When I was pregnant, more than a year ago, a friend from the gym asked me how many times I go to the gym. Very relaxed I answered "5 days a week." His response was "Oh my, you are addicted to exercise!" Back then I didn't give it another thought. I love the benefits that a good workout gives me.
Isn't this [the work out] a healthy lifestyle? Everywhere you look you see people jogging, biking or playing sports. The kids are sent not to play just one sport but to play several sports. Exercise is so widely promoted these days that you never think that you will get addicted to it. Yet, like everything else, it is possible to have too much of a good thing.
Anyway I still go to the gym 5 days a week. Recently, another friend of mine told me that she is so into the gym now that she thinks that she might be addicted. I know that she was joking and isn't really worried about addiction. But this made me think and question myself "Am I addicted to exercise?"
What are the symptoms of exercise addiction? I found a website http://www.brainphysics.com/exercise-addiction.phpthat identified the seven signs of exercise addiction. I think two that are overlooked are: exercising when sick or injured and exercising to the point of pain and beyond.
The other day I hurt my back and was debating whether I should go to the gym or stay home and take care of my back. I went back and forth for a while but in the end I decided to stay home.
According to the website I am not addicted because I didn't go and exercise when I was injured. Have I exercised to the point of pain and beyond? Tricky question because when you exercise you often feel some pain.
Now I can honestly say that I am not addicted to exercise and it is a relieve knowing that.
Everywhere I have worked I have learned a few things from my superiors.
For the last year and half I have been volunteering at the Hospital. When I first started to work with my coordinator I noticed that she thanked me for everything I did. In the beginning I responded by telling her "come on I'm just doing my job." And I never just said "you're welcome." I was a little embarrassed that she kept thanking me for every little thing and I did not know how to react. Today I know her pretty well and every time she thanks me there is a smile on my face and, of course, I answer her with a simple and sincere "you're welcome."
It is not a general rule but I notice that here in the U.S. people are more likely to say "thank you" than in my country. For example I love that here when people step off of the bus they say "thank you" and wish the driver a "good day." I've started doing it too, and I truly thank him for driving me safely to my destination. I never once thanked a bus driver in Romania, and I never heard anyone else say it either.
Another thing that we do here in the US which we don't do in Romania is send "thank you" cards. And we send "thank you" cards for all kinds of reasons. I remember that I got a welcome gift when I arrived in the U.S., and I had to write a thank you card to that person. I wasn't sure what to say. I had to write something a little personal and I wasn't used to that. Even today it takes me a while to figure out a short and a concise way to express my feelings in a note.
I don't want to make it sound like Romanian people don't know how or when to say thank you. They do. But just not in these types of situations and certainly not so often.
You might think that saying "thank you" is so banal but makes such a big difference for both those who say it and those who receive it.
When will the United States realize that people are the same no matter their color, their gender or their sexual preferences? People need time to get used to and accept new situations. For many years, Americans did not accept African-Americans as equals. Today they are treated equally; they go to the same schools and get a good education like everyone else. They also get good paying jobs. Today the United States has an African – American president. Unfortunately, for some people this is still unacceptable. I admit that black people still are not 100% accepted. The same situation is true in a gay person’s world. Even though the majority of people accept them and treat them as equals, there are others people who consider their lifestyle to be morally wrong. It is interesting that homosexuals are treated normal in many situations such as: schools, sports activities, the workplace and society, yet they are not accepted in other fields like in the military. These days there is a controversy whether gay people should serve in the military. People who are against it believe that having gay people mix with straight people in the military will create a lot of discomfort and will lead to violence among soldiers. Some people may believe this is true, yet I disagree. We must treat people as equals so others accept them as equals.
In 1993, then president Bill Clinton introduced a new policy called “Don’t ask, don’t tell,” which is still in effect. This policy allow gays to serve in the military with one condition: They had to hide their personal sexual orientation. Nobody from the military can ask soldiers what their sexual preference is, and they can not tell either. But if someone suspects a soldier is gay, that person has to tell the superior and after an investigation, the “gay” soldier will be dismissed from the army. Under this policy, gay soldiers have to lie about their private lives.
The United States is fighting in two wars. That means that the country needs lots of volunteers well trained to serve in the military. Unfortunately "In the 15 years since the 'don't ask, don't tell' policy was enacted, 12,600 service members have been dismissed…" ("Gays in the Military…"). This represents an important number for a country which is fighting in one war, let alone two. If we look at the military costs we will see that dismissing homosexuals costs the country another big loss: "The cost to the Defense Department: $191 million to recruit and train replacements" ("Let Gay Soldiers…"). The truth is that homosexuals have always served in the military. Decades ago many did not accept that lifestyle, but today, surveys demonstrate that almost 80% of Americans agree with letting homosexuals openly serve in the military. Thus, the country needs now more than ever lots of volunteers in the military. Why to loose so many of them because of their sexual orientation? Is this a good reason?
