ASSIGNMENT #5

SONG = SURVIVOR by Destiny's Child

Survivor.

(Verse 1)
Now that you are out of my life,
I'm so much better,
You thought that I'd be weak without ya,
But I'm stronger,
You thought that I'd be broke without ya,
But I'm richer,
You thought that I'd be sad without ya,
I laugh harder,
You thought I wouldn't grow without ya,
Now I'm wiser,
You thought that I'd be helpless without ya,
But I'm smarter,
You thought that I'd be stressed without ya,
But I'm chillin'
You thought I wouldn't sell without ya,
Sold nine million.

[Chorus]
I'm a survivor (what),
I'm not gonna give up (what),
I'm not gon' stop (what),
I'm gonna work harder (what),
I'm a survivor (what),
I'm gonna make it (what),
I will survive (what),
Keep on survivin' (what),
I'm a survivor (what),
I'm not gonna give up (what),
I'm not gon' stop (what),
I'm gonna work harder (what),
I'm a survivor (what),
I'm gonna make it (what),
I will survive (what),
Keep on survivin' (what).

(Verse 2)
Thought I couldn't breathe without you,
I'm inhalin'
You thought I couldn't see without you,
Perfect vision,
You thought I couldn't last without ya,
But I'm lastin'
You thought that I would die without ya,
But I'm livin'
Thought that I would fail without ya,
But I'm on top,
Though it would be over by now,
But it won't stop,
You thought that I would self-destruct,
But I'm still here,
Even in my years to come,
I'm still gon' be here.

[Chorus]
I'm a survivor (what),
I'm not gonna give up (what),
I'm not gon' stop (what),
I'm gonna work harder (what),
I'm a survivor (what),
I'm gonna make it (what),
I will survive (what),
Keep on survivin' (what),
I'm a survivor (what),
I'm not gonna give up (what),
I'm not gon' stop (what),
I'm gonna work harder (what),
I'm a survivor (what),
I'm gonna make it (what),
I will survive (what),
Keep on survivin' (what).

(Bridge)
I'm wishin' you the best,
Pray that you are blessed,
Much success, no stress, and lots of happiness,
(I'm better than that)
I'm not gonna blast you on the radio,
(I'm better than that)
I'm not gonna lie on you or your family, yo,
(I'm better than that)
I'm not gonna hate you in the magazine,
(I'm better than that)
I'm not gonna compromise my Christianity,
(I'm better than that)
You know I'm not gonna diss you on the Internet
Cause my momma told me better than that.

[Chorus]
I'm a survivor (what),
I'm not gonna give up (what),
I'm not gon' stop (what),
I'm gonna work harder (what),
I'm a survivor (what),
I'm gonna make it (what),
I will survive (what),
Keep on survivin' (what),
I'm a survivor (what),
I'm not gonna give up (what),
I'm not gon' stop (what),
I'm gonna work harder (what),
I'm a survivor (what),
I'm gonna make it (what),
I will survive (what),
Keep on survivin' (what).

Oh
(Oh)
Oh
(Oh)
Oh
(Oh)
Oh
(Oh)
Oh
(Oh)
Oh
(Oh)
Oh
(Oh)
Oh
(Oh)

After all of the darkness and sadness,
Still comes happiness,
If I surround myself with positive things,
I'll gain prosperity.

[Chorus]
I'm a survivor (what),
I'm not gonna give up (what),
I'm not gon' stop (what),
I'm gonna work harder (what),
I'm a survivor (what),
I'm gonna make it (what),
I will survive (what),
Keep on survivin' (what),
I'm a survivor (what),
I'm not gonna give up (what),
I'm not gon' stop (what)(Don't stop me now)
I'm gonna work harder (what),
I'm a survivor (what),
I'm gonna make it (what),
I will survive (what),
Keep on survivin' (what).

[Chorus]
I'm a survivor (what),
I'm not gonna give up (what),
I'm not gon' stop (what),
I'm gonna work harder (what),
I'm a survivor (what),
I'm gonna make it (what),
I will survive (what),
Keep on survivin' (what),
I'm a survivor (what),
I'm not gonna give up (what),
I'm not gon' stop (what),
I'm gonna work harder (what),
I'm a survivor (what),
I'm gonna make it (what),
I will survive (what),
Keep on survivin' (what).

This is empowering song that I listen to while working out to help me realize that I can get through whatever it is I am going through because I am strong and I can accoplish anything.  Often I have food battles inside my head about what is good to eat vs. not good so being able to hear this song helps me avoid the foods that are not the healthiest and it tells me that I will be stronger because of it!

Assignment #4

On June 2, 2011, Annie's mac and cheese passed away slowly after years of struggling with depression.    Annie was constantly trying to improve its image as a healthy Mac And Cheese alternative yet with all the health reports constantly coming out about childhood diabetes and obesity moms have shyed away from purchasing this boxed meal for their children.  Also, there has been a craze for no sugar, low carbohydrate, low sodium, and "raw" diets.  Annie was slowly losing friends and soon it really got to her and she got so lonely because her powdered cheese just couldn't match "real" cheese.  We will miss Annie but hopefully we can take her goodness and give her ideas a chance again!

