Update, 5/24

4 comments Posted by tina at 1:09 PM

It conjures visions of tree-huggers and fruit sample trays at Whole Foods, of alternative cleaning products and recycled totes. What is this word? Organic. 


In the years of late, there has been a huge stir in the commercial world-- how can we, the public, control the manufacture and production of commodities that don't contribute to the progressively toxic state of our environment? Organic products--that is, matter grown, or fed 'without the use of (synthetic) pesticides, fungicides, or inorganic fertilizers, and prepared without the use of preservatives'-- are becoming increasingly widespread as the population learns more about the malignant effects of chemicals in our water, land, and air.

Pesticide-free cucumber, $1.49. All-natural lotion, $40. Sustainable cotton tee, $18. Alternately: One gallon of regular unleaded gasoline, $4. A bushel of corn, $6. 

It adds up, especially in an uncertain economy. So we forgo the 'unnecessary luxuries'; the earth can wait a while, perhaps until the sluggish dollar regains some vivacity. Certainly, we don't need to eat an organic strawberry when a conventionally grown one results in less pocketbook pain. 

Or do we? We need to evaluate: why do we want to help the environment? Earth isn't going anywhere; whatever damage, however heinous, we wreak on the landscape is not enough to wipe away the existence of a massive planet. But it is enough to efface humans from the face of the earth, to instigate the cellular and organ dysfunction that stems directly from pouring chemicals into the body. 

In essence, by trying to help the biosphere, we are actually attempting to assure the continued quality of our own lives. It is a closed system; we cannot survive without helping the earth, and the earth will decay if we don't start to take care of it.

Invest

 

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Update, 5/18

2 comments Posted by tina at 8:51 AM

Swim season is over-- it ended yesterday with the annual BBQ, which entailed amazing burgers and numerous awards, gifts for coaches and farewells to seniors. A bittersweet ending as usual. I can honestly say that the amazing passion of our coaches and the incredible camaraderie of our team made life worthwhile the past three months. 


But as with all good television shows, swim season takes a yearlong hiatus. And with this newfound break come different responsibilities. Because of the rigorous daily practices, I dismissed the notion of watching my calorie consumption, assuming that whatever ghastly foods I absorbed would 'burn' themselves off. I let my mom go off on her weekly hikes alone, and said goodbye to the gym and park. 

No more. Hello FitDay (a calorie and nutrient counter), hola elliptical, adieu rowing machine, zdravstvuite daily trials and tribulations. I've returned to the real world, where calories don't vanish by themselves and muscles atrophy. 

As the homebound contestants of The Biggest Loser know, falling into old habits is effortless. But once they realize that they are worth it, they make the choice to set a path where it is more difficult to veer off-- by putting frozen yogurt in the freezer, and weighing themselves every week. 

"Willpower is overrated," Jillian Michaels declares, "you eliminate the need for it by destroying the temptation."



 

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Update, 5/8

5 comments Posted by tina at 3:08 PM

This morning, I woke up at 7:30 am, exactly 30 minutes before the start of first period: obscenely late. Blinking in a combination of confusion and dismay, I hit (end) repeatedly on my cell phone, convinced that I must have, in my stupor, pressed some wrong button. However, upon stumbling reluctantly from a warm haven of down and cotton into the cold, hard kitchen, I found that about 40 minutes time had indeed vanished!


I had gone to bed approximately 35 minutes later than usual, around 11:38. This appears early, no doubt, considering that we, as participants in the modern rat-race, require extensive time and effort to achieve our numerous goals. It is not uncommon-- widespread, really-- at my school for students to sustain their studies and activities with fewer than 4 hours of sleep per night.

Nightly, without fail, I obtain at least 7.5-8 hours of sleep. A dearth of rest never makes it easy for me to focus completely in my endeavors, either physical or mental. I am quite aware that it is obvious that not everyone necessitates the same number of hours; after all, many very successful people are refreshed and function well with fewer.

However, it is not how many hours one gets that is important. We hopefully are already aware of the potential health effects sleep-deprivation can have (hormonal imbalances, mood shifts, etc.) through mass-media distribution, so that is not worth discussion. The real issue here is that the restless are not putting themselves as the highest priority. In order to achieve our objectives in life, we compromise our health-- eating on the run, skipping exercise, disregarding natural sleep patterns.

We make excuses: "Oh, I'm putting myself on the back burner because I'm helping others." Unfortunately, to help others to the best of our ability, we ourselves first have to be fit physically and mentally.

 

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Update, 4/26

6 comments Posted by tina at 2:09 PM

On Wednesday, April 30th, the annual WBAL and PSAL Championship Prelims will once again befall high school swimmers contained within these the South Bay private school leagues. For everyone on the team who has not yet qualified for CCS (Central Coast Section), this meet is crucial--it is not only the last all-inclusive meet of the season, but also the second-to-last chance to qualify.


Clearly, the pressure is on. And as with any other high-pressure situation, astute high school students find ways to gain an edge through preparation (the SAT comes to mind). Upon reflection, it may actually be the coaches who are zealously monitoring the food and sleep intake of the athletes. 

"Avoid all fatty foods," "Get plenty of sleep starting a few weeks before," "Plenty of vegetables and fruit," Bart reminds us, insisting that these temporary lifestyle changes will provide increased vitality and stamina.

It is this sound advice that all members of the team follow obediently as they bend over in the lunchroom to grab a banana, whilst sadly but willfully ignoring the titillating scent of the tray of curly fries. This small act of acesticism soon forgotten, the athletes (in the past) proceed to shave many seconds off their previous best times, and later reflect that eating well and sleeping are, in fact, advantageous. 

But after leagues, they restart pulling all-nighters and devouring pizza with ranch. After all, the goal has been achieved; the team has won. So they ask, "What's at stake now?" 

The answer? Your life.

 

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