Category: Choices

The things people do in everyday life can change the outcome of their future. When someone makes a wrong decision, it tends to follow with a consequence. In Elie’s Night, he had to go through procedures that were tremendously painful, and we cannot comprehend the pain and torture these people had to go through. Elie Wiesel, a holocaust survivor, made choices throughout his life that affected his future. In the novel Night, by Elie Wiesel, Elie makes decisions that have impacted his life.

Elie Wiesel chose to ignore the actions that were done to his father. A gypsy, showing no mercy, had ‘slapped [Elie’s] father with such force that he fell down…’(Wiesel 39) To elaborate, his father was mistreated, beaten, and slapped right in front of his very eyes. Before the holocaust, Elie would have defended his father and would have hurt the man who hurt his father. However, this time, he just stood there and watched because he would have gotten killed if he did otherwise. ‘What had happened to me? My father had just been struck, in front of me, and I had not even blinked’ (Wiesel 39). This shows that at the time, Elie feared for his own life and had realized the Germans achieved the goal of making the Jews into monsters. He would have helped his father, but he understood that if he stepped in, two lives might have been lost. Elie also felt guilty about just watching his father. Of course, he knew that if he had done anything to help his father when he was getting beaten, it would have been tragic. However, the phrase ‘What had happened to me…’(Wiesel 39) presents the idea that he felt he was a monster for not helping his poor father.

Eliezer also made the decision to ignore God and stop praising His name. ‘Why should I sanctify his name? What was there to thank him for?’ (Wiesel 33) To elaborate, The father was praising God saying to celebrate his name, but Elie disagreed and refused to rejoice and celebrate His name. All of the people are living in this terrible situation, but these two have different perspectives about it. The father chooses to praise and thank God for His doings, while Elie wonders why they should celebrate Him for putting them in this deathly situation. This continues to happen throughout the novel, and Elie continues to be frustrated at God. ‘Why but why would I bless Him? Every fiber in me rebelled. Because he caused thousands of children to burn in His mass graves?’ (Wiesel 67) Terrible things have continued to happen to Elie and his father such as torture, death threats, and violence. Because God has not taken them out of this situation, Eliezer wants and decides to stop praising Him because of the torturous life they are living. A last example of this would be when Elie finally comes to the conclusion in his head that man is stronger than God himself. ‘I felt myself to be stronger than this Almighty to whom my life had been bound for so long.’ (Wiesel 68) Eleizer did still have little hope that maybe God would help them, give them mercy, and remove them from the deathly torture, however, once he realized God wasn’t going to do anything, he gave up on Him. Because he thinks God is not present, Eliezer thinks that man can do more than God himself because man is showing actions to try and remove them from the holocaust. However, God is not present and not with them.

Eliezer has made decisions to give or not give up certain things. One of his assistants tells Eliezer that, in exchange for his shoes, he will make sure Eliezer gets into a good labor unit. He refuses to part with his shoes. Furthermore, Elie had to make a decision whether to keep his shoes or let them go. If he had chosen to give them away, he could have died by walking in the snow or just doing work in general. This choice affected his life because he would not be able to do the long march in the snow or do most work and labor without his shoes. There was one circumstance in the novel, however, where Eliezer had to give up something valuable. To elaborate, the German officers wanted everyone’s gold tooth (if they had one) to gain extra money to pay off the expenses of the holocaust. Elie did not want to give up his gold tooth so he postponed his appointments saying that he was feeling sick and could not attend. Later, Franek, the foreman, decides he wants Eliezer’s gold crown and does not wait. Eliezer won’t give it to him. Franek discovers Eliezer’s weakness which is his father. Therefore, Franek begins to torment Eliezer’s father during their marches. At last, Eliezer gives in and his tooth is extracted. Eliezer could have chosen to keep the gold tooth and let his father be beaten. But because of his love for his father, he lets them have his gold tooth, so his father doesn’t have to go through the pain of being hurt. Elie’s love for his father overrides every situation, and it makes every decision for him.

Elie made a decision to pass on his family inheritance. As they waved goodbye, Elie’s father gave him a knife and a spoon which was the family inheritance. Eliezer doesn’t want to take them because he doesn’t want to think of the fact that his father might have been selected. But finally, he takes them and leaves with the construction group. Because his father could have been selected to have gotten killed by the Nazis, Elie didn’t want to admit that. Therefore, he did not want to take the inheritance that would make him think about the passing of his father. However, he took the knife and spoon, just like his father would have wanted him to. He could have not taken it, his father would have died, and the tradition would have stopped and not have been passed on.

In the novel Night, by Elie Wiesel, Elie made decisions that impacted his life. Some of these include the decision to ignore God, such as Elie’s belief that God didn’t help him get through the Holocaust. Elie stopped trusting God because he felt that God was not helping him. Ellie also gave up valuable things such as his shoes and his gold tooth. Lastly, Elie stopped doing things he would normally do; when he didn’t defend his father because he was too afraid of the German officers. Because of the fear that the Nazis instilled in Elie and many others, they essentially controlled Elie into making life-or-death decisions. If Elie had made other decisions his life could have been different. His life was determined by his daily decisions which were a huge part of his life.           