Another reason to stop punishing soldiers because of their sexual preference is because the U.S. is a leader in protecting human rights and promoting free speech. It is a country where everybody has equal rights and where discrimination is punished. Why the U.S. is not leading in the military gay issue? Is it because of the culture? Obviously, having gay openly serve is not a problem for others country. Today there are 28 countries which allow homosexuals to openly serve. A leader in the Royal Air Force from London stood in front of his team and told them that he is homosexual. Surprisingly, there weren't any odd reactions: "Far from causing problems, he said, he found that coming out to his troops actually increased the unit's strength and cohesion" (Lyall). An openly gay officer from British Army talked about a discussion he had with an American staff sergeant who complained to him, privately, that he "had a whole part of his private life that he had to keep separate and … couldn't discuss with people" (Lyall). Therefore, it is possible to be a gay soldier and openly serve your country.
Some people argue that allowing homosexuals to openly serve in the military will increase the opportunity for violence, sexual harassment, abuse and rape among the soldiers. However, I strongly believe that trying to hide it will make these situations happen more easily. Many female soldiers have reported that they are under investigation for being lesbians after they refused a male's advances. This accusation has become very common in the military. Some of the women, lesbians or not, accept dating male colleagues just to not be called lesbians. "Approximately one in three women in the military has been raped ... and around 90% have been subjected to sexual harassment" ("Women and …"). Thus, being open about your sexual preference will make soldiers' life much easier and they will get to focus more on the fight, than how to hide their private lives.
To summarize, soldiers serve their country because they believe in freedom and democracy. As a response, the country should give them their freedom and rights. Somebody said "Roma wasn't built in a day" and it is true. But how many decades have to go by before we accept people the way they are? If people are allowed to be themselves, then everybody will win.
When will the United States realize that more people die from bad nutrition than are murdered? A difficult problem that is facing American society in these days is obesity. The awful reality shows that America is the unhealthiest place in the world. Kathleen Sebelius, Secretary of Health and Human Services, admits that it is a huge "health crisis"("M. Obama aims to end the..."). Adults and children have health problems caused by obesity. If, for example, we look at one American family we will be surprised to see that one child who is 12 years old weighs almost 352 lbs and her younger sibling (4 years old) is already obese before starting school. These extra pounds put kids like this at a big risk for diseases like diabetes, high blood pressure and high cholesterol. We may agree that nobody forces adults to choose unhealthy foods. But I noticed that American people don't know too much about food. Even though many think that obesity is a matter of personal responsibility, the government can prevent and lead the national fight against obesity.
Government is a powerful institution; it has the resources and ability to influence laws and rules. In this case, the government has the power to regulate the fast food industry and the restaurants. Today fast foods, big brands, supermarkets produce and sell highly processed food. Government should provide supermarkets with food ambassadors who teach the American people how to shop and also show them how to cook. People don't know what they are eating. The labels are false; they show low fat on a product, but that product is full of sugar. But if the stores have a knowledgeable person in nutrition who is there to help us, consumers will eventually learn what the labels are saying and how to cook healthy meals in a short time. Another way that government is fighting obesity is the new health care bill that the president signed in March. This bill will make all the restaurants and fast foods to count their calories and show them on the menus or on boards. This will make it impossible for thousands of restaurants to hide the reality and more difficult for consumers to ignore it. "New York was the first in the country to put the calorie posting law in place," Mary Clare Jalonick, the author of the article "US law to make calorie counts hard to ignore" said and continued "since then, California, Seattle and other places have done so" ("US law to make..."). The government can work with all the restaurant industry and make them more transparent with their products.
Let's not forget about the government's role in educating children about nutrition. The purpose of schools is to teach. Unfortunately, these days, the school system is totally wrong. Children don't get knives and forks when they eat because it is too dangerous, even though they use scissors in the class. That automatically endorses having fast food "on the go." Government has to launch different programs for kids, like classes on nutrition and physical education. One of these programs supported by the government is "Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution" lead by a British celebrity chef who went to Huntington, West Virginia. His goal is to help people eat better. I was surprised to see Jamie Oliver surrounded by kindergarten children who didn't know the name of the vegetables. He said, "If the kids don't know what stuff is, than will never eat it" ("Teach every child about food").
First Lady Michelle Obama started a new revolution which aims to end childhood obesity. The purpose of her campaign "Let's Move," she said, is "to help parents deal with a national health crisis" ("M. Obama aims to end the..."). This program has four main key points: to improve parents' information, quality of food in schools, access and affordability of good food and physical education.
The First Lady came out and told the people that she understands, as her pediatrician once told her that her daughters had a weight fluctuation which is not good for them. She was surprised because she thought, like many other parents, that her children were eating reasonably. This approach is very helpful for American parents to not feel guilty because they are not aware of nutrition. She didn't stop there. She took action and started building a vegetable garden right behind White House. Children from different schools came there to help take care of the garden. It also made them work in the garden which involves exercise, one of her goal to take them out from isolation. I consider it a smart way to teach kids about growing and eating fresh vegetables.
