There's More to Exercise Than Exercise

Yeah, we all know what exercise is and that it's good to do. But often times most people do not realize that there is more to exercise than exercise; a second half if you will. Some people would even go as far to say that this half is just as important, if not more so, than exercise itself. However, this part seems to be the most difficult part for people to follow, so they just neglect it.

I'm talking about diet. And by diet, I mean everything edible thing you consume, not a fad to lose 5 pounds in a week. I personally believe that your everyday diet is far more important than habitual exercise. Working at a gym, I see and hear a lot of people talk about how they come to the gym four or five times a week but are not losing any weight. Then you see them eating fast food and drinking soda. There's your problem. I'm not saying you can't ever have unhealthy food, everybody has cravings and cheats sometimes. The other thing is that sometime a healthy diet is all it takes. Just eating right, or at least cutting out excess amounts of fried foods and sugared drinks, can cause tremendous improvements in all-around health.

And it's not as hard as most people might think. Yes, you always have to be thinking about the things you are eating, but that becomes habit after a while. And contrary to what most people think, eating healthy foods can taste as good, if not better, than unhealthy foods. So exercise isn't just exercise in my eyes. Exercises is exercise coupled with a balanced diet. When you eat healthy food, your body feels great; you have more energy, maintain a healthy body weight, and and have a clear conscience knowing what you're eating is the right choice. If you've never given your diet much thought, try it. You might be surprised at the difference it can make.

What Is Beauty?

For this weeks text response blog I read "Social Lubricant: How a Marketing Campaign Became the Catalyst for a Social Debate" by Rob Walker. This article talked about the way women are portrayed in marketing ads. It specifically focused on the new ads from Dove and the changes that these have made. The author describes the new ads featuring the "Dove Girls," who are supposedly more realistic than the majority of female ads.

The author asks the question: are these ads positive or negative. At first, my reaction was to say "of course they're positive." After all, the "fake" women that are in most ads are damaging to what society sees as beauty. But, on the other hand, the author points out that, in the end, theses ads are still ads. They are still trying to promote a product with "practically naked" women.
This  made me think. what's better, ads using "unrealistic women," or one's with "normal" women? The author seems to take the position that the ads with "normal" women are better. He supports this with the reasoning that the ads with "unrealistic" women create unhealthy beauty standards. He goes on to say that they also give too much focus on outward beauty, suggesting that this is most important. When physical beauty is only a small fraction of true beauty. And I agree with this.

When I first started reading this article, I did not think it would be quite as thought provoking as it actually was. The author did a great job packing a lot of good thoughts into such a short article. You never really sit down and think about all the ads out there that use "fake" women to promote a product. I was not really aware of the "campaign for beauty" by Dove until I read this article. It's good to see a company realize the focus of ads nowadays is unhealthy and try to change them. However, the company does sell beauty products, which makes you wonder if this is all just another marketing scheme for the benefit of the company, not women.

Sex Here, Sex There, Sex Is Everywhere!

Warning: don't freak out about the title. For this weeks blog I decided to write about the increasing use of sex/sexuality in nearly every form of the media, as well the increasing desensitization regarding sex. This is a topic I have been thinking a lot about lately and am very passionate about.

Sex used to be held in such high regards, considered something sacred. It was an act between a husband and wife, consecrating their union, commitment, and love for one another. Today's culture has completely distorted this view. Now, sex has become something almost strictly for pleasure, fun, and even "experimentation." Kids are being taught about sex very early in life, being shown how to perform it "safely", and even being given the precautionary tools to do so. This has led to kids becoming sexually active in their early and pre teens.

It seems like in the past few years, sex has been added everywhere. Commercials use scantily clad women to entice men to buy a product, suggesting that if you use said product, you will attract these women. Even some commercials for women have started using this technique, making the argument that they could look like those women if they buy a certain product. Immodest women are also found abundantly in magazines, especially ones geared towards men, such as Men's Health. Not to mention that on most television stations, anything shy of nudity can, and most often is, used. You can also find these kinds of ads all over the Internet.

So, you might ask why I'm saying all of this? After all, I'm a guy, shouldn't I enjoy all of it? And the answer is a resounding no! Truthfully, it irritates and upsets me. With the increasing stress society puts on sex, it's nearly impossible for a guy to stay pure. I know it's a rarity these days, and actually looked down upon, but it's the way I was raised and what I believe is right. But when sex is presented as the "normal" or "cool" thing to do, how's a guy who's saving it for the wedding night supposed to feel? Now for me, the peer pressure isn't an issue. Thankfully, I've found a girl who believes the same as I do, which makes things a lot easier. I just wish that the media would stop its sexual bombardment. Just because a vast majority of guys don't care and enjoy it, doesn't mean we all do. If someone wishes to view sexual things, they can do so very easily in the privacy of their home, but I'd much rather not be subjected to it every time I pick up health magazine or turn on the TV.