His suicide is his prescribed fate and his punishment for his mistakes in life for which he is responsible. As Achebe wrote in his work Morning Yet on Creation Day the people of Igbo believed that : “…when a man’s misfortune is somehow beyond explanation [it] can only be attributable to an agreement he himself must have entered into, at the beginning, alone with his chi; for there is a fundamental justice in the universe and nothing so terrible can happen to a person for which he is not somehow responsible”(165). Andrew Foley in his article Okonkwo’s fate and the worldview of Things Fall Apart gives a broad explanation of the fate and downfall of Okonkwo and one of them is the “justice of divine”. Two conclusions can be drawn here: the cause of Okonkwo’s death is due to the powers of the deities. This is a punishment either from the side of the goddess in whom the people of Umuofia believed or it is the cause of his disobedience to the Christian church (Foley 52). However, Foley denies his view by words that Christianity’s role in Okonkwo’s demise seems limited to historical coincidence rather than evidence of a specific divine intervention in human affairs (52). The desire that he tried not to die the same shameful death as his father is not achieved. Fate spares no one, consequently, there is nothing to be done even if one lives without violating the rules, customs of culture and the desire of the gods. Moreover, if to consider the acts of the protagonist, such as murder, disobedience and cruelty, then his suicide is the order of higher forces to punish him in this way.

And the fact that Okonkwo commits suicide and is cast into the Evil Forest seems an ironic reenactment of his reviled father’s fate, which he has sought all his life to avoid (54). In contrast, another author denotes that it is not Okonkwo’s fault to end his life by killing himself saying : “One cannot somehow lay the blame on Okonkwo. His action at the end, hasty though it was, was quite in accordance with the traditional values. It was an act of conviction, almost religious, and the end vindicated the character of Okonkwo, who emerges as the lone representative of the Igbo value system while the entire community lay around him in a shambles” ( Sarma 69). His death should so resemble that which he ardently seeks to avoid can itself be looked at in two incompatible ways. It can be seen as fate, as something predetermined (by gods, by his unconscious, by the dialectical progression of History), or as mere accident; it may be inescapable, and hence meaningful, or simply bad luck, and hence meaningless (Greenberg 438). Individuals with higher moral and religious objections to suicide perceive more reasons for living (Gearing and Lizardi 333). In Religion and Suicide authors discusses the rates of suicide among representatives of different religions emphasizing the advantages of being a man of high morality and belief in order to stay alive and serve to God (338).

Okonkwo does not want to live or die as a woman (Okhamafe 142 ).A male without any title is often called an agbala (a woman). Where a male stands in the general economy of Umuofia more or less depends on whether the male is a man or a woman (135). Okonkwo will not have a son who is not a man. Similarly, Okonkwo cannot have a womanly Umuofia, an Umuofia of only women. When Umuofia becomes a woman, Okonkwo also becomes a woman. Okonkwo can no longer live when he ceases to be a man. He would rather die than live as a woman, so he commits suicide (137). This article particularly evaluates the misogynistic behaviour of him. He tries to be a strong, powerful man. Man who cannot provide his family by yams is considered as a woman for him. Okonkwo acts too impulsively, too violently, to think of the consequences of his actions. This habit of impulse is made clear, for example, when Okonkwo beats his wife during the sacred Week of Peace – a week of harmony, restraint, and decorum: ‘And when she returned, he beat her heavily. In his anger he had forgotten that it was the Week of (Iyasere 306). In spite of the fact that Umuofia owes her religion and morality as well as her economic growth and development to the female ideal as embodied in Ani, the earth goddess; the people still marginalize and deride women and girls generally. Nearly in all cases when crucial issues of communal importance are discussed and considered, men always see to it that women are sidelined, excluded and shut (Anyokwu 27). Also he is ashamed by his father’s life and death. Okonkwo confirmed that man’s role is not music, as his father preferred it to the man’s responsibilities (Okhamafe 135). Okonkwo is in competition with the gods and acts out of his pathological fear of being thought weak – his fear of being perceived as like his father Unoka (Iyasere 307). He never received the hero’s welcome he dreamed of. He returned to a different Umuofia from the one he had known. In the present Umuofia, ‘men [have] unaccountably become soft like women (Achebe 126). What matters is an humble, if not penitent, perseverance through suffering and a determination to seek a positive change. Instead, Okonkwo returns from exile practically unchanged by the experience, having ‘regretted every day of his exile’ (Harris 97). The conclusion is that life does not teach him and does not correct him. Trying to be independent, unshakable, strong, he forgets that he lacks strong moral strength. Excess physical strength clouds his eyes. He is afraid to seem weak and helpless. But he loses his power more and more.

