Watch Your Step

It's been a long run, guys. I'm sad to say that this will be my last blog post since I will be heading off to college soon (and Google Reader is shutting down :/ ). Chances are, if you are reading this blog, you are an active user of social media and you communicate with others in some way, shape, or form. Hopefully you've gained something valuable from following all my blog, but I'd like to leave you all with 3 rules to guide your future as powerful leaders in the social media world.



Rule 1: If it's too good to be true, it's usually too good to be true

If you don't know what I'm talking about, you might want to reread my post on Manti Te-O for a bit of a refresher.
Most of us can tell apart the Chase Bank impostor asking for a social security number from the actual bank asking to verify previous transactions. Obviously, stay away from spam, scams, and the like, but what's more important is that you judge people on more than their profile picture or social media activity. As I will be attending Northwestern University in the fall, I've been actively looking for a roommate. After posting my bio on the roommate page, one kid messaged me who I thought seemed pretty cool. But I met up with him at a business competition in California and my initial impressions did not exactly hold true. However, recently I found a roommate who shared similar interests to me, but when we met up in person I knew he was a perfect fit. So lesson to be learned, it's better to doubt everything than accept everything as the truth.


Rule 2: Balance your real time and your fake time

At the risk of sounding cliche, I'm not going to preach how it's important to make time to see people face-to-face or read the newspaper. Some people read Reddit or Twitter like it's the Bible, as if some how the random disjointed posts or tweets somehow fill in all the hidden cracks in your knowledge that the NY Times could not. I'm a strong believer that the greatest things in life are our relationships with other people, and these virtual relationships simply don't cut it. Touch, smell, sight, emotions. These things help form memories of those important to us in our lives. While iPhone's FaceTime or Skype allows us to communicate, it is impossible to involve these other powerful senses.


Rule 3: Let the force be with you


As much as you should be cautious of social media and communication, my final point is definitely to remember that these tools can be agents of change. Internet has become the first communication method that allows groups of people to communicate with other groups of people. If you're passionate about an idea (see my blog on gay rights), make it known. Use the small sphere you've created in the social world to spread your ideas and ambitions. My dream is to one day start my own business, and I've been absolutely amazed at a website called Kickstarter which helps young minds with creative ideas receive funding to start a business. With high speed communication, ideas travel faster and farther. It seems foolish to let that go to waste.

What's On Your Plate?

Everyone has something that makes them irk, something they wish they could change which seems out of reach. For me, that is nutrition and healthy eating. Ironically, I was a chubby child for a lot of my life. In 8th grade I decided it was time to change. I started working out, eating healthier, and playing competitive tennis. And my freshman year of high school I joined the swim team. Today, when I look back I can say I'm proud of how far I've come, and I've promised myself I'll stay active and healthy as long as I can.

But what really irks me is that not everyone sees the value of healthy living. A huge hypocrisy exists in spending tons of money on junk food and then subsequently spending tons of money on fitness centers, therapy, and even bariatric surgery if needed. As part of a community service project, I wanted to make a small impact on the local community and try to set fellow high schoolers in the right direction.

I set up a meeting with the director of the local YMCA, and she directed me to a website called myplate.org. Most of us are used to the USDA's food pyramid from 2005 on the right. To make a point, the USDA added a staircase on the left hand side, implying that routine exercise is a crucial part of healthy living.

In 2011 USDA updated their food scheme once again, this time straying away from the notorious pyramid. The new food plate emphasizes portion sizes. Although Americans may feel as if they're getting a share of each of the different food groups, this often happens at the cost of overeating. Take a minute and take this fun Portion Distortion Quiz, it'll really open your eyes as to how much portions have changed in the last years.

My biggest concern is that after students leave middle school or high school, they no longer are required to take health classes. While they seem trivial at the time, I've talked to many adults who are currently struggling to lose weight, and they all say the same thing. They wish they were
more conscious of their diet at an early age.

Another thing I've noticed our eating habits are often a consequence of our environment. My school Glenbrook North tried implementing a healthy salad bar station in a side corner near the lunch room. After a year, they realized it was not very profitable, so now it works on a rotation with an ice cream stand. This brings up the classic controversy of prioritizing money before health. It's hard to justify paying the extra money to buy a mango instead of fruit snacks, because we simply can't see the effects of it for years to come.

Anyways, for my action project I set up a booth outside the cafeteria and sold bowls of pineapple and canteloupe for $1 each. In total, I raised $35, which I promised to donate to the Eat Right foundation. In addition, I gave out handouts with healthy eating tips that I reproduced from MyPlate.gov. I was surprised at how many people took an interest in it and took one of the flyers. Yet, my action project turned out to be a bit of a social experiment, as another club was selling Viccino's pizza right next to me. And they sold about $200 worth of pizza. From a purely economic standpoint, fundraising goes a lot better when you're selling baked goods or pizza, iconic American junk foods that makes kids' mouth water and compel them to drop a few dollars without even asking the name of the charity the money benefits.

Now I know many of you have seen movies like Super Size Me or Food Inc. But I'm not here to tell you that fast food is bad. My main point is to balance your vices and reward yourself. Don't sit in front of the TV or computer chowing down on Cheezits. Instead, if you worked out today, maybe reward yourself with a handful of chocolate dipped pretzels or what not. If you teach yourself to eat things in moderation, you'll learn to control your diet much better. I encourage you to set one goal for yourself for the next month. My goal last month was to drink soda not more than once a week. Once you start on the right path, each successive step becomes slightly easier. It's these small steps that promote, not immediate weight loss, but instead long term healthy living. Try it!