Distractions Impact Our Lifestyle

Recently, I read an article about ways that sleep benefits your life. There are the common ways such as increased attention and alertness and reduced stress. However, did you know that it also spurs creativity and reduces the chance of depression? Sleep has many benefits and we should all try to get more sleep a night, but it may be harder than it seems in our busy and distracted lives.
I never would have guessed that a little extra sleep every night would spark creativity or make me less likely to become depressed. However, getting that extra bit of sleep is easier said than done. As a teenager, I get plenty of hours of homework, I have other activities but I also get very distracted. When I get home from school I don't start on my homework right away. I often spend time on social media, or watching TV, or Netflix. Sometimes I spend way too much time simply getting a snack. I do have a lot of homework, but if I got rid of my distractions, I would be able to finish my homework in a reasonable amount of time and go to bed earlier to get the amount of sleep I need.
Let's also remember that the problem isn't always the homework. In many cases, students don't have much homework and they finish it in plenty of time to make it to bed early enough. However, they don't go to bed until late because of the same common distractions. Netflix is one of the largest distractions in a teens life. It is so easy to keep watching TV series episodes and losing track of the time, or getting so engrossed into a show or movie that you don't care about what the time may be.
This is something that I can definitely relate to, but there needs to be a limit on all of the technology and electronics in our lives. We need to be able to control ourselves. All of these distractions are starting to take over our lives without us even realizing it. They inhibit our sleep patterns, therefore affecting the way that we are living. I believe that we should take a second look at what all of this technology is doing to us and how it could possibly be harmful.

3 Great Reasons to Run a Marathon

Running is becoming a popular leisure activity, often done to gain fitness but sometimes just for fun. If you are a runner, have you ever ran a 5k? 10k? Half marathon? A full marathon? If you have, then that is an amazing accomplishment, however if you have not, then you should consider it. You should start with a 5k eventually working your way up to a marathon (26.2 miles). It is a great way to get into the best shape of your life, accomplish something huge, and get social.
Running a marathon could get you into great shape. Just running everyday would get you really fit but training for a marathon is much more intense than a leisurely jog. You have to work extremely hard and it is no easy task to prepare for 26.2 miles but once you make it to race day, you will be in the best shape in your life, which is an award in itself.
Another great thing about running a marathon is the huge accomplishment. If it was easy, everyone would do it. Running this long of a race is something huge to be proud of, no matter what your time is when you finish, or how exhausted you are at the end. If you make it to the end, there is no other feeling like it and it will be something exciting to tell your kids and grandkids once you recover.
Lastly, it gets you social. It takes a lot of motivation to train for something as large as a marathon. Because of this, you will want to train with other people. Get a group of your friends together plenty of months before the race and discuss a training strategy. Then you can all train together and keep each other in check. Your friends may even know others that might want to join you, then you can make new friends and make the experience even more enjoyable.
Now, if you have no running experience, it is a good idea to start with a shorter race and work your way up to a half marathon and then eventually a full marathon. It is such a great experience that I don't think anyone should miss out on.