Fraser Robert in his article A NOTE ON OKONKWO’S SUICIDE comes around with that it is the impact of the changes in his society. After exile he comes across with unfamiliar Igbo people who are totally different. Fraser states : “The explicitly shameful nature of suicide also rules out the possibility that Okonkwo killed himself in order to retain his integrity, after the Roman manner. No possible sort of honor could accrue from a course of action which would result in his being hurled into the bad bush to rot like his despised father Unoka. Okonkwo is a man far too careful of social acceptance for that. Igbo society has been plunged into anomy by the intervention of the British. In this new world of slipping realities the villagers have lost their bearings. Okonkwo, in some ways their most typical hero, is completely at a loss to explain the change. Okonkwo is, in one sense, a victim of colonialism, in another of himself. Caught between the two, he destroys himself through mere confusion” (Fraser 34). Patrick C. Nnoromele in the The Plight of a Hero in Achebe s ‘Things Fall Apart’ remarks : “Okonkwo, who had a resolute hunger to become a hero, was not afraid of the forces that surrounded him. However, he was so overwhelmed by the cumulative effects of his experiences on the road to heroism that he felt the only thing left to do was to commit suicide. Okonkwo had to maintain his integrity as a hero. The truth of this profound, but ambivalent act is reflected in the Igbo proverb that says: ‘The thought that led a man to truncate his own existence was not conceived in a day.’ It was not just one single thing or event that forced Okonkwo to kill himself. His suicidal act was an ultimate expression of the compound effects of his own experiences in his unflinching desire to become a hero. Okonkwo was a hero. Hence, he had to depart from the battlefield as one. A hero would rather die than be captured and/or hurniliated by the enemy. Okonkwo’s death cheated his enemies, the European colonizers, of their revenge” ( Nnoromele 155). Macdonald says: “Okonkwo knows they will never go to war and that his act of hope has now sealed his destruction because he is completely alone in his opposition to the new authority. The only alternative to the ignominy of hanging in the white man’s goal is to take his own life, ironically an abomination to all he stood for in the past” (59). But Alan R Friesen in Okonkwo’s Suicide as an Affirmative Act: Do Things Really Fall Apart? has a positive view on protagonist’s suicide reporting that it has benefit for the Igbo society and things do not really fall apart: “ Although Things Fall Apart can be interpreted in the tragic mode, the novel is much more meaningful if we interpret Okonkwo’s suicide as an act of willful resistance rather than an act of shame and dishonour. Within the text itself, the effects of Okonkwo’s suicide are barely felt in the colonial world; the commissioner is still planning on writing his study, Nwoye is still lost to Igbo culture, and even Obierika’s fierce words fall upon deaf ears. But on the other hand, if we consider Okonkwo’s suicide to be a positivity rather than an act of defeat, then in a sense Igbo culture still lives on; perhaps things do not fall apart after all” (11).

Conclusion

Baumeister, R. F. in Suicide as escape from self described that suicide is analyzed in terms of motivations to escape from aversive self-awareness. The causal chain begins with events that fall severely short of standards and expectations. These failures are attributed internally, which makes self-awareness painful. Awareness of the self’s inadequacies generates negative affect, and the individual therefore desires to escape from self-awareness and the associated affect. The person tries to achieve a state of cognitive deconstruction (constricted temporal focus, concrete thinking, immediate or proximal goals, cognitive rigidity, and rejection of meaning), which helps prevent meaningful self-awareness and emotion. The deconstructed state brings irrationality and disinhibition, making drastic measures seem acceptable. Suicide can be seen as an ultimate step in the effort to escape from self and world. The author Patrick Seave in Suicide tells us that ‘Suicide prevention is best addressed from the platform of the emotions’. Certainly, people with “emotional confidence” are least likely to engage in self harm (parasuicide) or suicide. The fact that we have an ‘epidemic of suicide in the country points to the fact that we are failing to bring our young people to this level of emotional maturity. My African friends would certainly agree that the emotions are crucial in reducing the numbers of suicide victims. However, the emotion on which they focus is shame (172).

Bibliography

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3. Sarma, S. Krishna. 1993. ‘Okonkwo and His Chi.’ In Indian Response to African Writing, ed. Ramakrishna Rao and C.R. Visweswara Rao. New Delhi: Prestige Books.
4. Greenberg, Jonathan. “Okonkwo and the Storyteller: Death, Accident, and Meaning in Chinua Achebe and Walter Benjamin.” Contemporary Literature, vol. 48, no. 3, 2007, pp. 423–450. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/27563759. Accessed 17 Apr. 2020.
5. Gearing, Robin E., and Dana Lizardi. “Religion and Suicide.” Journal of Religion and Health, vol. 48, no. 3, 2008, pp. 332–341., doi:10.1007/s10943-008-9181-2.
6. Okhamafe, Imafedia. “Genealogical Determinism in Achebe’s Things Fall. Apart.” Genealogy and Literature, edited by Lee Quinby, NED – New edition ed., University of Minnesota Press, 1995, pp. 134–154. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/10.5749/j.cttttdmb.12. Accessed 16 Apr. 2020.
7. Iyasere, Solomon O. “OKONKWO’S PARTICIPATION IN THE KILLING OF HIS ‘SON’ IN
8. CHINUA ACHEBE’S ‘THINGS FALL APART’: A STUDY OF IGNOBLE DECISIVENESS.” CLA Journal, vol. 35, no. 3, 1992, pp. 303–315. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/44322495. Accessed 16 Apr. 2020.
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10. Apart.’” Interdisciplinary Literary Studies, vol. 12, no. 2, 2011, pp. 16–31. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/41210316. Accessed 16 Apr. 2020.
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Have you ever wondered if there was a world that was the same? You couldn’t see a color or hear a sound. How would you feel? I know if I couldn’t see the color I wouldn’t be happy because I couldn’t see the joy in the world. The book where it’s the same is called “The Giver” by Lois Lowry. One of the main characters Jonas learns many things from the Giver. Throughout the book, Jonas goes through many challenges and risks but still succeeds somewhat. Jonas was able to grow and bring meaning to his life, despite his challenging environment, by discovering the importance of memory, pain, and choice.

