Monthly Archives: September 2014

The Truth Behind The Pill

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In today’s materialistic driven society, people are judged in every possible aspect; from their appearance, background, social status, way or thinking to their friends. The need to be accepted by others captivates the minds of many men and women of today. This search for social acceptance becomes so real that the idea then becomes an obsession. The way we look plays a big role in our lives. It determines the way others see us and it will then determine how we feel about ourselves.
One major component of appearance is our weight. Do you ever notice that the most admired and most popular girls in school are the sexiest, slimmest, and most flaunting girls? They are the ones that make the guys stop and take a second look. From these observations, men and women are assumed to being obsessed with their weights. Turn on the television, or open a magazine, and all you see are beautiful people flaunting their beautiful bodies. This constant reminder implants a message in our minds that this is the way all men and women should look like in order to be accepted in today’s society. The typical “Barbie Doll” is said to be a woman’s role model, but why? This only makes women damage their health just to try and look good. I am talking about diet pills. Diet pills have been perceived in a healthy manner that no one knows the truth about them.

First, the allure of diet pills can make them very tempting, especially at times when one is getting frustrated with their weight loss. However, with each new generation of skinny pills they are proven more dangerous than affective (Redbook 1).

For example:
Karen, a now slim women in her thirties says she has personal experiences with the affects of diet pills. Most of the weight loss is due to a little white and blue speckled pill known as phentermine. This drug works as a supplement, which reduces ones craving for food. What Karen figured out was that diet pills can lead to some unhealthy side effects. She personally experienced mood swings, constant chest pain, tremors and an irregular heartbeat. If one overdoses, it can lead to hallucinations, seizures, severe headaches, blurred vision, and vomiting (Calman 1).To Karen it was not worth it to take the diet pills.

The problem with taking these pills is that a normal size woman will put herself at risk of suffering these side effects. However, to an overweight woman, the health risks of carrying around extra pounds, such as heart disease and diabetes, may outweigh the side effects of diet pills.

“According to recent scientists, diet pills not only help with the assistance of taking away pounds, but are tested in the laboratory before being put on the shelf for consumers to buy”(Mueller 2).

Although this may be true, not everything scientists send out on the market is completely risk free, for instance, the back of the bottle shows drastic side effects. Say an overweight person already has health problems, adding more health risks by taking diet pills could furthermore damage their overall health and view of themselves.
After discussing health risks, the idea of a pill that can cause weight loss can still be hard to turn down. However, do diet pills really achieve the results that they claim are possible? Think of it this way, there is no miracle poison out there to automatically shrink one’s body size drastically. These diet drugs work only if one changes their life style with it. To lose weight, dieting and exercising are required with or without the usage of pills. Diet pills should be taken three times a day and even then they might not work. Diet pills prevent one’s body from digesting twenty five percent of the fat consumed. This is why eating healthy is required to notice any drastic weight-loss change. The truth is that a person who takes pills and exercises will lose just fifteen pounds compared to ten pounds from someone who just dieted. There is only a one percent difference to those who take diet pills without any addition dieting or exercise (Redbook 1).

Finally, diet pills can be extremely costly. Both the top and bottom shelf pills can be very expensive. What makes them costly is not just their price, but the monthly payments. All diet pills last at max of thirty days, which means one, will have to purchase them every month. The top selling diet pills cost at least sixty bucks. This price is surprisingly cheap because the higher end drug stores up their prices for diet drug. On top of this price, one must be working out and eating healthy for the pill to work correctly. For instance, the average person works out at a local gym for around forty dollars a month. Remember, though, the average person does not get “buff” until at least six months of working out. Just think about the cost of how much money that will total up to per month. Why spend money on drugs such as diet pills when one could spend it on everyday necessities such as clothes, transportation, and bills. Diet pill are just not worth the risk or the money (Daily Spark 3).

In the end, the subjugation for social acceptance is not worth the hassle; if one feels they have to take diet pills. Recall what happened to Karen, do not make the same mistake by thinking diet pills will solve the weight issue without any consequences. Also, finding the right diet pill is extremely complicated and with all of the weak, poorly formulated diet pills on the market, it is easy to waste countless amounts of dollars and time on something that simply does not work.

The truth about diet pills? They are just another supplement that we think we need but in reality we do not.

-Alexandria Cummines-


Calman, Barney. “Diet Pills: Dying to Be Slim | Mail Online.” Home | Mail Online. Mail Online,
29 May 2007. Web. 30 Nov. 2011. .

“Diet Pills That Work – Weight Loss Pill Reviews – Alli Diet Pill – Redbook.” Sex Tips,
Marriage Advice, Getting Pregnant, & Online Sweepstakes – Redbook. Redbook. Web.
30 Nov. 2011. .

Mueller, Jen. “We Know Diet Pills Don’t Work, But We’re Still Buying.” DailySpark.com –
Featuring the Latest News in Nutrition, Fitness, Health, Food, and More. Daily Spark, 23 July 2010. Web. 30 Nov. 2011. .

