New Forms & Experiences Scavenger Hunt

For my first day of what I’ve seen in and around me on wellness are several things. Starting in the morning I took my necessary nutrients of vitamins and have some form of juice and add water to reduce the sugar intake. Or sometimes, I may just have the water and no juice at all. Juice is of course more exciting than water because it’s fruitier and sweeter. I’m a huge fan of most juices but because I know that cranberry is good for the heart and other parts of the body, I typically like to drink that. Orange juice can be a little too acidic (though still important) and apple juice can be too sweet, especially Motts. I particularly will put a lot more water in apple juice than other types of juices. Water of course too is the best of all to receive, as it will keep you hydrated and clear out your digestive system. It can also reduce breakouts and almost can be a filler for craving something that you really don’t need (ie. sweets, salty foods). Obtaining these types of drinks makes me feel good about myself, to know that I’m doing right for my body and not consuming it with things that are “bad” for you like sodas and having high sugar-flavored drinks. Especially where they say breakfast is the most important meal of the day, I tend to drink the most in the mornings, obtaining the supplements that I need.

The old/traditional way I may have consumed my liquids, is either having coffee which can obtain a lot of sugar and creamers, or just having the juice as well and not adding water to it. It can solve a lot of problems in keeping your body right and also making you less tired. That’s what I feel it does to me. Occasionally I may still need the caffeine and will break out a cup of coffee but if anything, I will reduce it to 1 cup as opposed to 2-3 cups I may have in a given day.

Another form of wellness I've encountered today is working out at the gym in particular going on the treadmill. Usually I may just use weight machines to utilize weight resistance, and I feel that cardio is important as well. Especially where I’m out of town and you tend to splurge a little bit being away from home, it’s nice to stay in shape if you’re in or around a fitness center area. It makes me feel accomplished that I've done
something to burn calories and try my best not to intake a lot of fats and sugars after. They say that eating after working out is better than before. I've started to do that and sometimes you think it’s best to work out after eating so you are burning the calories you ate. However, I've noticed that I do not feel as good physically and I’m almost sluggish because I may be still full from what I've just eaten. In turn, if I’m feeling the pinch of being hungry before working out, I’ll grab a yogurt or a piece of fruit and then go to the gym and work out. After working out, then I’ll have a substantial meal but nothing too fatty. I really like how on the treadmill they show you your calories, how far you've walked/ran, and your heart rate. They record it and to see the end results it’s great. Even if it’s not as much as you may have hoped to obtain – it’s still better than not doing anything at all. That’s how I look at it.

I’ve seen that there’s a day spa in the gym area where I worked out at. They present their flyers and brochures in bright colors, everyone on the pamphlets look calm and relaxed, the music is pleasant, and it's predominately women of course since we tend to pamper ourselves more. I am a big fan of therapeutic remedies such as massages and facials. I try to get them done every couple of weeks but what deters me away is money, where the pricing is not very inexpensive. So what I’ll do is I’ll typically get them done on a pay week and it’s a nice “reward” to treat yourself after working so hard over the past couple of weeks…so why not get a facial? (smiles) I didn't always do this, usually I may resort to having a couple glasses of wine or socially drinking with friends. I feel that the therapeutics are a better approach and it makes you feel physically and emotionally good. Where with drinking, you tend to eat while you drink and if you have too much, it might not make you feel good – especially the next morning. However, as long as you have a big tall glass of water after a body massage, the next morning you’ll feel like a whole new person. On my second day of journalizing this activity, I noticed a lot of people eating salads, especially when going to Panera Bread. This is of course is a much healthier approach than say eating a cheeseburger and fries from Wendys. 

A substantial salad with say a little meat (if you're not a vegetarian or vegan), the fix-in’s of vegetables and dressing can still fill you up and make you feel better about yourself than eating a large French fry obtaining all those fats and oils into your body. I try to eat at least 1-2 salads a week, because personally I’m not a huge fan of them however I know that they’re good for you. What I’ll sometimes do, if I need something more filling is that I may order the “YP2” at Panera Bread or some café that you can order a half salad and get a half cup of soup. I’m a huge fan of soups and I’ll try to stay away from the creamier ones and instead have a chicken noodle, lentil, or minestrone. They still fill you up and do not make you feel as heavy afterwards. Traditionally, I will have a sandwich and chips for lunch, but substituting that for a soup and salad, is so much better for you.