When Jonas was learning all the new memories it helped him realize what other people in his community are missing out on. Jonas is facing whether to like the memories he receives from the giver or not. “He could see a bright, whirling torrent of crystals in the air around him, and he could see them gather on the backs of his hands” [page 102.] He recognized that the crystals were bright and happy from previous memories. Jonas kept on having people looks just change. “It was happening to him again, seeing color, people changing.” [pg. 102] But he learned that seeing new things about people was cool and exciting. Overall Jonas learned the importance of memory because without memory there would be no laughter, or bringing back information in a good or bad situation. This helped him grow as a person by, taking advantage of the memories he’s received in his daily life.

Jonas’s experience with pain is another factor in how he grows as a person in the difficult environment of The Community. Jonas was getting really confused about why other people in his community were the same and he wanted to tell everyone but he couldn’t. “Why do you and I have to hold these memories?” [ pg. 139] It really hurt him that he couldn’t tell the rest of the community want seeing color or hearing sound was like. The Giver was talking about how it used to be in the community. Where people could enjoy seeing things and having feelings. “The worst part of holding memories isn’t the pain. It’s the loneliness of it. Memories should be shared.” [pg. 189] The problem for this isn’t the pain it’s the weird way the community chose for everyone to be the same. Overall Jonas learned the importance of pain by, using pain as an advantage to help everyone in the community. This helped him grow and learn as a person by, knowing that pain is wisdom.

Jonas experiences with choice are another factor in how he grows as a person in the difficult environment of The Community. The Community had made a mistake which has never happened. They got Jonas’s job mixed up. “Jonas has been selected.” [pg.68 ] Jonas didn’t get to chose his job, he had gotten chosen because the head of The Community though Jonas had the courage and could handle pain. The way the community lived wasn’t how Jonas lived now. He lived knowing that people were killed and that it was the same for everyone. “ It’s the way they live. It’s the life that was created for them. It’s the same life that you would have had if you had not been chosen as my new receiver.” [pg. 153.] Now he learned that choices could be good and bad. Overall Jonas learns the importance of choice by, realizing without choice no one has to go through facing consequences of making bad choices. But nor they get to feel what it’s like to to make the right choice. It’s difficult but it’s better for the people. This helped him grow as a person because he stopped getting frustrated why everything was the same but realizing that’s sometimes it’s better not to have a choice.

In this book, Jonas learned about pain, memory, and choice. He learned and grew as not only as a person but how to be a better person. Taking risks, like bringing baby Gabriel out of The Community so he wouldn’t die. But yet he didn’t know what was out there, that took bravery. That shows pain leaving his family behind, but overall courage for doing what’s right. Jonas reminded us of many things of life but one is, doing something right for someone isn’t about the glory or joy you get out of it. It’s about how others surrounding him can learn and grow about the choices he made.

Many factors can affect a person’s lifestyle choices. Below are eight factors which can play a role in a person choosing a healthy lifestyle:

1. Cooking ability/ Food choices/Allergies

Good nutrition is a well-known determinant of a healthy lifestyle. There are however, many factors that can play a role in individuals obtaining good nutrition and choosing to include this in their lifestyle. An individual’s cooking ability/skills determine how easily a healthy home-made meal can be cooked. Home-made meals are much healthier than processed foods, therefore the ability to cook or to find and follow recipes is crucial. Moreover, if an individual has allergies, for example to milk, nuts, eggs, etc. or if they choose to be vegetarian, they will have to find alternative products or an alternative diet plan so that they receive all the necessary nutrients that would be lessened due to their allergies/diet choice. For example, a vegetarian must find additional sources of protein and must be able to cook meals that include it so that they receive the needed amount which would otherwise be more commonly obtained in meat products. This factor can apply to all age groups since all age groups are affected with allergies/special dietary needs, but in terms of cooking ability/skill, youth may be the most affected. Youth may not be used to cooking their own meals and may tend to choose more junk food as a result of taste preferences. Diet is a very important aspect of a healthy lifestyle and the ability to cook healthy home-made, unprocessed foods with adequate nutrients, and finding alternatives to adapt to allergies/special dietary needs is crucial to good health.

2. Fitness level/Physical Activity

Exercise is an important determinant of a healthy lifestyle. A person’s individual fitness level affects the feasibility of staying active. For instance, an athlete or a person interested in sports will be able to stay active without much extra effort due to their daily routines involving sports and fitness activity. Those who are not used to being active and work long hours may not be able to dedicate their time and energy to staying active and involving that in their daily routine. They will have to specially incorporate going to the gym or another type of fitness activity into their everyday schedule. These individual will naturally have a more difficult time adjusting and following through with this since it does not come naturally to them. Keeping active is crucial to all ages; however, the elderly population is likely to have the hardest time with this. As an individual’s age increases, stamina decreases. It takes a lot of extra effort to stay active if it already is not part of the daily routine. For example, bone breaks and joint weakness due to osteoporosis and osteoarthritis also become more common and therefore pain/bed rest due to these conditions can become a hindrance especially in this age group.

