftovers.

For some of my dinner meals I had spaghetti, beef stew, vegetables, macaroni and cheese, and of course for thanksgiving ham. I noticed many of my meals included meat which I was a little disappointed because I never really paid attention to how much meat I consume. I would like to reduce this in the future because its not very environmentally friendly. However, I did consume quit a bit of vegetables, mostly due to my SMART goal, but this made my meals a little more friendly for the environment.

Overall, by keeping track of my diet I realized I really need to start watching what I'm eating. I need to start setting aside time to pack lunches for work or even pack them the night before because that's where I seem to do most of my unhealthy eating. Many other people order lunches while were there so its usually the most convenient. Also, my SMART goal has really been helping me to increase my vegetable intake so I hope to keep up with that.