Food journal reflection

In our health and fitness class, we kept a food journal for two weeks and wrote down everything we ate, as well as our physical activity. Because I have been part of Weight Watchers since August, I already had experience doing this and knew its value. I knew that writing down what is eaten also makes one more aware of the quantity eaten, especially regarding snacking. A taste here or handful there adds up. Because I had reached my weight goal before this activity, I continued maintaining my weight loss and succeeded. My written goal was to exercise for three to four times a week for at least 30 minutes at a time. The irony of this is that I have been a regular jogger for the last thirty years, but the schoolwork this quarter has kept me busier than normal and reduced my jogging time. Because of this, I have tried new methods to keep active, believing that any action is better than no action. One way I changed was to do some of my required readings while walking my dog. I found securing them to a clipboard helps, especially when windy. I glance up frequently to avoid accidents and have found that this also helps my comprehension, as I am less likely to get sleepy while reading when walking. I usually read for about an hour at home, head out to walk and read for the next hour, and then read the rest when I return or save it for a later time. It has helped me to stay active and achieve my goal.

I can see myself in the future assigning my students to keep a similar food/fitness journal and encouraging them to think about what they are able to do and do it. If I do not have dedicated time to teach health, I could use this as an interdisciplinary activity. For science, I would suggest they take hikes or walks with their parents so they can draw pictures of wildlife and nature and write about their observations or learn the names of local flowers and trees. For creative writing, they could write imaginary stories of the wildlife they observe, such as a day in the life of a squirrel or bird. Even math can include a neighborhood walk to find different geometric shapes, such as people’s houses and yards, or estimate the percentage of a house in relation to its yard. If journals are kept for a month or longer, one can concentrate on long-term goals and their progress. For instance, if one could do five push-ups, that child might work up to doing twenty after a month. The teacher should help the child determine reasonable goals and approve them before the child begins. These should also be pre-approved by the parents. Whether they walk their dogs, ride bikes, play sports, or take walks with their family or friends, I’d teach them what I have observed, that physical activity increases cognitive performance.