This chapter was extremely in depth and provided large amount of information that I did not know previously. The first of these things that stood out to me was the increasing severity of CVD, or Cardiovascular Disease. I had previously know that CVD was the leading cause of death in the United States. However, I was shocked by the information that, “According to some sources, by 2035, nearly 45 percent of the U.S. population will have CVD” (Donatelle, 2019, p. 251). This surprised me because the section started off by saying that that death rate from CVD in the United States was on the decline in the past 10 years. On top of this, I also feel that our society talks about Cardiovascular health a great amount and people’s first instinct when it comes to getting in shape and/or working out often tends to be related to cardiovascular fitness. Despite this, it seems that we will have to improve upon our tactics to fight against CVD or else the future predicted by the above quote could become the reality.
The second thing that caught my eye in the chapter was the differentiation between different cancers. For example, Lung cancer is the most common among cancer-related deaths. This makes sense when we think about the tobacco problems in the country and in the world as a whole, among many other factors that may cause it. However, the thing that surprised me was that Breast Cancer, rather than the leading cause of cancerous death, Lung cancer, is the most common cancer. “Women have a 1 in 8 lifetime risk of being diagnosed with breast cancer. . . In 2017, approximately 252,710 women and 2,500 men in the United states will be diagnosed with invasive breast cancer for the first time” (Donatelle, 2019, p. 268). It is crazy to think about how common breast cancer is, especially compared to lung cancer, yet lung cancer kills at a higher rate.
The third thing that stuck out to me was Gestational Diabetes. We all know the obvious fact of the extra weight a woman takes on when pregnant. However, the fact that this can lead to diabetes is shocking. Gestational diabetes “is a state of high blood glucose during pregnancy, thought to be associated with metabolic stresses that occur in response to changing hormonal levels” (Donatelle, 2019, p. 278). Even more shocking in this subject is that “between 40 and 50 percent of women with gestational diabetes may progress to type 2 diabetes if they fail to make significant lifestyle changes” (Donatelle, 2019, p. 278). So, on top of the diabetes that occurs due to hormonal changes during pregnancy, women may also fall victim to type 2 diabetes if they do not immediately take up a healthy lifestyle again after the pregnancy.
In terms of my health aspect this week, I had a hard time progressing at all. I find myself enjoying running with all that is going on in the world rather than looking for massive improvements in my times. I know this should be considered a good thing, but I am having a hard time not getting on myself for not improving as much as I would hope. However, I am finding it a little bit easier to have a positive mindset when it comes to the enjoyment itself. I have definitely been distracted from running as much as I would like as well, as I have been again walking and playing with my dog as well as helping my dad with work around the house and yard. This week has been a positive one, but one that still comes with the usual struggles. Since I am having a hard time taking relevant pictures of myself(for obvious reasons) here is a picture of me and my dog after a nice, long walk this week.
BSU Health 102 - Kyle Rendon 