Gonzalez 1

Susana Gonzalez

Professor

Health Education

8 March 2020

Personal Prescription Paper

I’m a twenty-one year old hispanic female who attends college and also works part-time

at an elementary school. After taking some time to review my overall health, I found some

interesting patterns that may correlate with my genetics and environmental factors. What I eat

and how active I am has always been the topic of conversation with my doctor and family. Ever

since I was little, my BMI was never within normal range. I was always considered to be

overweight. At the time, my weight didn’t bother me beacause the majority of my family was

either overweigt or obese. I never thought being overweight was a problem. However, as time

went on and I grew older, I realised that I needed to focus on my health and make a change.

Otherwise, I would be looking at a difficult future for myself.

I was raised in a Mexican American household. Our diet consisted of traditional

Mexican dishes that were low in nutritional value and high in unhealthy fats. We never had salad

at the table, and it was unusual to eat vegetables that were not coated with butter or cheese. As

for our drinks, we always had coke or sugary juices but never water. Our portion sizes were also

very large compared to the recommended serving amount. Now that I’m older I realised that I

was growing up with unhealthy habits. I don’t blame my parents because they also grew up with

these same habits and for them it was normal. I feel things would have continued this way if it

weren't for my physical examination at the doctors office. They informed me that I was obese
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and if I didn’t change my ways, I would face difficulties in the future. Such as, becoming a

diabetic, which many of my family members were including my father.

Now in the present, when it comes to eating, I would consider myself as having good

eating habits. Actually, one of my goals is to permanently improve my eating habits. To do this, I

have been replacing certain foods. For example, I’m a huge chocolate lover and have decided to

switch from milk chocolate to dark chocolate. Not only did I switch my chocolate, but I also

decided to drink almond milk rather than regular cows milk. By doing so, I have felt less bloated.

I have also made it a requirement of mine to reserve half of my plate for vegetables only.

Another change of mine would include trying to listen more to my hunger cues. For example,

now I stop eating when I feel satisfied. This was a big change because I used to continue eating

until I felt overly full. I am trying to reinforce these habits at home with my family as well. “If

the family and or friends get involved in this healthy eating habit, the new habit is more likely to

stay.” (Bishop et al., 2018). This brings me to my second goal, which is to educate myself and

others about the food we consume and their benefits. Since I’m anemic, I would like to know

which foods are high in iron. Overall, I want to be able to figure out what vitamin my body is

craving and why I feel a certain way. To do this, I have decided to read articles and listen to

podcasts. Hopefully, one day I will feel balanced with what I put into my body.

As for my physical health, I would say it has improved significantly. When I was

younger I hated the idea of exercise, but now I find myself always on my feet moving around. I

work with kids, so I’m always on my feet trying to catch up with them. I also look forward to my

runs. I tend to run long distances about three to four times a week. I would say running, in a way,

helps me to release my stress and anxiety. Unfortunately, I would say I have been feeling
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mentally exhausted with having to juggle work, school, and family. Thus, causing there to be an

imbalance with my overall health. This brings me to my third and final goal, which is to set aside

some time for myself and breathe. I have noticed that stress takes a huge toll and will influence

my life choices. For me, that would be stress eating unhealthy food. During the moment,

consuming the unhealthy food does feel nice, but afterwards I feel horrible about not having self

control. I know this is bad, which is why I’m putting in the effort to stop this habit. I have

decided to download a meditation app on my phone. It will help clear my head and prepare me

for the rest of the day. The goal is to meditate in the morning in hopes that it will at least

minimize my stress and anxiety. I feel that doing this in the morning could have a positive effect

for the rest of my day. This may even help me to become a bit more productive.

In the end, I am glad that I was able to take the time to reflect on my good and bad habits.

Before this project, I never understood the importance of maintaining healthy habits. I assumed

that certain habits come and go, that they never really stick to a person. Luckily, now I have a

better understanding and will reinforce my goals because they all rely on each other to succeed.

Their success will help me feel balanced and healthy. Even though my family's habits weren't

ideal, I am still happy to have been raised in a Mexican American household. That part of my life

is what pushes me to become better. One day, I hope that some of what I learned will pass on to

the future generations of my family. I want it to be viewed that the “norm” is eating healthy and

making healthy foods. To do so, I need to make sure that my healthy habits become a lifestyle.

Overall, there will always be room for improvement. It’s just the matter of taking the steps

needed in order to achieve your goals.

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Bibliography

Bishop, W.,Chavarin, C., Gonzales, H.A., Iparraguirre, J., Mann, J., Specker, S., Linton, K.F.(

Feb, 2018). Healthy eating and physical activity among low-income Hispanic adolescents

and a school-based intervention. ​Children and youth services review.

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.childyouth.2018.01.037​.

Norris, K. (2020). ​Finding balance: 6 dimensions of wellness​. Washington Blade: Gay News,

Politics, LGBT Rights. Retrieved 1 March 2020,

from​https://www.washingtonblade.com/2010/06/10/finding-balance-6-dimensions-of-welln

ess/​.