Wednesday, April 15, 2015

Business Storytellers

Monica Lewinsky, most notably known for the 1998 sex scandal with former President Bill Clinton, expressed her concern and feelings regarding cyberbullying, compassion and empathy towards the victims of bullying, and the increase of suicidal ideation related to bullying. Until recently, she was absent from the world because of humiliation and depression and expressed that was a time when digital electronics were new in that era and how it was used to publicly expose her love and relationship with the president. Due to such exposure and humiliation initiated by the media, Monica developed strong suicidal thoughts, which caused her mother to monitor everything she did including taking a shower with the door open. Ms. Lewinsky expressed how the culture today changed to a numbness of human humiliation, which personally allowed a different viewpoint regarding her situation compared to the initial exposure.
This lack of compassion and empathy has transpired all over the internet and is now a major problem in today’s society affecting 43% percent of teens aged 13 to 17. Monica shared a story of an 18-year-old college male who was secretly videotaped having sex with another male in his door room by his roommate who posted the video on YouTube. The result of the humiliation and comments from the students caused pain so great within the male that he jumped off the Golden Gate Bridge to his death. This type of behavior must stop but it must start with the attracting audience with taking a few simple steps to prevent the bullying. Some of the steps to prevent cyberbullying of victims include the following: know it is not your fault, do not respond or retaliate, save the evidence, tell the people to stop, reach out for help, use available tech tools, protect your accounts, and take action. Applying these steps to cyberbullying will help eliminate the cruel behavior, but also could prevent people from taking their life.

Suicide is growing among teens and needs and can be decreased greatly based on the actions of others and the compassion and empathy for the victim. To help identify someone who experiences suicidal ideation, here are a few tips to help out: 1) they write about wanting to die or kill oneself, 2) they write about feeling hopeless or having no reason to live, 3) they write about feeling trapped or in unbearable pain, 4) they write about being a burden to others, and 5) the write about seeking revenge. Acknowledging these signs of people will not only help you identify with suicidal ideation, but also will prompt you to seek help for the person experiencing the pain and help save a life in the process.    

Sunday, March 8, 2015

The United States is perhaps one of the unhealthiest countries on the planet with millions of people suffering from all kinds of diseases including diabetes, obesity, food and mental disorders, and high cholesterol to name a few. March is an important month especially since it is National Nutrition Month, health and wellness needs to be the focal point towards living a healthier lifestyle. To expand on this concept towards a lifestyle change, consider the following topics as not only informational, but also educational and one-step closer to enjoying a much healthier life.

Children. Childhood obesity is a major concern in the United States with 16% of children ages 6-19 to be obese and that number grows rapidly every year. The effects of this massive epidemic causes serious health concerns for the children of the future and as they approach adulthood. Because of this ongoing disease, people are dying younger and younger every year instead of living up to the life expectancy projected from statistical data. Acknowledging this concern through a health and wellness program will help children who are obese to control their desire for food and pay more attention to their health. Obesity is not the only major concern of children in today’s society, diabetes is also affecting the youth of today. In a study of 11 to 17 year old children with diabetes, it showed a relation of health behavior especially with physical activity and eating habits compared to students who engaged in physical activity and less television and computer games. The study revealed that children who were more active in physical activity had a less chance of type 1 or 2 diabetes compared to children who less active. Addressing the issue through multiple nutritional values and activity that is more physical conducted in a health and wellness program will help more children live up to and exceeding their life expectancy through a healthier behavioral change.

Lifestyle. Changing a lifestyle is not acknowledging the disease that affects a life, but also the consumption of foods that contribute to the problem. In a study of 451 participants who practiced dietary intake of fastfoods, sugar-sweetened beverages, and snacks determined that the average male or female consumed an average of three times the recommended daily intake from these processed foods resulting in accelerated risk of obesity and hypertension. The wrong foods help contribute to these diseases and the multiple advertisements encouraging more consumption of these foods do not help. Incorporating a more staple diet with more nutrients and less calories will prove to separate a health and wellness company from a fast food chain through healthier eating. The vegan way of life is a solution to the overcompensated rush of processed foods and provides a healthier more staple diet without the associated diseases from fast food. A study revealed the benefits of a vegan athlete compared to a non-vegan athlete as showing higher oxygen intake, increased cardiac output under stress, and a higher anaerobic threshold. In addition, a vegan lifestyle change comes with no increased levels of disease such as diabetes, high cholesterol, or obesity. This lifestyle change is perfect for a health and wellness program and will show others not only how to get heathy through foods, but also educate others how to help others in the process.

Fitness. Making improvements to a lifestyle change involves preparing the body to react to the affections of food and disease through fitness. An estimated 60% of deaths in 2005 contributed to cancer, cardiovascular disease, chronic respiratory disease, and diabetes but through fitness such as yoga, the reduction of these diseases are great. In a study short and intense yoga training of 36 participants, yoga helped reduce body weight, reduced total cholesterol, and decreased waist and hip circumference. This acquisition of yoga would not only generate a solid client base interested in a healthier lifestyle, but would also help people in their quest physically. A far better and faster fitness activity involves running, which is an excellent way to maximize the health benefits of physical activity. Running provides greater results of 38% in men and 43% in women compared to other activities to reduce the use of medication for hypertension, high cholesterol, diabetes, and significantly lower body weight. The use of this physical activity in a health and wellness company would attract and attend to all ages.

Weight Loss Programs. Weight loss programs help individuals who struggle obtaining a healthier lifestyle on their own accord gain the confidence to become healthier eaters through instruction. Jenny Craig, one of the more famous weight loss programs, provides 1,200 to 1,500 calorie prepackaged entrees to provide a balance of carbohydrates, protein, and fat. The benefit of Jenny Craig involves up to an 8% reduction of body fat in six months compared to a regular weight loss consultation. The downfall of this product involves almost $15/day for meals, which can get quite expensive for the average consumer. On the other hand, Purium, is a 10-day transformation cleanse that produces results in just 10 days losing five to 20 pounds in that period and provides all the nutrients the body needs to survive and function. This amazing organic, green, vegan, healthy, superfood also helps people feel better, feel more energetic, and lose body fat much quicker but in a healthy way.  A cleanse helps the body to remove toxins incurred from the environment to remain healthy overtime. The addition of a product like Purium will show the benefit of detoxing in conjunction to the compliment it provides towards a disease free, healthy eating, physically fit lifestyle of a healthier life.