Running head: PERSONAL ESSAY 1

Personal Essay

Student’s name

Institutional Affiliation
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Personal Essay

I am a junior majoring in Health and Physical Education, which has helped me in

understanding how to enhance my health and prevent various lifestyle diseases. I am currently 5

feet and 11 inches, and weigh 174 pounds. Based on these measurements, my body mass index

(BMI) is about 24.3, which falls under the category of normal weight.one of the factors that

allow me to maintain healthy weight is that I engage in several physical activities. I am a

member of the Boxing Club, and this has allowed me to be in constant practice. Boxing is an

ideal way of maintaining cardiovascular fitness, muscle tone, strength, and also aids in stress

relief. Physical activity in general forms part of my strategies of maintaining proper health.

Proper nutrition is another approach I use to enhance my health. I prefer home-cooked

meals, as it makes it easier to be specific about what is in my diet. Though I live in a dormitory, I

avoid ordering food from nearby restaurants. Instead, my meals come from home and are

prepared by my mom. She is not only a good cook but she is also aware of my nutritional

preferences. Therefore, she ensures that I get proper balanced meals. Considering that I engage

in a lot of physical activities, I understand that I have to take more calories to cater for energy

needs. Therefore, I strive to attain my recommended calorie intake as per my level of physical

activity, age, and metabolism. However, I prefer to take in healthier carbohydrates rather than

processed foods, as the latter would have a negative impact on my health despite being of caloric

value.

As of now, I am not concerned with my intake behaviors. I take about four structured

meals per day. This approach helps me to always feel that I have a full belly. As a result, I end up

avoiding indulging in unhealthy snacks such as pizza and French fries or overeating. Another

advantage of this eating frequency is that it gives me more opportunity to take fruits and
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vegetables while also balancing my dairy intake. On average I take about 2 cups of vegetables

and 1 cup of fruits per day as recommended by Meyers et al. (2006). As for dairy products, I take

about three servings per day with yogurt being my favorite choice. Besides, I do not have any

eating disorder. I am always cautious of behaviors and emotions that may lead me to develop an

eating disorder. For example, I avoid getting preoccupied with my body image, hoarding food, or

tolerating unusual food rituals.

Currently, I am content with my overall intake as well as my patterns of physical activity.

Physical literacy has helped me understand the patterns of activity that best suit me, and thus

produce optimum results in terms of health enhancement. Further, my current nutritional intake

has been working impressively in providing my body with sufficient nourishment when

maintaining healthy weight. Admittedly, a healthy diet can be expensive to maintain, with fast

foods often being cheaper and easier to access. However, I have not found myself in the

predicament of having to miss a meal due to lack of money. Therefore, my pattern of food intake

has remained regular for a considerable amount of time. Consequently, I do not intend to make

any changes to my diet and physical activity soon. However, in case of any changes to my body

that necessitate any adjustments, I will be open to such modifications to my training or dietary

habits.

The coronavirus disease pandemic has impacted my life from a social standpoint due to

the risks associated with interpersonal interactions. The limited human interaction was initially a

stressor for me and inconvenient because I am used to undertaking my boxing practice with my

friends. However, I have had to install boxing equipment in my living area to ensure that I

continue with my practice so as to maintain my activity levels. I have also created a schedule for

my inhouse practice to ensure that I do not fall back. I have had to become more purposeful
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about my fruit and vegetable intake, even though it was part of my diet all along. I include

vegetables in every meal and use fruits as snacks in between. Coronavirus disease has not had

any direct impact on my health, possibly because my nutritional intake and activity levels work

to build my immunity. Consequently, I do not plan to take the vaccine when it is made available,

as it may have some unforeseen effects on my health and immunity.

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Reference

Meyers, L. D., Hellwig, J. P., & Otten, J. J. (Eds.). (2006). Dietary reference intakes: the

essential guide to nutrient requirements. National Academies Press.