Let me just preface this post by saying, generally I am opposed to dieting. I think it has a very negative connotation with it that invokes crazy, restrictive measures that are nearly impossible for people to keep up with. I prefer balanced, healthy eating. The 80/20 rule seems very appropriate here. That being said, I am, *gasp*, currently on a diet. College in general and Nursing school specifically has wrought havoc on my health. If you're not in college yet, don't worry. You'll realize what I'm talking about soon enough. I digress. So anyways, if you're not a super clean eater, and your typical Tuesday night consists of Domino's and Blue Moon while pouring over med/surg notes, it's hard to make that switch to a better lifestyle. I have found you make too many excuses for yourself right off the bat, i.e. "It's cool if I pop over to Mickey D's in between classes. I'm gonna eat a salad for dinner tonight." And 8 hours later you're parked in front of your laptop with a bowl of mac n cheese, frantically trying to finish up a clinical worksheet that's due in 6 hours. So I decided the easiest way to ease into a healthier lifestyle is to start with a strict diet, then transition.
Enter: The Diet Diaries. The diet I'm working with is a 3 week metabolism booster. Supposedly it amps up your body's fat-burning ability by throwing it change-ups. You have four different types of days: fast days, shake days, low carb days, and moderate carb days. Then at the end of each week you get a cheat day. The first day of every week is a fast day; yesterday was my fasting day. Let me just say, it fucking blows. I mean it sucks some serious camel dick. It's not as bad as expected it to be but let me just say, it's no fucking picnic. I mean seriously, there's no picnic because you can't eat all goddamn day. At first you're like, "dude, I can totally do this." And then morning slowly progresses into afternoon. Then you're like, "Phew, this isn't that fun, but like, I can make it through the day." And by early evening you're more like, "No, seriously diet. FUCK OFF! I hope you die! I hope you die and go to hell!" Still there are 2 positive things I've found about fast days:
1. You do loose a nice amount of weight for just one day.
2. It makes transitioning into shake days a whole hell of a lot easier. At least until after you chug your first shake and realize protein powder tends to have a not-so-pleasant after taste.
All that being said, I'm on my second week already, and I'm feeling pretty good. As much as fast days suck, the whole regimen isn't too terrible. I definitely feel like I could do this and easily transition into eating so much better. I'm pretty excited about making this change. Now if I could just start making it to the gym...
Tuesday, July 23, 2013
Monday, July 15, 2013
Racism: Not a thing of the past
Parents should never have to bury a child. It is a heinous tragedy that goes against the laws of nature. It creates people orphaned, not by the people that gave them life, but by the people that gave them purpose. And I mean that in the deepest sense of the word. As a woman who has never had a child, and therefore never lost a child, I can't even imagine the pain Trayvon Martin's parents must be going through. And they've had to share that pain and bear the scrutiny of an entire country from a very public fallout following their son's death.
In case you've been living under a rock for the last year and a half, I'm addressing the case in which a young black male was shot and killed after being pursued through the gated community where he was visiting by a sort of crazed vigilante. Trayvon was unarmed and returning to his future stepmother's home in the community after visiting a local convenience store to buy an evening snack. The man that shot him, George Zimmerman, was studying criminal justice at the time of the shooting and was captain of the Neighborhood Watch program. Residents in the area had noted an atmosphere of concern and even fear about the increase in theft and crime over the past 18 months before the incident. Zimmerman was questioned for 5 hours the night he shot Martin, and then released, with local law enforcement claiming no intention of pressing charges. Pressure from Martin's family and a growing media frenzy claiming injustice because of racial prejudice led to the arrest of Zimmerman, charging him with second degree murder. He was found Not Guilty this past weekend on Saturday, July, 15.
