by Michaela Blessing

Healthy Living

     Many students at Mooresville High School eat healthily and exercise regularly, but many students also do not. Different lifestyle choices can affect a person a great deal.

     Eating healthy can benefit the body both mentally and physically. Especially for someone who plays sports. At MHS, a great deal of students participate in sports, whether it be for the school or outside of school, eating healthy and exercising can influence the way someone plays in very positive ways.

     “I usually try to exercise six time a week by going to core each day. I separate my workouts into specific days where I work each major body part. I do chest and triceps on Monday, back and biceps on Tuesday, legs on Wednesday, and core everyday and then it repeats again so that it takes up six day. The best things to eat that I like is more natural and unprocessed foods. I try to always have a good source of protein to support muscle growth. Most importantly you should never skip meals because it won't help you except slow your metabolism,” sophomore Matthew Lowe said.

      Lowe plays soccer for the Junior Varsity school team. He has played soccer since he was six years old and has kept up his eating and exercise routine for four years

      Keeping a healthy lifestyle can also benefit someone who does not play sports. Eating healthily and also working out sometimes makes the body very happy. In fact, according to Webmd.com, exercising releases endorphins which interact with the receptors in the brain to reduce the perception of pain and also trigger a positive feeling in the body.

      “No matter how good the chocolate looks, always keep your goals in mind,” junior Madison Fox said. Fox exercises five to six times a week and she has been exercising for a year and a half.

      Even with busy schedules, students still find time to exercise and eat well. An important part of living a healthy lifestyle is eating well and knowing the good and bad effects of certain foods. Knowing the difference between healthy and unhealthy foods could really change the way the body feels.

       Cholesterol is a waxy substance that comes from the body and from the food that someone eats. Cholesterol itself is not bad, but bad cholesterol comes from animal produced products such as meat, eggs, and dairy products. That being said, there are benefits to eating these products and they do also have give good cholesterol. Limiting animal- produced products could benefit the body in a positive way.

       A study at Harvard University showed that milk and dairy products are not the best sources of calcium and that eating dark, leafy greens would actually be better. The reasons being that milk has a high saturated fat content and could possibly increase risk for ovarian cancer and prostate cancer.

      Many students are not aware of the effects of some foods. Although some food products have bad things about them, that does not mean that they are not good for the body. Meat is a very good source of protein for the body and supports muscle growth.

       “Upper body free-weights and cable machine every day, cardio when I have time. For my diet, high protein, low-carb, and I only eat when I’m hungry. I drink lots of water and have whey isolate around workouts. On Friday through Sunday I eat whatever I want. I like to go to the gym to get yolked,” Mr. Zack Weldon said.

       Mr. Weldon is a history teacher at MHS and has been working out on and off since he was in college. He also works out five times a week and has been working out frequently for one year now.

       Living a healthy lifestyle could affect someone's life in a very positive way by making a person feel more energetic and less groggy.

       A study on foodsafetynews.com shows that unhealthy dietary habits are killing more people a year than smoking is. It also shows that unhealthy dietary choices have killed more people in that past than high blood pressure, high body mass index, physical inactivity, high blood sugar, high total cholesterol, ambient air pollution, alcohol use, and drug use.

       Exercising regularly and eating healthily not only affects the person taking activity in it, but it also affects the people around them by being in a positive mood. Changing your dietary habits and your exercising habits to healthy ones could possibly change someone’s life for the better. It could also make one’s body more fit and healthy and put someone in a better mindset.