I was really craving a coffee because I was extremely drained from the night before and had to be up early to drive a bit of distance. A coffee of course has a lot of caffeine but I’m trying to cut down on the coffee and instead may have some caffeinated tea. They say that it’s not too, too much better for you – including staining your teeth, however it can still make you feel lighter and more refreshed. Instead of adding sugar and cream, I substituted for honey and just had a small instead of a large. I felt rejuvenated and so much better. Whereas with a coffee, I normally cannot drink it by itself because of the cream and all - which means I would need to have a piece of muffin, donut, or cereal to go with it. Tea I can have by itself and it’s less calories and still fulfills what you need to keep going. I’m particularly a flavored type of coffee and tea person…almost like the sugar substitute I would have instead of just a regular and needing to add regular sugar. Today I tried this one from Panera called Mango Ceylon which was wonderful! I love mangos and adding honey to it as opposed to sugar, the flavoring was still delicious.

Something else I've noticed that is an enhancement of wellness and awareness is listening to soothing music, especially in a cafe, driving in your car along the sunset (sound too cliche?) or if you're at the park and beach. Being inside of a cafe shop, this can make a difference on how your day is going when you listen to calming, alternative or smooth jazz music in the background. I've always been a fan of music, especially smooth jazz and soft rock (Magic 106.7 was my favorite growing up for a while), so this is something that I can see helping me get through the day. Take a deep breath and sit back, relax and enjoy the music. This should come naturally but obtaining a good night's rest is always important. Because of going away, being out of town, I made sure that any down time I had to take a nap during the day so I can be well-rested for work. This is important of course so as not to be deprived at work and not do a good job with your tasks and attending to others needs or requests. 

Another product I've encountered today and in general really, is to observe the nutrition facts on the backs of packages. This is a good way to feel like you're cutting back on what you would normally eat. Today for instance I had some shortbread cookies and usually I could probably intake about 6-8 but instead I had the serving size which was 4. I drank water as opposed to milk, because even though milk is good for making strong bones and preventing osteoporosis, it still has fat in it. Speaking of milk, I used to drink 2% reduced fat but lately I'll drink 1% low fact or no fat (skim milk - which I do not like as much). These little differences can make a huge difference in the dieting. 

Looking back what what I've experienced over these past couple of days, the ones that are most meaningful to me is fulfilling my physical exercise. This is what I want to make sure I keep up with, even as simple as going on walks during lunch breaks, or going to the gym just once a week. Because I work in the city, I tend to do a lot of walking - although during the Winter it can be tough with the snow and cold, I want to make sure I get into a better habit of keeping up with it. I also want to be sure to continue drinking water regularly and staying hydrated because it's important in your dieting and personal well being. Keeping on top of the nutrition facts are important - especially when wanting to splurge on sweets or fats. Only have the serving size of 4 cookies as opposed to 8, or eating 10 potato chips as opposed to 25. These are what I want to stay committed to and feel that a little bit can go a long way. 

These companies that are behind these products and experiences just want people to help them them "you". At the same time that they are promoting these products of eating right and working out well, they want you to see results but also to help them obtain and make a profit. LifeFitness for instance, is a very common brand for workout equipment I've noticed at gyms. They must be making a ton of money from these different gym franchises and people seem to really like them. The cardio and weight machines are extremely popular and whenever I work out at the gym, I see them all getting used one way or another. We need to have gyms just in general. The obesity rate in this country needs to change and this is a great start to cut back on those rates! I know there are outdoor tracks and side walks, but we can't find a random weight machine on the side of the street or in a general office setting. We need that separate outlet of fulfilling our exercising needs to help ourselves but also help these companies that are in the health awareness businesses. 

This also can go for therapeutic well-being places such as spas and nail salons where people (especially women), like to go and pamper themselves. This is more of an emotional and physical than mental I would say. It's more of a want than a need unless you have physical problems that you may need therapy for. I highly support all of these businesses that are enhancing our well being necessities and sometimes wish I worked for a company that specialized on these topics - so I can receive some of these remedies - complimentary (smiles).

Me, Myself & I

Greetings! My name is Serena and I am a 30 year old African-American female from outside of Boston, MA. I guess you could say that I’m a true “Bostonian” because I never left the state, haha. All my close family and friends still live here so why leave? (smiles). I still live at home (though hoping to move out very soon with my boyfriend) with my 2 parents and 3 pets (1 cat and 2 birds). I have a younger sister who lives not too far away as well. I LOVE to travel and try to go anywhere I possibly can without putting myself too much in debt – especially when it’s really cold here, I absolutely love to go to the Caribbean. I’ve been to Hawaii which is definitely paradise as lot of people say. If it wasn’t my job or money on the line, then I wouldn’t mind living over there for quite some time. I also enjoy photography, taking care of children/nannying and spending time with friends. I consider myself to be a “busy-body” and always on the go.

