This whole homework blog has been a really cool and hip assignment. With so much technology being incorporated into classes these days I feel like it was a good fit. Though it was difficult at first, I feel like everyone in the class(young and old) was able to get the hang of it.
The assignments themselves were very interesting and they made me really think about my life and future more than any other homework assignments I've ever done. I've been blogging for about 3 years now and don't really see an end in sight. It's such a simple way to occupy my time whether I'm at home or just using my smart-phone on the go, though I do prefer the sight Tumblr versus Blogger because of it's simplicity. But it was neat trying a new sight and seeing what else is out there.
So with this post I bid farewell to my fellow Summer 2012 Health 100 classmates. It has been a pleasure to have you all in my final class at Palomar, and I wish you all success with whatever path you choose to follow in life!
- Brad M.
Wednesday, August 1, 2012
Assignment 7: Kids Off Drugs
Although I am pretty opposed to the thought of having kids of my own, I have often thought about what kind of parenting techniques I would use. I would really like my child to be informed of the realistic effects of drugs and alcohol. Not just the effects of thew substance itself, but the effects it can have on your life and future. As time goes on drugs seem like they are becoming more and more extreme, as well as more and more accessible which scares me a bit.
As a parent I would not allow my children to partake in recreational drug use within my household and would strongly urge them to not use them outside of the house as well. But I know kids, specifically young adults, like to rebel and disobey orders, so I would at least want my child to be in a safe environment if they were put in a situation where they were forced to use drugs. I would make it clear that if they ever needed any help or me to come pick them up to just call. Their safety would be my number one priority and I think that begins with them being well informed of the effects of these substances. But in the end kids are going to do their own thing regardless of what their elders tell them so I would just do my best to raise them to be responsible and think through the choices they make and know the consequences of those actions. But I would always be there for them if they got into a bad situation.
As a parent I would not allow my children to partake in recreational drug use within my household and would strongly urge them to not use them outside of the house as well. But I know kids, specifically young adults, like to rebel and disobey orders, so I would at least want my child to be in a safe environment if they were put in a situation where they were forced to use drugs. I would make it clear that if they ever needed any help or me to come pick them up to just call. Their safety would be my number one priority and I think that begins with them being well informed of the effects of these substances. But in the end kids are going to do their own thing regardless of what their elders tell them so I would just do my best to raise them to be responsible and think through the choices they make and know the consequences of those actions. But I would always be there for them if they got into a bad situation.
Assignment 6: Drive-Thru Nutrition
Wow, let me start off by saying that I actually had fun doing this assignment! I learned so much about the fast food restaurants that I frequent the most. I had no idea that the meat Taco Bell uses was so bad for you. I mean, I knew it wasn't real meat, but I had no idea how high in sodium and fat the "beef" really was. I was also very surprised that in comparison to a lot of the other fast food choices, a protein style hamburger is a relatively good choice in terms of how healthy the food is. I didn't know that nutrition facts were so easy to find online before now so I will totally keep that in mind when brainstorming where I want to eat in the future.
Here's a screen-cap of the foods I chose and their facts/prices/ranks:
Here's a screen-cap of the foods I chose and their facts/prices/ranks:
Tuesday, July 31, 2012
Assignment 5: Stress Reduction
1. The stress reduction technique I have chosen to try out is meditation. Meditation is a great opportunity to think about the future as well as sort through current issues in your life. It is very effective in relieving stress and improves an individual's overall spiritual well-being.
2. The way I went about performing this technique is by sitting in my backyard in complete solitude. The sun was just going down and I was the only one home so it was a very peaceful atmosphere. With all of the exciting and terrifying things that are about to happen in my life when I go away to school in the fall, this exercise really revitalized me. I am now able to accept the new experience with an open mind and go in with a positive attitude!
3. Physically I felt like I had just woken up from a nap or something. I tried this exercise after working out for 4 hours and the meditating actually recharged me. Mentally and emotionally it felt like I was given a fresh start. I gained an enormous amount of positivity and now view the approaching, life-changing experience optimistically! I feel much more peaceful spiritually after performing this meditation exercise and will try and revisit this activity on a regular visit from now on, especially once school starts back up in a few weeks.
4. I feel like this technique really did reduce my stress levels, and it also reduced my anxiety about the future. This is a very valuable technique that I plan on using on a regular basis in the future.
2. The way I went about performing this technique is by sitting in my backyard in complete solitude. The sun was just going down and I was the only one home so it was a very peaceful atmosphere. With all of the exciting and terrifying things that are about to happen in my life when I go away to school in the fall, this exercise really revitalized me. I am now able to accept the new experience with an open mind and go in with a positive attitude!
3. Physically I felt like I had just woken up from a nap or something. I tried this exercise after working out for 4 hours and the meditating actually recharged me. Mentally and emotionally it felt like I was given a fresh start. I gained an enormous amount of positivity and now view the approaching, life-changing experience optimistically! I feel much more peaceful spiritually after performing this meditation exercise and will try and revisit this activity on a regular visit from now on, especially once school starts back up in a few weeks.
4. I feel like this technique really did reduce my stress levels, and it also reduced my anxiety about the future. This is a very valuable technique that I plan on using on a regular basis in the future.