3. Accessibility (access to gym/healthy food)

Already mentioned previously, nutrition and exercise are both important factors of a healthy lifestyle. Some individuals, however, may not have access to a car, for example, and therefore obtaining healthy groceries for each day may not be feasible if they have to take public transport every time they want to buy groceries. Moreover, motivation to go and get healthy ingredients for a meal may be compromised if accessibility is hindered. Not everyone lives close to a gym or has the money or space to create an at-home gym. In such cases, even if one takes a membership at a gym, actually going is the key to the healthy lifestyle. Many who have easy access do not go to the gym or go to the grocery store to buy healthy ingredients as opposed to dining out, so if accessibility is compromised in any way, both feasibility and motivation goes down. All age groups can be affected by this. Youth, for example may not have cars or means to travel whenever and wherever they want in order to be active and eat healthy every day. Adults also may not have access to personal transport or live nearby to fitness centers or safe neighbourhoods where they can be involved in fitness activities in their front or back yard. Seniors may also not be able to regularly access such places due to hindrances in walking ability or stamina or lack of transportation. Disability/handicaps will also affect an individual’s ability to stay active and obtain healthy meals, which can affect all age groups.

4. Underlying health conditions

Individuals with underlying health conditions, for example diabetes, or celiac disease, may find it difficult to adapt and pursue a healthy lifestyle. Underlying health conditions already demand a lot of attention to health and additionally trying to have a healthy lifestyle, staying active, eating right all requires more attention and effort. It is difficult to stay motivated at times. Those with celiac disease have to avoid gluten and therefore buy their grain products at gluten-free stores or those stores that contain gluten-free products. This on its own may not seem like such a difficult task; however, key to staying healthy is daily routine, and having to make such adaptations and working them in to everyday lifestyle can be challenging as an addition to any underlying health conditions which also pose difficulties at times. Some people choose to control diabetes through diet and thus have to be extra careful about what they consume. If diet is inadequate, staying active will also become a challenge. Those taking medications daily may exhibit side effects from those that may alter energy levels and therefore affect daily routines. All age groups can experience this since underlying health conditions may occur at any age; however, the elderly population are the focus of this factor since as age increases so does the likelihood of many health-related problems, i.e. hypertension, etc. Not only is it important to maintain a healthy lifestyle in order to prevent disease, but once diagnosed with a disease, keeping a healthy lifestyle can also keep it under control and prevent the disease from getting worse.

5. Alcoholism/Smoking/Drug Addictions

Alcoholism, smoking, and drugs negatively impact health. Individuals who have these addictions may have anxiety or depression for which they use such methods to cope, or individuals may take part in these habits for other reasons, such as stress. Regardless, such habits are unhealthy especially in the long run, and lead to many chronic illnesses such as liver disease, cardiovascular diseases, etc. Those who exhibit such habits may have to reach out to social groups and rehabilitation centres, which depends on accessibility as well, in order to gain the ability to restart a healthy lifestyle. An individual’s desire for a healthy lifestyle and their perseverance to obtain it play large roles in such cases: to want to quit these habits, and to proceed with the quitting process are both vital in this situation. If individuals are light smokers/light drinkers, extra exercise and attention to diet is needed in order for healthy lifestyles, if individuals do want to continue these habits. This has to be recognized and pursued. The age group of focus for this factor is mainly young adults and youth; however, this is applicable to those of all ages. The reason for young adults and youth being the main concern is that their brains are still developing and such behaviours, whether due to stress or peer pressure, can have a drastic negative impact on them if this is not realized and the correct steps are not taken to maintain a healthy lifestyle.

6. Dependency on others

When individuals depend on others for daily necessities, such as food and transportation, it becomes difficult to control their own routines. For example, if parents pack lunches for their child in the youth age group, that child will eat what is packed. Moreover, they will depend on their parents to take them to fitness centres or their sport meets. This will affect their daily routine since it will depend on the daily routine of those upon whom they depend. This may also be the case for the elderly who may depend on their children or on a facility, such as a retirement home. This factor is mainly a focus of the two mentioned age groups: youth and the elderly. Adults can be affected as well, for example, in the case of dependency on a spouse.

7. Climate

The weather conditions impact daily activity and can have an effect on healthy lifestyles. For example, in Ottawa, winter months are extremely cold and during these months many people avoid going outside and hence their physical activity levels decrease. Many people do have interest in winter sports; however, it is not for everyone. Therefore in these months, alternatives have to be found, and again motivation must be there in order to pursue this. It also starts to get dark early which again, can hinder people’s willingness to go anywhere and be active; even if an individual joins an indoor gym at this time, the gloomy nature of Canadian winters can demotivate people from going outside. Other areas, such as Delhi, India, are extremely hot and during the day it is impossible to keep active outside or do anything outdoors. Such climate extremes affect physical activity and motivation to go outside and perform daily routines. These are examples of how climate can affect daily routine and in turn, a healthy regime and lifestyle. This can apply to any of the age groups, with a larger effect on the elderly population since, for example, winter months can be especially dangerous due to icy conditions.

8. Education

Knowledge plays a big role in keeping a healthy lifestyle. It is important to know what is good for health and what is bad, what affects health, how to have a healthy lifestyle, and what alternatives and adaptations can be made if one option does not work. Lately, health and prevention has been a major focus; however, this was not the case before. Although children learn this in school, about good health practices, not everyone understands the value of it. It is important to be well-educated regarding good eating practices and good fitness habits and those who do not know about these things will be at a disadvantage. Many people have not had education in these topics, especially adults and seniors, to whom healthy living and the importance of prevention, may not have been taught. Knowing what is right is the first step, after which this theory gets put in practice. Without proper education on this topic, it is very difficult to execute healthy practices.