Too Much Stress

Too much stress can be harmful to our physical and mental health. Today, it is just as much a problem in teenagers as it is in adults, and it may even be more of a problem. Students are now taking on so much in their daily schedules, it is more harmful than helpful, leading to an agonizing amount of stress.
It is proven that stress leads to depression, thoughts of suicide and increased anxiety. This is a growing problem all around the world. From experience, I have noticed the curriculum in schools getting pushed down a little more every year. My younger sister is three grades below mine. She is learning things in eighth grade that I did not learn until I was a freshman in high school. That may only be a one year difference in the curriculum, and in high school and even middle school that may not matter. However, in elementary school it is too much for students. My mom is a kindergarten teacher and she sees this first hand. Their students enter kindergarten, many times without knowing any of their letters yet are expected to know how to read by the time they leave. Just this change in curriculum itself can lead to increased levels of anxiety and poor mental health. When kids are young, they should be playing and acquiring basic learning skills. Now, they have hardly any time for play in a kindergarten classroom, which I believe is worse in terms of their development and it leads them to be more stressed out at a younger age.
Another problem is the physical consequences of stress, including increased blood pressure and believe it or not, ware on your body. Teens have multiple extra-curricular activities and are still pressured to do well in difficult classes at school. A lot of teen stress also comes from all of the testing done in schools. I cannot go a day without a test or quiz in at least one of my classes. This means that every night I have a new quiz, test or presentation to study for and stress about, and often more than one. I am involved in sports that practice every day. I also have homework from all my other classes. It is not sustainable and I know that I am not the only student athlete that feels overwhelmed by all of the pressure put on us to succeed. Our bodies are tired and some nights I am ready to go to bed by seven. When I am stressed out I have trouble focusing in class and I often feel out of control, which leads to high blood pressure. High school sometimes seems like too much.
Overall, I believe that students are exposed to too much stress. We are busy and it may seem that we didn't study for a test because we blew it off, but it may just be because we are busy and exhausted. Stress is found controlling my life and it is hard. Teachers and parents need to realize the stress that comes along with the pressure to do well, all of the hours of homework assigned every night, and with multiple tests throughout each week. Even if each teacher could reduce their amount of homework by 10 minutes each night, that would be one hour less every night and 5-6 hours less every week. That would be so incredibly helpful and a large stress reliever.

Help Needed Now

A recent Well article discusses the high percentage of obesity in the United States today. While the amount of obese are leveling off in most parts of the country, that does not mean that it isn't still an issue that needs to be addressed. Obesity is caused by many things, it causes poor quality of life and we all need to find out why this has become such an issue in this century.
Obesity isn't something that exercise and diet can always fix. More often than not, our shape and weight is hereditary. Also, obesity isn't always measured in the best way. Sometimes, a BMI will indicate that a muscular and active individual is obese because a BMI doesn't take muscle mass under consideration. However, at least 20% of every state in the US is considered obese. This has many health concerns, which is the main reason that our country's obesity problem needs to be solved.
Obesity leads to a lower quality of life in individuals. It is a serious health problem leading to heart problems and diabetes, also mobility is sometimes a struggle. That is why I believe that obesity needs to be a main concern in the US right now. We need to figure out why it has become such a problem and find a way to fix it. We need to help the people that are affected by this. I am confident that there are other things besides strict exercise and dieting that can contribute to solving this problem.
Personally, I believe that part of the obesity problem in the US is caused by the increase in desk jobs and decrease in physically demanding jobs. Many adults are now forced to sit in an office or in meeting for the majority of the day, rather than laboring all day. However this does not explain the obesity in children. That is why I believe that another thing contributing to obesity is the food in today's society. Greasy fast food has become very popular and so has processed frozen foods. I think it is time that we question what we are eating and if this could be what is causing obesity in young children and adults.
Overall, I just think that we need to do whatever we can to find a solution to obesity. It is no longer just an individual's lack of trying, but our society. It is a dangerous health risk and it is important to get it under control as soon as possible,

Winter Weather Attire

Winter weather is soon approaching if you aren't lucky enough to be living in the south during this time of year. It is hard to find the right clothing to wear to workout or go for an outdoor jog. I am no expert but I do have a preference for what to where when the weather gets cold.

When it starts getting colder, I bring out the sweatshirts. It is good to have a large range of sweatshirts that have different thicknesses so that you can be dressed appropriately for the weather on each particular day. Also, have a good set of long sleeve shirts, some days it will be too warm for a sweatshirt but too cold for a t-shirt, that is when long sleeve shirts are great. Lastly, even in the deepest and coldest part of winter, always keep an extra pair of capris in your closet, it may surprise you, but I have often experienced random days that are nice enough for capris and a long sleeve shirt. Weather is so unpredictable and you just never know what you are going to need throughout the cold season.
Another thing to note is that there are many times when it reaches below zero outside. When this happens, it is often best to find an indoor place to work out. It is not good for your body to be out in the cold for very long, if at all. It isn't healthy for your lungs or your muscles. It is also hard for your body to decide if it is hot and cold. You may feel okay when it is cold outside because you aren't sweating, or maybe you are but the cold is enough to keep you feeling okay. However, your body may be overheating without you being aware of it. This can be dangerous especially if no one is around your running path.
What you wear is pretty much a personal preference. Usually I find myself in a t-shirt, sweatshirt and tights during most of the winter, however on some colder days i may wear a long sleeve shirt instead of a t-shirt underneath a sweatshirt. It is important to not stay out too long, for it is hard to tell if you are getting over heated or too cold while working out. Important thing to remember: dress appropriately, not too heavily, and listen to your body during your workout.