Assignment 4: My Love Language
1. The biggest confirmation I received from the love language quiz is that I really enjoy spending quality, one-on-one time with people if I like them. Going out in a big group of people is fun and all but I'd rather be alone with just that person and have a nice bonding session. The quiz also reaffirmed that I'm not a fan of physically touching someone. It seemed like all of the situations provided an option that had something to do with hugging/kissing/touching someone as they walk by, and that's just not my thing.
2. I'm not a very emotional guy to begin with so when the results said I enjoy deep, meaningful conversations with undivided attention I was sort of surprised. Those types of conversations are typically the ones I try and avoid unless there is an actual issue taking place that needs to be discussed. Otherwise, I'd rather have some background noise to help take away some of the awkwardness of the situation.
3. I think these online quiz/questionnaires are quite interesting. I just finished my online PSYC 100 class on Sunday and during that class we also had to take personality tests that revealed traits that I didn't even realize I had until I actually paid attention to them. Though, I enjoyed this 30 question quiz much more than the 75 question ones we had to take and then score by hand for psyc.
2. I'm not a very emotional guy to begin with so when the results said I enjoy deep, meaningful conversations with undivided attention I was sort of surprised. Those types of conversations are typically the ones I try and avoid unless there is an actual issue taking place that needs to be discussed. Otherwise, I'd rather have some background noise to help take away some of the awkwardness of the situation.
3. I think these online quiz/questionnaires are quite interesting. I just finished my online PSYC 100 class on Sunday and during that class we also had to take personality tests that revealed traits that I didn't even realize I had until I actually paid attention to them. Though, I enjoyed this 30 question quiz much more than the 75 question ones we had to take and then score by hand for psyc.
Thursday, June 28, 2012
Assignment 3: Me In 6 Words
Forget All The Fears You've Kept
I tried viewing this assignment using a "self-worth" attitude. It was difficult picking just 6 words to illustrate such a deep topic, but these words hold multiple meanings for me personally. It is actually a part of a song by a band called La Dispute, and this band completely changed my outlook on life.
About the time I started high school I began feeling depressed, stressed, and overall just had a great disdain for my day to day life and the people in it. I would actually go out of my way to distance myself from those around me to avoid building any lasting relationships. This feeling matured and remained for quite a few years. But this past Easter I had the opportunity to see La Dispute play in a cafe about the size of a classroom, and all the negative feelings vanished. Since that night I have held such a positive outlook on life and am truly grateful and amazed every single day. So those words, and any words written by them for that matter, will always remind me of the night I let go of the years of stress, guilt, and fear, and was finally able to live a normal life.
Here's one of my favorite songs by them if you were interested in what they sound like. Definitely not everyone's type of music, I know. haha.
I tried viewing this assignment using a "self-worth" attitude. It was difficult picking just 6 words to illustrate such a deep topic, but these words hold multiple meanings for me personally. It is actually a part of a song by a band called La Dispute, and this band completely changed my outlook on life.
About the time I started high school I began feeling depressed, stressed, and overall just had a great disdain for my day to day life and the people in it. I would actually go out of my way to distance myself from those around me to avoid building any lasting relationships. This feeling matured and remained for quite a few years. But this past Easter I had the opportunity to see La Dispute play in a cafe about the size of a classroom, and all the negative feelings vanished. Since that night I have held such a positive outlook on life and am truly grateful and amazed every single day. So those words, and any words written by them for that matter, will always remind me of the night I let go of the years of stress, guilt, and fear, and was finally able to live a normal life.
Here's one of my favorite songs by them if you were interested in what they sound like. Definitely not everyone's type of music, I know. haha.
Tuesday, June 26, 2012
Food Inc.
The film Food Inc. is an eye opening experience to say the least. I had recently been cutting back on fast food due to the common understanding that it is not healthy for you, but this movie completely revealed just how bad the food industry has gotten. With so much sugar and fat being shoved into the products of these fast food establishments, it's no wonder our obesity and heart-disease rates are so high. Hearing the story about the little boy that died from eating a tainted cheeseburger makes me think twice before heading out to eat. Though this movie seemed to emphasize the meat-packing industry quite a bit, there is still a huge risk of bacteria such as Ecoli in fruits and vegetables. It's because all of the growth hormones that food is becoming more and more dangerous, and it's not going to stop until legal action and strict regulation is imposed upon food manufacturers.
Overall, I really enjoyed this movie and think it is an important wake-up call for today's society. Unless this issue is brought out of the darkness that corporations have engulfed it in, no changes will be made. And more unsuspecting people may become susceptible to deadly bacteria and pesticides.
PS. There's another movie called Fast Food Nation that may be worth taking a look at if you ever have the time.
Overall, I really enjoyed this movie and think it is an important wake-up call for today's society. Unless this issue is brought out of the darkness that corporations have engulfed it in, no changes will be made. And more unsuspecting people may become susceptible to deadly bacteria and pesticides.
PS. There's another movie called Fast Food Nation that may be worth taking a look at if you ever have the time.
Tuesday, June 19, 2012
Intro To Me
I'm Brad McMahon. People seem to like me because I'm polite, and I'm rarely late. I like to eat ice cream, and I really enjoy a nice pair of slacks.
I'm 20 years old and work at Vans. I will be transferring to CSU Long Beach this fall to pursue an Accounting degree. I've been playing hockey for 12 years, and I love going to concerts & skimboarding at the beach.
I'm 20 years old and work at Vans. I will be transferring to CSU Long Beach this fall to pursue an Accounting degree. I've been playing hockey for 12 years, and I love going to concerts & skimboarding at the beach.
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