The question of whether it is ethical to impose a healthier lifestyle on an individual can be answered in the affirmative with almost no debate when it is clear that the choices of the individual may harm one or more other individuals, especially when the set of people that may be affected contains anyone not able to indicate consent, such as a child or fetus. In this limited case, it is clear that the individual should be constrained to follow the healthier lifestyle. For example, it would be unquestionably ethical to prevent smoking or alcohol consumption during pregnancy, since these preventable actions considerably reduce the probability of delivering a healthy child. Similarly, parents, grandparents, or even offspring legally permitted to smoke, can be ethically restrained from smoking in the home because of the consequences of second-hand smoke inhalation on a younger sibling’s health. Similarly, smoking can be prohibited in the work place to prevent co-workers, regardless of whether they are youth or adult, from being exposed to second-hand smoke. Alcohol and drugs too can be disallowed on the work site based on similar reasoning.

In the case of unhealthy choices that only affect the health of the individual alone, there would also be no debate that it is not ethical to preclude them when the individual does not have the freedom of acting independently, or whose judgment is generally accepted by society to be incompletely developed, as long as the risk of harm to the individual is not great. Hence, it would be wrong to forbid the consumption at school of carbonated drinks, for example, by a toddler or pre-teen—the child is unable to independently walk, drive or take the bus to a location with healthier choices—or even by a teenager whose judgment is still in the process of being formed and is subject to being influenced by peers and marketing forces. It would be ethical, however, to mandate the school to provide healthier options. However, in the case of health choices that can cause serious harm, e.g. drinking, drug abuse, or smoking, the acceptance of the ethicality of forbidding these options for children and youth is demonstrated by the existence of a lower age limit for legal consumption.

The only remaining case, then, where the ethicality of forcing an individual to adopt a healthy lifestyle is controversial is the situation where an adult or senior chooses an option that does no harm to anyone else. In countries where the cost of healthcare is borne by the taxpayer, there has been a lot of debate whether it is then ethical to require individuals to make “healthy” dietary choices, or even force them to avoid choices that are clearly unhealthy, such as smoking. I would say that it is unethical for society in those countries to force individuals in any way–whether it is to compel positive courses of action such as exercise, or to forbid “unhealthy” actions such as smoking—because it is a slippery slope with several evils: it may lead to forbidding any activities are deemed to be dangerous, or “costly”–such as bungee-jumping, for example. It may also lead to a draconian society where people are unable to freely make lifestyle choices independent of the consequences.

Our eating patterns are influenced by numerous contributing factors like our cultural backgrounds and our daily lifestyles. Identifying and understanding the determinants that affect our food choices can impact our diets and our food patterns drastically. There is a variety of components that affect our daily intake of nutrients such as biological, economic, physical, social, psychological, and our attitudes have a contributing factor to our nutrient intake.

Overall my diet is in excellent condition and is healthy based off the information and results gathered from my nutrition report. Clean eating has allowed me to focus on a diet plan generated on products to sustain a high operational tempo and a physically demanding occupation. The diet plan consisted of a well-balanced meal that involved important principles to assists and helps align my body with an adequate amount of nutrients while promoting a healthy lifestyle. These basic principles provided me the ingredients and formulas for a healthy lifestyle which are;

• Providing my body with real food choices and products eliminating processed and refined products

• Consuming well-balanced meals and healthy snacks full of nourishment

• Plant-based products free of hormones and antibiotics

• Adopting a cleaner lifestyle is the end state and overall goal

Clean eating has introduced valuable nutrients to help regulate the body with beans, nuts, and high protein grains that are packed with a complexity of carbohydrates and fibers which are the base of the food pyramid.

The meals also are produced strictly with grass-fed products which are full of nutrition and health benefits such as;

• Potential cancer fighter (CLA has proven its ability to fight cancer)

• Reduces heart disease risk (includes less overall fat, lower levels of cholesterol, higher levels of omega3, more CLA and vitamins)

• Improves blood sugar

• Free of hormones & Antibiotics

• Safer beef option (decrease the risk of food poisoning and results in fewer antibiotic-resistant bacteria)

• Better for the environment

Deciding on a particular food group can be a difficult process as a result of the numerous distractions and temptations to disrupt our thought process which includes;

Economically, the cost of eating a healthy lifestyle can have a significant impact on your wallet while shopping at the local Whole Foods Market. Whole Food is an American multinational supermarket that exclusively sells products free from hydrogenated fats and artificial colors, flavors, and preservatives which can be very expensive to obtain that beach body.

Our beliefs, traditions, and values are some of the most influencing factors in determining a healthy food choice. The media and advertisement can also affect your choices as food trends and celebrity trends can impact your future food habits. For instance in advertising can have subconsciously affected our eating habits which is the reason why there are snack foods during television commercials (U.S. Food and Drug Administration, 2018).