Some people may believe that everybody is personally responsible for what they choose to eat. I know that American people are very strong in asking for the right to choose what they want. I learned that since I moved here in the U.S. While I agree that choice is important, if people do not have the knowledge to make the right choice how can these people be left to decide for themselves what to put in their mouth? For example french fries are considered a healthy vegetable by adults. This is our reality and we have to accept it and stop blaming industry and let the government help us through all these programs and new laws. People need the nutritional knowledge in order to make free choices.
To summarize, the government has a lot of work to do in changing American's views about processed food. "Many companies are on board with improving school food," Obama said ("M. Obama aims to end the..."). It is a good beginning. There are some plans that need approval in Congress because they require new funding. Like Jamie Oliver said, "If America does it, other countries will follow" ("Teach every child about food").
Jason Lee Miller, in his blog "Yahoo Says Americans Work Too Much," points out that statistics demonstrate that Americans work way too much.
Looking at numbers and percentages I have to agree with Jason. But from my experiences with some American people I will say that it is not quite true. They go to work late in the morning and come home after 8 – 9 hours. They don't seem to stress too much about their job. This is not too bad. It is interesting that when I first came to the United States I noticed that American people are more relaxed than European people. It seems that they go to work knowing what they have to do without anybody watching over their shoulder. They also have the option to go out to lunch. On the other hand some of Romanian companies are not allowed their employees to leave the factory at the lunch time. Isn't this a good example? I was there and I know how I felt.
In my opinion, we work because we have to, not because we want to. We have lots of expenses such as the mortgage, school, car, clothes, food, and health care. These are things that we can't live without. If we have money without having to work we look for activities that we enjoy doing rather than looking for work.
Are we working too hard as Jason remarked in a survey done by Yahoo HotJobs? Maybe we do work too hard mostly because the new era of communication makes it possible to keep us connected to work tasks even when we are at home. I strongly support that people should set their own limits between work and personal life.
Miller, Lee Jason. Yahoo Says Americans Work Too Much. Jason Lee Miller, 2007. Web.
OMG! I am shocked. I just discovered that I have more than a few grey hairs.
I still can't believe it. I keep looking in the big mirror and try to understand why right now and why me. I know that it is normal but I am scared to see myself with grey hair. I don't feel old at all and I always thought that only old people get grey hair. Old people like my grandparents, not young people like me. I don't want to have grey hair so young.
I never paid attention to these details and so I didn't notice that my parents were becoming grey too. My mother may have blond hair, but she colors it so it is hard to really notice the grey. My father's hair turned grey a few years ago but I didn't really notice it.
Now I have something else to be concerned about. What is the reason for my grey hair- am I aging or are there other causes?! Maybe my new country isn't so good for me. That is hard to believe! I read that being stressed and worried can make your hair gray. Even though there is no evidence to support this idea, I honestly believe that I am not stressed or worried.
I am scared thinking that one day my grey hair will be more visible. The change is inevitable. I don't know how to deal with this and to accept this way of aging. For some it is a beginning of the end, others accept it as a sign of wisdom.
I can explain and even found a nice reason for my wrinkles. They are my "happy wrinkles" because I am a happy person and I smile and laugh a lot. For my hair turning grey I have to find some other nice explanation. . .
The winter came like never before. It was the first major snowstorm since I moved to Washington DC a year ago. It reminded me of my childhood winters when there was a lot of snow and schools were closed.
Here it started to snow one afternoon and continued throughout next day. It was so beautiful when I woke up as I looked out my bedroom window. I was jumping around, happy like a child. It was a brief period of happiness because I soon realized that we did not have power in the house. Everything needs electricity in our house: the stove, heat and hot water. With a cold house and without a warm breakfast I still enjoyed the snow. I went out by myself because my hubby is from California, and is not so fond of the snow. It was so quiet and so white. The snow came up to my knees. The branches of the trees were bent over from the heavy snow and the cars were buried. There were not a path to walk any more.
When I went back in the house, which was like an igloo by then, I found J wearing his winter jacket and gloves sitting under a blanket waiting for electricity to come on. What can you do to have fun in this kind of situation? Not too much! It was too cold in the house to play scrabble or other games. There were more things to do outside. So we went for a walk with our friends and their dog around the neighborhood. I was surprised to see people cross-country skiing through the streets. And it wasn't just a few people, there were lots of people doing this kind of work out. It was very interesting and seemed like a cool thing to do when you are stuck in the snow and the gym is closed.
We started to get hungry, and could not cook yet so we walked down to the neighborhood hang out praying that the restaurants had power and were open. Luckily, half of them were. We enjoyed a nice, warm late lunch and some margaritas. When we got back home the power was back on..........
Because of this storm the federal government shut down for 4 days, the schools were closed as were many offices. DC hibernated for a wile.
Just two days after this first storm finished, we are now expecting a second one. There will definitely be mountains of snow for a while.