 A famous quote that I’ve found inspiring to me for a while now is from Ella Fitzgerald, who was famously known as the Queen of Jazz – “Just don’t give up trying to do what you really want to do. Where there is love and inspiration, I don’t think you can go wrong.” I find this to be true to me in my everyday life because yes, you just do the best that you can and try to get ahead – without getting yourself in trouble. Stay true to yourself and stay focused, whether it’s with your job, family, friends, whomever. I try to be a hard-working and dedicated, compassionate person helping those in need and I do believe in karma – “what goes around, comes around” – and “do unto others as you want others to do unto you.” It’s true!

My approach to living a healthy life is to eat and drink right, have fun but do it all in moderation. My priorities today are to make sure I get all the “rainbow” colors in my diet – red would be an apple, orange would be an orange, yellow would be a zucchini, green would be broccoli, etc. I try as best as possible to intake all my fruits and vegetables and cut down on the pork/beef products. As a child, I used to have a lot of processed foods like fast food from McDonalds, Lunchables, bologna or ham and cheese sandwiches which of course are not the healthiest choices. For dinner however, my grandmother or parents would typically cook fairly healthy meals of baked chicken with veggies and the occasional starch. I do remember however, having quite a bit of Hamburger Helper which is definitely not a healthy item by any means. So I definitely try to make a change of this in my regular routine now, by eating just chicken, turkey or fish. Occasionally I may have the red meat like steak or pork chops but not on a regular basis. Plus they’re very heavy and sometimes cannot digest properly.

The healthy choices I make in my regular routine are again, obtaining the right fruits and vegetables daily, and having some sort of protein. I take my vitamins regularly as well – in particular the Women’s 1 A Day gummi-vites. I’m a true meat eater and probably could not go a day without eating some type of meat. Usually if I do however, it is typically chicken – just because it’s the easiest and cheapest to cook/obtain. I will usually start with one egg or a Slim Fast or Special K protein shake for breakfast. If I do not want eggs and what something else and still lighter, I may have a string cheese with the shake or a bowl of cereal – which that can add fiber to the diet, too. What can make things harder is that where I work, I’m around a lot of CARB places that have breads and pastas and when you smell the aroma while walking down the street, it’s definitely not easy to pass up. On top of leftover sandwiches and snacks that may be leftover from a client meeting. Who wouldn’t want a yummy egg, bacon and cheese breakfast sandwich to start the day off? Occasionally I may eat one here and there, just not make a habit out of doing it. I’m a huge breakfast person in general, I could eat it any time of the day. Ideally I wouldn’t mind having a stack of pancakes with homefries, bacon and eggs but I know that it’s not good for you. I try to make sure to have perhaps one day a week to splurge and then the rest stick to a regular routine diet. I ensure that I work out at the gym 1-3 times/week, which can make me feel good afterwards. Trust me, I’ll still get the occasional lazy days especially after a long day at work and I may not want to work out, but as long as I don’t overeat and can make up for it the next day, I don’t feel as bad.

I try to balance my goals of eating healthier but also not restricting yourself to not having a day or two to splurge.  I feel that if you deprive yourself too much, then once you do have that moment to go crazy then you can gain a lot of weight and it can make you feel bad about yourself. What I make sure I do is work out regularly whether going to the gym or for walks during lunch breaks and eating/drinking healthier. As opposed to having a soda, have water or seltzer water and instead of juice, just fill it partly with juice, partly with water. We do have a water filtration cooler system at my job, so it definitely keeps me in check to ensure I drink plenty of water throughout the day. On average I may drink about 4-5 full glasses of water a day in my Nalgene bottle. These little things can make all the difference. I know doing this is important to me because you’re not going to be a “spring chicken” forever, and if you do not have the genetics where you can eat anything and everything you want without it going anywhere, you just HAVE to take care of yourself and watch what you eat. The older you get, the harder it’s going to be to lose weight. The metabolism slows down and it’s just not as easy and good for your health overall.

I feel like I’ve been successful in obtaining my goals mostly when I’ve weighed myself on the scale and I see that I’ve lost a few pounds. Of course if I do not feel so good and perhaps guilty after pigging out on a large coffee and donut from Dunkin Donuts, then you probably will see a different number on the scale. I do not feel good when say I’ve gained little weight and I thought I may have lost and put a lot of time and effort into losing. I try to figure out what I could’ve done better and just learn from it and move on – taking it as an experience. Also what helps is creating a food/drink daily log when writing down things that I’ve had throughout the day. This includes cutting sweets and alcohol – which is not easy, but again in moderation is key and not having a lot of it – and also a big difference is the timing on when to have your last meal. Do not partake in the midnight cravings; I typically will stop eating after 8:00PM. Some days are tougher than others and you may still be hungry and on days that I do that, I’ll try to just resort to an apple or yogurt….eating something light can make all the difference and in turn makes me feel accomplished for the day.