Sci241 Week 9 Final Project

Final Project Fitness and Nutrition

Jennifer McLeod

SCI241

10/30/11

Roberta Harbison

Final Project Personalized Nutrition and Exercise Plan

When this class began, I was resistant to taking it because I had already taken Health and Wellness last year. Now that this class has come to the end, I am grateful to have participated in it and learned from it. Since taking this class, I decided to schedule a physical with my doctor’s office and have a complete blood count (CBC) completed, as it had been awhile since I last had it done. As it turns out, my LDL cholesterol level is high, as are my triglycerides, and non-HDL cholesterol. The Mayo Clinic (2011) defines cholesterol as “a waxy substance that’s found in the fats in your blood.” This causes me great concern because heart disease runs in both sides of my family. Three of my grandparents have been affected by heart disease. My paternal grandmother had heart disease badly and had a pig valve transplanted into her heart. My paternal grandfather died of a heart attack, and my maternal grandfather had 95 percent blocked arteries and had a double bypass surgery performed.

Since beginning college last year, I have not been exercising nearly as much as I used to and my eating habits have gotten worse. I work full-time and am a single mother. I do not have the time to cook every day, clean house, do schoolwork, and sleep. I have to make concessions and trade many activities off for others, just to meet the most important obligations every day. I have set new nutritional goals and have begun exercising again to bring my cholesterol levels down naturally versus taking medication for it.

Nutritional Goals

* Stop skipping meals. Lately, eating enough food to meet my recommended daily allowances has been difficult due to economic and financial reasons. I find myself skipping meals sometimes so my child will have something to eat at a mealtime. Also, I prefer to sleep an extra half hour every...