We've heard all of the accusations coming from supporters and critics of both sides. That Zimmerman was motivated by racial profiling. That Martin was of dubious personal character, having been suspended from high school three separate times. So here's another opinion to add to the mix:
Trayvon did not deserve to die. Simple as that. It doesn't matter what sort of past he had, he had done nothing to deserve such a harsh and final punishment. He wasn't a perfect kid, but that didn't mean that he was a thug, or that his "thug wear" was some sort of justification of him being profiled as a threat to the community. But thanks for the insinuations, Fox "News". If I can speak honestly for a moment, I think Zimmerman was nuts. His criminal justice studies background and the fact that he pursued Martin during his 911 phone call, saying at one point, "These assholes always get away" really doesn't correlate with unprejudiced and concerned citizen his defense painted him as. When I look at everything Zimmerman did that night, I see someone who thought they were some sort of bad-ass vigilante. Instead of calling the police and giving a description of the "suspect" and what in fact made him so suspicious (p.s. nothing really), he was clearly aching to get involved. He created a situation in which a 17 year old boy felt threatened, and though the details of how and what are quite sketchy, a scuffle resulted. Regardless of who caught up with who, if I were Trayvon Martin, I probably would have tried to defend myself against some creep following me as well. And as a young, athletic man, Martin probably did get in a few solid blows. But does that justify being shot in the chest? Hell no. And here's where Florida's Stand Your Ground statute comes in. Because of this statute, Zimmerman was considered justified in this shooting, despite the fact that he did not first try to run or escape. Now I ask you, is it justice for someone to create a situation in which another human being feels threatened and unsafe, then shoot the other person in a tussle that they ultimately caused, without even trying to disengage first? No. It's not. And an innocent kid was murdered because of this ridiculous loophole. Racism in this country is not dead, unfortunately. And laws like this help keep it alive. Not to mention this verdict comes mere weeks after a key part of the Voting Rights Act was struck down, claiming that it, "did not reflect racial progress in this community."
To me, this is a rather dark reflection of us as a country. I think we all need to accept that we're not as accepting and free from prejudice as we like to claim.You can't fix a problem unless you first admit that it exists, and we've got a lot of work to do. The least we can do is be honest with ourselves.
In case you've been living under a rock for the last year and a half, I'm addressing the case in which a young black male was shot and killed after being pursued through the gated community where he was visiting by a sort of crazed vigilante. Trayvon was unarmed and returning to his future stepmother's home in the community after visiting a local convenience store to buy an evening snack. The man that shot him, George Zimmerman, was studying criminal justice at the time of the shooting and was captain of the Neighborhood Watch program. Residents in the area had noted an atmosphere of concern and even fear about the increase in theft and crime over the past 18 months before the incident. Zimmerman was questioned for 5 hours the night he shot Martin, and then released, with local law enforcement claiming no intention of pressing charges. Pressure from Martin's family and a growing media frenzy claiming injustice because of racial prejudice led to the arrest of Zimmerman, charging him with second degree murder. He was found Not Guilty this past weekend on Saturday, July, 15.
We've heard all of the accusations coming from supporters and critics of both sides. That Zimmerman was motivated by racial profiling. That Martin was of dubious personal character, having been suspended from high school three separate times. So here's another opinion to add to the mix:
Trayvon did not deserve to die. Simple as that. It doesn't matter what sort of past he had, he had done nothing to deserve such a harsh and final punishment. He wasn't a perfect kid, but that didn't mean that he was a thug, or that his "thug wear" was some sort of justification of him being profiled as a threat to the community. But thanks for the insinuations, Fox "News". If I can speak honestly for a moment, I think Zimmerman was nuts. His criminal justice studies background and the fact that he pursued Martin during his 911 phone call, saying at one point, "These assholes always get away" really doesn't correlate with unprejudiced and concerned citizen his defense painted him as. When I look at everything Zimmerman did that night, I see someone who thought they were some sort of bad-ass vigilante. Instead of calling the police and giving a description of the "suspect" and what in fact made him so suspicious (p.s. nothing really), he was clearly aching to get involved. He created a situation in which a 17 year old boy felt threatened, and though the details of how and what are quite sketchy, a scuffle resulted. Regardless of who caught up with who, if I were Trayvon Martin, I probably would have tried to defend myself against some creep following me as well. And as a young, athletic man, Martin probably did get in a few solid blows. But does that justify being shot in the chest? Hell no. And here's where Florida's Stand Your Ground statute comes in. Because of this statute, Zimmerman was considered justified in this shooting, despite the fact that he did not first try to run or escape. Now I ask you, is it justice for someone to create a situation in which another human being feels threatened and unsafe, then shoot the other person in a tussle that they ultimately caused, without even trying to disengage first? No. It's not. And an innocent kid was murdered because of this ridiculous loophole. Racism in this country is not dead, unfortunately. And laws like this help keep it alive. Not to mention this verdict comes mere weeks after a key part of the Voting Rights Act was struck down, claiming that it, "did not reflect racial progress in this community."