Assignment #3

1.  Things that I have done to represent my philosophy on health and wellness:
* I have made going to the gym or being active a priority in my life even if it means waking up at 5 in the morning to do it.  Being active makes me happy and feel good about myself.  It also gives me a chance to think to myself and get the day started on the right foot.  I have also joined a soccer team and a basketball team to be able to be with friends and surround myself with active females as well.
*I have started to cut out sugars and carbohydrates out of my diet.  They often bloat me and make me feel fat.  I look for natural food such as fruits and veggies and try to stay organic.
*we pray as a family and try to attend church weekly to focus in on our lives and on ourselves.

2.  I surround myself with active people including some trainers who take sports and athletic training very seriously.  Here is one of friends who is also a trainer and a athletic figure model.  She sends me her diet plans and she is very focused which motivates me.

To me butterflies represent change -from an ugly caterpillar that changes into beautiful butterflies! It is often not pretty to get where your goals are but hard work often pays off.

My family keeps me motivated to be healthy so I can be the best mom and experience the most with my family!

3.. I use to use Splenda ALOT but now I figure using sugar every now and then won't kill me --and I have gotten use to non sweet tastes so when I want to the real thing I will have the real thing! we also use non-fat milk now--before my husband use to use 2% but now we both drink skim milk--why? Because he got use to it and I do most of the shopping.

Assignment #2

Today my son and I went out to Target in Foster City, CA to find the Annie's Mac and Cheese brand.  I couldn't remember if they sold Annie's there but I was pretty sure and I had to get a few other things at Target so I went there instead of a regular grocery store or Whole Foods.  We headed to the pasta aisle and there was no Mac and Cheese in this aisle so I turned the corner and I found "packaged meals" and there it was.  Annie's had a huge selection!

First I saw the Velveeta instant mac and cheese single servings or instant packs. As you look at the bottom you'll find the Target brand Mac & cheese.  The logo picture the top helped me know that I was in the right spot!

Then as I kept walking, I found all the Kraft Mac & Cheese and below were the cans of Spaghetti O's and Chef Boyardees. The Kraft brand was on sale for $1 per box, so there were a lot missing in the middle but I don't think they were short on products! Again, to the right were the Target brand options as well.

FInally, towards the middle of the aisle I found the Annie's Mac and Cheese brand.  in a column where there were many "organic" or "healthier" options for  Mac and Cheese.  Back to Nature had a box at the very top and Kraft mac and Cheese also has an "organic" version.  But at eye level for adults and children.  and at the very bottom was "whole grain Hamburger Helper" .  I had no idea Annie's had so many options for Mac and Cheese.

We ended up buying the blue box for the study on "Mac and Cheese" to compare to Kraft.  It was $1.80.

Then I got home and boiled the water and put the noodles in while my son ran around the kitchen.  I didn't really measure exactly the amount of water the box recommends but I boiled the water then put in the noodles and when noodles were cooked I drained the noodles in the colander and in the same pot I put in the milk and the cheese and mixed until they were unlumpy and then I mixed in the noodles.

 My son had fish sticks broccoli and mac and cheese--He didn't finish the mac and cheese--he is not that big of a man and cheese fan, but he ate all of his broccoli--not such a bad problem:)

 Husband had a Chicken burger and Mac and Cheese for dinner. It was tasty he said I added lemon pepper to ours.

Although I feel better about the fact that our Mac and Cheese was organic --I don't think Mac and Cheese is a healthy option for dinner all the time.  It had a lot of sodium and carbohydrates in it.  I do not feel good about eating Mac and Cheese even though I do every now and then.

Health and Wellness

When I think of health and wellness I think of a variety of things that I should be doing to take care of me physically, mentally and spiritually.  Physically being healthy means staying active.  Being part of teams and accomplishing personal goals keeps my body strong and hopefully gives me the ability to do and experience more in life. Making exercising a priority can help prolong a person's life and make them feel energetic about life! Not only should a person be active but a person should make conscious decisions about the food they fuel their bod with.  We are constantly bombarded with so many warnings about pesticides, trans fats, heart disease, diabetes, obesity, etc... that we as consumers need to be aware of our "wellness" and eat nutritious food in moderation. Having the body we "dream about" is not always easy but it is attainable and when we have this body--usually people are more confident therefore leading into my next point.

Being mentally healthy and well means to me to feed your mind with education.  Don't be ignorant or chose to make bad decisions knowingly.  Use religion, spirituality to think, meditate and take time to analyze your life and what is stressing you out.  I often see commercials for Kaiser Permanente www.kp.org which show people doing all kinds of fun things that demonstrate health and wellness.  Often times people focus on just the physical beings but we must often also look inside a person. Sometimes the most fit of person may me dying inside from an unhealthy relationship, for example.  So being able to surround yourself with good people who raise you up and who make you laugh is also very key to a healthy lifestyle.