Grass-based products benefit our environment’s greenhouse gas emissions by increasing the biodiversity of the pasture ecosystems and improving the quality of run-off water from well-managed pastures. To include lower fossil fuel cost, better water quality, less soil erosion, and greater natural diversity (Alderspring Ranch Grass Fed Organic beef, n.d.). Overall, grass-fed products have been shown to reduce the carbon footprint and help the environment (Alderspring Ranch Grass Fed Organic beef, n.d.).

Our nutritional intake of food choices should incorporate each level of food groups from the food pyramid to make healthy eating easier. Supporting your body with the basic necessities of calories from grains, vegetables, fruits, dairy products, lean meat, fish, and poultry will sustain your nutrition levels for a healthy diet. These necessities will be determined and identify from your distractions and temptations which you to reach your nutritional goals.

If you relish a quick outdoor workout, even in the summer, or are a regular gym-goer, you simply can’t escape the scorching temperatures and humidity.

And all the summer sweating leaves you thirsty and dehydrated. You might even be addicted to sweet and sugar-laden sports drinks without realising it. It’s okay as long as you put in a power-packed workout – you reason with yourself. But do you think that sports drinks are healthy for you? Which is better for the average person exercising – a sports drink or good old water? We asked Senior Dietitian, Sunita Roy Chowdhary of Rockland Hospital, New Delhi and here’s what she has to say about whether water is better than sports drinks or not:

“Water is the most popular drink during exercise, but sports drinks do a better job of hydration”. How true is this statement?

It is right to say that sports drinks do a better job of hydration than water. Dehydration during exercise is caused due to sweating in which water and body’s electrolytes are lost. During exercise sweating occurs so as to maintain the core temperature of the body. Carbohydrate stores of the body are also depleted during exercise as the muscles use the glycogen stored in them as well as that of the liver.

Sports drinks are made up of water, salt, electrolytes, glucose or glucose polymers and fructose. Glucose and salt increase the absorbability or uptake of water in the body. The absorption of plain water as compared to the sports drinks is less and therefore, sports drinks improve hydration.

There are two main factors which affect the uptake of a drink or fluid in the body:

– The speed at which it is emptied from the stomach

– The rate at which it is absorbed through the walls of the small intestine.

Glucose in the drink will prevent blood glucose levels to fall too low and also help to maintain body’s glycogen stores. Sodium and potassium are the main electrolytes which help maintain the hydration and reduce urine output.

What drink is the best for getting and keeping hydrated during exercise?

1. Water: Water causes bloating which will suppress thirst and therefore drinking; water contains no carbohydrate or electrolytes and it also increases urine output.

2. Sports drinks: These enhance performance during exercise, have a good absorbability as they are isotonic (meaning that they have a similar composition to that of body fluids). Isotonic fluids, because of their good absorbability quickly replace fluids lost by sweating and supply a boost of carbohydrates.

3. Juice: Juices are hypertonic, that means they have more carbohydrate or glucose molecules per ml. They may be nutritious but are not a good choice for hydration. The fructose or the fruit sugar in the juices reduces the rate of water absorption so the cells do not get hydrated quickly. Hypertonic fluids should be taken along with Isotonic solutions or in diluted form. They should normally be taken after exercise.

4. Carbonated beverages: Carbonated beverages cause dehydration. They have caffeine and thus have a diuretic effect which means that they increase urine output. Also they have a bloating effect and give a feeling of fullness. This inhibits the natural thirst mechanism.

Are there different recommendations for sports drinks and water for regular gym goers, body builders and athletes?

Yes, there are different recommendations for the regular gym goers, body builders and athletes. It is difficult to generalize the amount and the type of fluids to take as it all depends on the length and intensity of the exercise. It also depends on the height, weight and body type of the person. Outdoor exercisers need more fluids and electrolytes as compared to people exercising in an AC environment.

Consuming sports drinks is beneficial for maintaining hydration, electrolyte and glucose levels. This improves performance and replenishes the glycogen stores. Water can be taken on a regular basis for flushing the system and approximately about 3 to 3.5 liters of fluids per day must be consumed.

– Isotonic sports drinks immediately replace fluids and electrolytes lost by sweating and supply a boost of carbohydrate. These drinks work well for longer exercise sessions, replenishing fluids, electrolytes and carbohydrates. Examples of natural isotonic drinks are coconut water, sweet salted lemon water.

– Hypotonic sports drinks replace only fluids and electrolyte lost by sweating, and has minimal or no carbohydrate content in it. These drinks are best used for rapid hydration and are not optimum for exclusive use during long sessions of exercise. Examples of natural hypotonic drinks are salted lemon water

– Hypertonic sports drinks have high carbohydrate content to top up muscle glycogen stores during or after the heavy exercise sessions. These are better post-exercise drinks that offer a higher dose of energy with the fluid. If used during exercise it is recommended to use it with isotonic drinks. Examples of natural hypertonic drinks are packaged juices.

Final verdict – sports drink or water?

During exercise or sports activities a lot of sweating takes place to maintain the body’s core temperature. This leads to loss of body’s fluid and electrolytes and if not controlled can lead to dehydration. Also the body’s carbohydrate stores are depleted during exercise. Plain water can replenish the fluid lost during exercise but not the electrolytes and the carbohydrates. It also gives a feeling of fullness and increases urine output. Sports drinks do not hydrate better than water, but provide carbohydrates and electrolytes which are lost during the exercise session. They can be consumed in larger quantities as compared to water because of their sweet taste.