'Thigh Gap' Health Threat

A recent fad trending all over popular social media websites is the 'thigh gap'. This space between your thighs occurs when your legs are skinny and your thighs don't touch. Also, the skinny, often photo shopped women and teenagers in popular magazines are causing teens to become more self conscious about their own bodies.  This is inspiring young and insecure girls and boys around the globe to develop unhealthy eating habits because they are striving to be society's vision of 'perfect'.
This is a serious problem and it needs to be solved. I don't know where the idea came from and I don't know why it has had such a large explosion all over the internet. Teenage girls are already going through a hard time, I know from experience that middle school and high school are the hardest times in a girl's life. They constantly feel like they are being judged by their peers and they just want to fit in. If they see the 'thigh gap' trending all over social media, and skinny models in magazines, they will believe that being skinny is their solution to being accepted.
Girls develop unhealthy eating habits to acquire this so called "thigh gap." They may begin skipping meals or eating lower calorie foods to keep their weight down. They may also over exercise or even try to regurgitate the food that they have eaten. These habits are very unhealthy to a growing teen or to anyone, and something needs to be done about it.
Personally, I believe that girls should be comfortable with any and every body type. There is no such thing as a "perfect" body and no girl should ever strive to be perfect. Imperfections are what make a girl beautiful. This is what should be spreading all over social media, that every body type can be beautiful if you treat it right. I also think that apparel magazines should have models of all shapes and sizes, so that girls will recognize that they can look just as beautiful in that company's clothes as a girl with a smaller build.
I think that a girl that is muscular and fit looks so much better than a girl with not an ounce of fat on muscle on her bones. I wish that teens with eating disorders and unhealthy habits could see what they are doing to their body and how much more healthy and happy they would look if they ate healthy and exercised a healthy amount.
I am a runner so I can relate to what these teens are going through. I often wish that I was less muscular and thinner. However, I realize that it's not realistic and it is much better for me to be muscular rather than stick thin. The point is that teens, both boys and girls, should realize that health is more important than your appearance. As long as you are in good shape and eat healthy, it doesn't matter what size or shape you are.

Gym Class Dilemma

I am on my third year of high school, in the previous two years we were allowed one academic waiver out of gym class and as many sports waivers as we chose per year, each lasting one trimester. You were eligible for an academic waiver if you had a full schedule of 6 classes and you were eligible for a sports waiver if you were participating in a school sport during that trimester.

This year however the rules have changed. Everyone is now only allowed one sports waiver and one academic waiver each year, requiring everyone to take a gym class at least one time every year. I believe that this is unfair to students who have a full class load and are in school sports during the majority of the year. I am one of those students. I have a full course load, including three advanced placement classes. I am also involved in cross country in the fall and track in the spring. As you probably know, these are very rigorous running sports that require a lot of time and effort. I don't believe that I should have to take a gym class as I am very active and am very fit. 

I am signed up for a zero hour gym class that meets in the morning before school in the spring. This means that every other day I will be getting to school an hour early to work out, and then staying after school for one to two hours for track practice, in which I will run an average of 5-6 miles every day. I don't understand why I am required to take a gym class when I will be working out after school every day for longer than the average student.

I don't think that this was thought about when the eligibility for unlimited sports waivers was taken away. I think that if students are in a sport during a particular trimester then it is safe to say that they are being active enough outside of school and they don't need a gym class. I do understand that schools are trying to keep students active and healthy, but I don't think that gym should be required for those students in sports practicing every day.