To me, this is a rather dark reflection of us as a country. I think we all need to accept that we're not as accepting and free from prejudice as we like to claim.You can't fix a problem unless you first admit that it exists, and we've got a lot of work to do. The least we can do is be honest with ourselves.
Monday, July 8, 2013
Fuck yeah, we're living in 'Murrica.
I was reading an article today about how different countries measured up according to reported happiness. I was somewhat pleasantly surprised by America's ranking: we ranked #6 out 36 countries. Let me explain my surprise; I love my country! I love March Madness (I mean I'm from Kentucky, after all), 4th of July, and living in a country with a cultural make-up as diverse as it's geography. What's not to be happy about? But my surprise comes from the fact that I feel like I'm often reading articles about how far behind other 1st world countries we are in job satisfaction, education, healthcare, etc. And some of it's true, but sometimes I also feel like we're not as grateful as we could be as a country. We have so many freedoms and opportunities that are simply not available to people living in other nations, and while that's wonderful, it's given us a bit of a complex. And by complex, I mean we're SPOILED! So I've compiled a list, based mostly on my own limited travels to Europe and South America, of why we should be a little more grateful for the large and small perks that come with living in this amazing nation.
1. As flawed as our healthcare system is (and don't try to tell me it isn't! I've worked in a hospital), we DO have relatively easy access to healthcare. I went to Peru on a medical mission trip as a freshman in college, and let me tell you: it can get harder. For the first part of our trip, we were stationed in a small, rural village in the Andes. The 1 doctor and 1 nurse that served the large area we visited used an ambulance that looked like it had wheezed right out of the 70s to travel to some of their more remote clientele. They said this while we were visiting a satellite clinic that consisted of a couple of rooms with tables and chairs and a small closet used for housing patient records. That's all. Quite frankly, I wasn't aware that it got more remote than that.
2. Even in some of the most rural parts of America, you're hard pressed to find a population without at least some form of transportation. While visiting the clinic mentioned above, we met a woman who had walked for 3 hours to get to her 7 month prenatal check-up. Yeah, that's roughin' it.
3. We have powerful toilets. Ok, I know this one sounds stupid, but after my trip to Scotland and England this past May, I gotta tell you: it's important. Without getting into too much gritty detail, the shitty plumbing (pun intended) made for more than a few awkward mishaps.
4. The food's amazing. I mean seriously, AMAZING! And diverse. Let me tell you, in Europe you'd be hard pressed to find a town where you can get good sushi, Mexican, Ethiopian, or hearty burgers all within 5 minutes of each other, but here? Totally possible.
5. We have space to breathe... And drive. I'm talking about you, Cornwall. Literally, there are places in this gorgeous region of England where people's back doors literally open up onto the streets. Literally, THE FREAKING STREET! Good luck trying to storm out when you're having a fight with your spouse. Better use the front door. Incidentally, this is the same area I scratched the shit out of our rental car by scraping along a scary stone wall for a few feet.
6. Our drivers aren't that bad. My flair for dramatic language can't even express to you how not bad they are. Try getting through Lima in rush hour in a taxi. If my friend from Taiwan is to be believed (And the haunted look in her eyes tells me she's not exaggerating), China is not much better.
7. Customer service. Ever tried eating at a restaurant on the quick in Paris, Barcelona, or Edinburgh? It doesn't happen. And south of the equator they're in even less of a hurry. Just remember that the next time you have to wait a whole half an hour for sirloin.