It is advisable to take sports drinks (natural or packaged) immediately before, during and after the exercise session or the sports events, if you are involved in high intensity training. But otherwise water is a better source of hydration taken on a regular basis for the average gym-goer.

A nice calm close to the beach and a forest environment is a place you would only think exists in movies. But somehow I’m in luck because that sounds like the campus of UC Santa Cruz. And it’s a realistic school that I can actually attend because the GPA requirement is not 4.0 and up, it’s a 3.76. I would love to attend this school because this campus is like a ‘zoo’ where you can always expect to see deer roaming around or turkeys. Santa Cruz is situated at the north end of Monterey Sound on the Focal California drift, roughly 75 miles south of San Francisco. Arriving is simple since a few noteworthy thruways hurried to Santa Cruz, and the San Francisco, San Jose, and Monterey worldwide airplane terminals are for the most part close by.

A very sad but interesting fact about UCSC is that dogs are not allowed on campus at all, and it was a big shepherd’s fault because he killed a goat that was on campus in 1978. UCSC had already thought about making their campus a no-dog-free zone, but the killing of another animal by a dog was the last straw. Furthermore, Santa Cruz has an incredible climate for the vast majority of the year. Regardless of whether you like climbing in the forested areas on the upper grounds, playing sports in open fields, surfing, or strolling along the Westcliff coastline, there are in every case a lot of open-air exercises to keep you occupied. Tragically, this likewise implies discovering inspiration to do homework is amazingly hard, particularly when it’s 75 degrees outside and the sun is radiating through your window onto your work area, calling your name.

UCSC philosophy is: “We guide students to see learning as a growth process, through which we encounter the unknown, move through the fear and uncertainty, and circle in one’s authentic self”. This school philosophy is basically saying that you should take learning as a fun activity and you should not be stressing about having stepbacks because things in life happen when you aren’t yourself or you are feeling down but in the end, you will go through your fears and or problems. This school is just about everybody just having positive vibes and not having anybody feel down or sad.

I believe that this school would best fit for me, that’s why I chose it. Some popular majors that there are at UCSC are psychology, cell cellular and molecular biology, business managerial economics, computer science, and sociology. And there are way more that UCSC is known for, but those are the big majors that there are at UCSC. The major that interests me is the UC Santa Cruz Air Force ROTC. I would be able to learn how to fly a plane and hopefully get a good flying one. I’ve always wanted to fly a plane since I was little, so that would be a very good course. I can have the option of attending AFROTC classes at San José State University while taking other academic classes at UC Santa Cruz. And maybe after completing everything and learning how to fly a plane very well, I can fly a plane for a living like for airlines in the United States because people who drive airplanes for airlines get paid 100,000 + in a year or more, so they actually get paid a lot of money for flying planes.

A nice calm close to the beach and a forest environment is a place you would only think exists in movies. But somehow I’m in luck because that sounds like the campus of UC Santa Cruz. And it’s a realistic school that I can actually attend because the GPA requirement is not 4.0 and up, it’s a 3.76. I would love to attend this school because this campus is like a ‘zoo’ where you can always expect to see deer roaming around or turkeys. Santa Cruz is situated at the north end of Monterey Sound on the Focal California drift, roughly 75 miles south of San Francisco. Arriving is simple since a few noteworthy thruways hurried to Santa Cruz, and the San Francisco, San Jose, and Monterey worldwide airplane terminals are for the most part close by.

A very sad but interesting fact about UCSC is that dogs are not allowed on campus at all, and it was a big shepherd’s fault because he killed a goat that was on campus in 1978. UCSC had already thought about making their campus a no-dog-free zone, but the killing of another animal by a dog was the last straw. Furthermore, Santa Cruz has an incredible climate for the vast majority of the year. Regardless of whether you like climbing in the forested areas on the upper grounds, playing sports in open fields, surfing, or strolling along the Westcliff coastline, there are in every case a lot of open-air exercises to keep you occupied. Tragically, this likewise implies discovering inspiration to do homework is amazingly hard, particularly when it’s 75 degrees outside and the sun is radiating through your window onto your work area, calling your name.

UCSC philosophy is: “We guide students to see learning as a growth process, through which we encounter the unknown, move through the fear and uncertainty, and circle in one’s authentic self”. This school philosophy is basically saying that you should take learning as a fun activity and you should not be stressing about having stepbacks because things in life happen when you aren’t yourself or you are feeling down but in the end, you will go through your fears and or problems. This school is just about everybody just having positive vibes and not having anybody feel down or sad.

I believe that this school would best fit for me, that’s why I chose it. Some popular majors that there are at UCSC are psychology, cell cellular and molecular biology, business managerial economics, computer science, and sociology. And there are way more that UCSC is known for, but those are the big majors that there are at UCSC. The major that interests me is the UC Santa Cruz Air Force ROTC. I would be able to learn how to fly a plane and hopefully get a good flying one. I’ve always wanted to fly a plane since I was little, so that would be a very good course. I can have the option of attending AFROTC classes at San José State University while taking other academic classes at UC Santa Cruz. And maybe after completing everything and learning how to fly a plane very well, I can fly a plane for a living like for airlines in the United States because people who drive airplanes for airlines get paid 100,000 + in a year or more, so they actually get paid a lot of money for flying planes.