Allie\’s Comments

It is always good to try new things. This last semester in college I took a class called Pods, Blogs and New Media. The class taught me how powerful of a tool the Internet is for delivering information. I kept this blog for the class and had an opportunity to develop a podcast. My podcast is on the new Windows Vista operating system. I hope you enjoy it.

Trying and learning new things can be a great idea to build your self-esteem. I hope that all of you think of something new you can learn. I feel great now that I have accomplished my first ever podcast.

Self-esteem issues are caused by numerous ideas or thoughts in our environment. Some say they are too fat, while others say they are unwanted. We need to be very proud of who we are and what made us become what we are. If you have low self-esteem, it often takes time to improve it.

A bilingual girl became involved in activities and is under going therapy. She has made great improvements on her self-esteem. Angelica, the girl, is looking for a home. I’m sure at times she has felt unwanted and unloved. However, if you read her profile she seems like a spectacular young lady with lots of potential. I hope she finds a wonderful and loving home.

Remember, improvement takes time. Make sure you surround yourself with people who care. If you feel like no one cares, get involved and seek help.

The program Girls on the Run tries helping girls in grades three through eight. The program’s goal is to entice girls in being nice to one another and being healthy. The girls exercise and do different activities for 12 weeks. After the 12 weeks the girls run 3.1 miles.

I think this program is one great idea to help young girls. If you were to make a program for girls in grades three through eight what would it be? Please share your thoughts and I look forward to reading them.

There are many people who we meet throughout our lifetime. Some of which we stay in contact with and others whom we never see again. However, friends are very important people in our lives. Friends are people who we can celebrate the good times with and share the bad times with. It is very important to stay in contact with friends. That is why a new website has been developed. The website is aimed toward women and explains how out girlfriends make life better. The site also gives tips on how to enhance your social life and how to keep your friendship connections strong. Everyone needs good friends. Friends are important. Make some new ones and keep the ones you have.

The holiday season has finally arrived. It’s time for family, cleaning, cooking and eating. All though the holiday season is fun it can also be very stressful. I encourage everyone to help out in the kitchen. It is great bonding time and no one person should be left with all the work. Eat turkey, stuffing and of course pumpkin pie. I hope you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving.

Running seems to be a popular trend at the moment. Track jackets are now cool to wear instead of just runners’ gear. There are people that run every single day for cardio exercise. There are also those who participate in marathons. If you don’t run most people who do will normally invite you or encourage you too. The homeless are encouraged to run for the purpose of exercise and building esteem. However, is running healthy?

Positive ideas about running:
*It is exercise
*Gives you time alone to think
*Releases endorphins

Negative ideas about running:
*It is bad for women’s breasts
*It is not necessarily the best exercise to prevent heart disease
*It is bad for knees and feet
*Dehydrates the human body quickly

In some ways running can be a very positive exercise. However, in other ways it seems running puts wear and tear on the body a lot quicker than other exercises.

My father knew a 45-year-old woman who ran everyday and who was also a vegetarian. He describes her as a health-nut. She died of a heart attack at age 45.

I’m not going to discourage you from running. If you enjoy it I think you should do it. It is sometimes difficult to find an exercise that you enjoy. However, I do want you to know that running is maybe trendy but it is not the only exercise. There are many other exercises that give you time alone, that release endorphins and that help prevent heart disease. I encourage you to do the exercise you like best.

I don’t want to seem one sided by always talking about self-esteem issues with women. Today, I decided it was the men’s turn. Men go through self-esteem issues just like women. Here is some professional advice from Giorgio Armani. He gives 21 great tips for achieving style, self-esteem and success.

Stereotypically, women are known to love shopping. Buying that new pair of shoes or those cool designer pants makes us feel good about ourselves. Buying pretty panties and bras is always a treat.

However, I know that if you are a woman, chances are you have had a bad shopping day. A day where you go to the mall and you try everything on and nothing fits. It is either too small or makes you look fat. The shoes are too tight or the shirt is too big.

On those days, we can’t even buy bras. We try on a million different kinds but no matter what we do the bra just does not fit great. The straps fall down, or it does not cover everything or it makes your breasts look bumpy. It is depressing and it makes us feel subconscious. However, if you do have those days, don’t feel alone, most women do.

I’m sure we all wish that the perfect bra could be invented, so we don’t have to experience any bad bra-shopping days. However, bras have come along way in the last 40 years and I expect the improvements to continue.

Women deal with a lot of emotions. We feel bloated some days and other days we feel sexy. If you go shopping and you don’t find anything, don’t feel bad. It is not your body it is that your mind is not in the right place. To find things you like you have to feel confident. My recommendation is to shop when your mind is clear and when you feel good about yourself.

There are many reality television shows that have the goal to find the next big singing star. There are thousands of people who audition for shows such as “American Idol” with the hope to make it big. However, with success for few comes rejection for many. Many amateurs try out for these shows and are criticized harshly by people such as Simon Cowell. Cowell has been known to tell people they are awful at singing and even that they don’t have the right looks to be a successful singer. If you watch the try outs you can watch Randy Jackson and Paula Abdul chuckling at the applicant behind a thin piece of paper.

Some go to audition at these television events with confidence that singing is something they can do well. Then they get rejected and admit that it did not help their self-esteem at all.

Others go to the audition knowing they are good and get accepted. To get on to these television shows you have to have the talent. Not everyone does. However, I don’t think it is justified to put the individuals who have the misconception that they are talented on public television and then condone viewers to make fun of them.