4 Ways to Love Fitness

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You must be interested in fitness. Fitness is a lifestyle and you must have the motivation and devotion to do it and stick with it. The results fitness has on your body are blankly addicting. Working out and getting in shape is one of the best decisions you could make to keep yourself healthy and energized. There are 4 easy ways you can become obsessed with fitness.

” The key to achieving these goals is discovering the motivation that will let you press forward! “

1. Plan The Smart Way

Set training goals that are achievable for yourself.

2.Dont Forget The Big Picture

Don’t stop working out after you start noticing some results. The best results are further along months into your fitness routine. Never forget the bigger picture meaning your body can always improve.

3. Focus On The Right Standards

These are YOUR standards! Don’t get caught up in comparing your body type to someone else because everyone is different. Your results from fitness are yours.

4.Best Activity Keep You Going

Do what activity you love to do because that’s what ultimately going to keep you improving in your love for fitness.

http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/4-ways-to-fall-in-love-with-fitness.html

Alexandria Cummines

Fall In Love with Your Body and Fitness

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You must be interested in fitness. But do you want long term results? Long-term results come from hard work and dedication! The results fitness has on your body are blankly addicting. Working out and getting fit is one of the best decisions you could make to get your body looking sexy and attractive. College aged students, especially women have so much pressure on them to look “GOOD” and what better way to achieve that goal by becoming obsessed with fitness with just 4 easy steps.(Nuckols 1) “The key to achieving these goals is discovering the motivation that will let you press forward!(Nuckols 1)”                                         

Plan the S.M.A.R.T Way

SPECIFIC: Make achievable goals and be very specific on what kind of body type you are trying to achieve. There are many different types of body physics such as; toned, bulky, muscular, slender, and thick.

       For example: If you want to improve body composition then your goal should be weight loss related. Burning fat by cardio and doing constant activity is great ways to accomplish this goal.

     For example: If you are a college track star, you might want to improve your athletic performance by training for a marathon.

MEASUABLE: if losing weight you should be trying to measure exactly how much weight loss you are trying to achieve in what amount of time. Keep track of your goals and results to help you know if a certain workout method is right for you.

ACHIEVABLE: Are you setting unattainable goals? Know your body and personally type so you can confidently say what is attainable for you to do in your workouts!

             “Goals should be set high, but they also need to be realistic!(Nuckols 1)” RELEVANT: make change upon yourself for you and not anyone else. Do not follow the crowd but let them follow you by setting the example.

TIME: Set a date for completion. This way you can see yourself before and after body results and that outcome will only make you want to continue working out. This is because fitness has so many beneficial factors that you can Fall in Love With! You will never want to stop…. And that’s good!(Holmes 1)                                         

Don’t Forget The Big Picture  Don’t stop working out after you start noticing some results. The best results are further along months into your fitness routine. Never forget the bigger picture meaning your body can always improve.

FACTS: How long after working out will you gain muscle?

“Generally speaking, men can add between 1.5 – 2.5 pounds of muscle every month; the average gain is about half of a pound a week for someone diligently following a well structured program. Women will put on muscle mass at a slower rate than men (largely due to testosterone levels), roughly half as fast as men, or about ½ pound every 2 weeks or 1 lb a month.” (Holmes 2)

FACTS: How long after I start working out will I start losing weight?

When you implement a regular exercise regime, you can see a difference in the numbers on the scale in as little as a week. If you combine your physical activity with healthy eating changes and reasonable calorie consumption, you can easily drop 2 pounds per week, starting at week one. In fact, people often see a loss more dramatic than two pounds in that first week as their body sheds extra water retention; just remember that 2 lbs/week is actually what you should aim for in terms of a rate that you can keep up and keep off.(Holmes 1)                       

               Focus On The Right Standards

These are YOUR standards! Your results from fitness are yours.

                                      

Best Activity Keep You Going Do what activity you love to do because that’s what ultimately going to keep you improving in your love for fitness.(Nuckols 1)

What is your favorite workout routine?

Real Talk from interviewing Erica a female college student at ODU:

“I enjoy going to classes at onelife fitness because I can kind of lose myself in the workout and just focus on the instructor and getting the moves down! I do step classes, and hot yoga – which is an all body workout! I mix my cardio days up with elliptical training, cycling and recently just started running! I get bored really easily so I constantly need to have new goals or new things to do at the gym otherwise I don’t want to work out anymore and I completely loose motivation!” Real Talk from interviewing Rebecca a female college student at FSU:

I’m not an outdoor’s person, and my motivation level is really low sometimes, lol, so exercise DVD’s work great for me. I have previously tried going to the gym and taking workout classes but as soon as I tried workout DVD’s I’m actually accomplishing something.

Nuckols, Greg, and Gareth Holman PhD. “4 Ways To Fall In Love With Fitness – Bodybuilding.com.” Bodybuilding.com. Bodybuilding, 10 Sept. 2014. Web. 16 Sept. 2014. <http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/4-ways-to-fall-in-love-with-fitness.html>.

Holms, Tyrone. “How to Set S.M.A.R.T. Goals.” Active.com. American Council, LLC, 1 Jan. 2014. Web. 16 Sept. 2014. <http://www.active.com/fitness/articles/how-to-set-s-m-a-r-t-goals>.

Alexandria Cummines