8. Last for now, but definitely not least, Freedom of Speech! I recently watched a powerful documentary on HBO called Pussy Riot: A Punk Prayer. It's about a Russian punk protest collective called, you guessed it, Pussy Riot. These women illegally protest the oppressive government and it's links with the Orthodox Church, calling for improved women's and LGBT rights. Their venues have included subways, tops of buses in crammed traffic, and the one that landed three members in serious trouble: Moscow's Cathedral of Christ the Savior. I'll grant the last one was misguided. While I believe them when they say they didn't do it to show hatred toward the church, I am a firm believer in respecting everyone's right to upholding their spiritual, sacred place. But did their crime truly warrant intense trial that ensued, in which the young women were eventually convicted of public hooliganism motivated by religious hatred? I think not. And their sentence of two years of imprisonment was most decidedly not deserved (side note, one of the trio's sentence was later appealed and she was released on bail). Amnesty International has even taken an interest in the case, naming them prisoners of conscience.
My point is, though there are always exceptions to the rule, because no country's perfect, our country is still pretty damn great. I'm hoping we can all be a little more grateful and relish living in such an amazing place.
1. As flawed as our healthcare system is (and don't try to tell me it isn't! I've worked in a hospital), we DO have relatively easy access to healthcare. I went to Peru on a medical mission trip as a freshman in college, and let me tell you: it can get harder. For the first part of our trip, we were stationed in a small, rural village in the Andes. The 1 doctor and 1 nurse that served the large area we visited used an ambulance that looked like it had wheezed right out of the 70s to travel to some of their more remote clientele. They said this while we were visiting a satellite clinic that consisted of a couple of rooms with tables and chairs and a small closet used for housing patient records. That's all. Quite frankly, I wasn't aware that it got more remote than that.
2. Even in some of the most rural parts of America, you're hard pressed to find a population without at least some form of transportation. While visiting the clinic mentioned above, we met a woman who had walked for 3 hours to get to her 7 month prenatal check-up. Yeah, that's roughin' it.
3. We have powerful toilets. Ok, I know this one sounds stupid, but after my trip to Scotland and England this past May, I gotta tell you: it's important. Without getting into too much gritty detail, the shitty plumbing (pun intended) made for more than a few awkward mishaps.
4. The food's amazing. I mean seriously, AMAZING! And diverse. Let me tell you, in Europe you'd be hard pressed to find a town where you can get good sushi, Mexican, Ethiopian, or hearty burgers all within 5 minutes of each other, but here? Totally possible.
5. We have space to breathe... And drive. I'm talking about you, Cornwall. Literally, there are places in this gorgeous region of England where people's back doors literally open up onto the streets. Literally, THE FREAKING STREET! Good luck trying to storm out when you're having a fight with your spouse. Better use the front door. Incidentally, this is the same area I scratched the shit out of our rental car by scraping along a scary stone wall for a few feet.
6. Our drivers aren't that bad. My flair for dramatic language can't even express to you how not bad they are. Try getting through Lima in rush hour in a taxi. If my friend from Taiwan is to be believed (And the haunted look in her eyes tells me she's not exaggerating), China is not much better.
7. Customer service. Ever tried eating at a restaurant on the quick in Paris, Barcelona, or Edinburgh? It doesn't happen. And south of the equator they're in even less of a hurry. Just remember that the next time you have to wait a whole half an hour for sirloin.
8. Last for now, but definitely not least, Freedom of Speech! I recently watched a powerful documentary on HBO called Pussy Riot: A Punk Prayer. It's about a Russian punk protest collective called, you guessed it, Pussy Riot. These women illegally protest the oppressive government and it's links with the Orthodox Church, calling for improved women's and LGBT rights. Their venues have included subways, tops of buses in crammed traffic, and the one that landed three members in serious trouble: Moscow's Cathedral of Christ the Savior. I'll grant the last one was misguided. While I believe them when they say they didn't do it to show hatred toward the church, I am a firm believer in respecting everyone's right to upholding their spiritual, sacred place. But did their crime truly warrant intense trial that ensued, in which the young women were eventually convicted of public hooliganism motivated by religious hatred? I think not. And their sentence of two years of imprisonment was most decidedly not deserved (side note, one of the trio's sentence was later appealed and she was released on bail). Amnesty International has even taken an interest in the case, naming them prisoners of conscience.
My point is, though there are always exceptions to the rule, because no country's perfect, our country is still pretty damn great. I'm hoping we can all be a little more grateful and relish living in such an amazing place.
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)