THANK YOU!

Parting is such sweet sorrow...but we have to close and say good-bye. This is the last and final blog posting for the Keeping it Real with Diabetes blog. We appreciate all of your comments and opinions about each of our events. Thank you for all of your assistance. Your comments have helped us to figure what would be the best routes to take to better our lifestyles. Also, we want to encourage you all to continue living healthy lifestyles of your own.

Although this is the end, I, Sommer Brooks, have learned quite a few things while posting this blog. First, I have learned that it is not as easy as it may seem. It is hard to attract others to a blog using just words, but I am extremely grateful for all of the people who were able to comment. I, also, noticed that diabetes is a condition that not a lot of people understand. I for one didn't truly know the impact nor the warning signs of diabetes and I was fascinated to find out that others sympathized with my thoughts. I have also gained a lot of good ideas from each blog comment posted. For my special event, I took a lot of your suggestions and put them to good use. I tried to spice up my menu a little for my luncheon because I noticed that commentators enjoy quick, tasty foods, but had concerns about their health. Overall, I enjoyed this new experience.

I, Ashley Palmer would personally like to thank each and everyone of our guest for their comments and participation in our (fictitious) diabetes events. I have used all of your comments opinions and questions to better my event and inform my public. Before this class I would not have incorporated blogging as a way to build fans, communicate, or get ideas, but this experience has been helpful and motivating. In conclusion to our blog I hoped everyone learned something new and is implementing some of our healthy life style tips. Our goal at my health fair was to get people aware of the symptoms so that they would go out and get tested. Since diabetes related deaths are so common amongst the African American communities, I wanted to help save lives. The first step is knowing the symptoms of diabetes in order to getting tested.

Hello Blogger's, It's sad to say that this is our last blog. I would like to thank each and every one of you for taking time out and supporting this blog site. Diabetes is a very important issue in the African American community and I have learned that it shouldn't be taken lightly. While I was preparing my event the "Tiger Fight: 24 Hours to a Healthy Lifestyle" I implemented many activities that would fit every walk of life for people with diabetes. One my goals was to encourage people that getting fit is fun! I took your suggestions seriously, because even though this was a fictitious event, I wanted to know what interested my public.Diabetes is a disease that can be avoided, if approached at an early stage, so I thought it was important to involve the youth in my festivities. To JJ#1, I would like to thank you personally for commenting on the site every week and giving us your opinion, it was refreshing to read your comments. I hope everyone that came in contact with our blog, took some valuable information from it and are ready to live a more healthy lifestyle. YOU CAN DO IT...

QUESTION? Was this site beneficial to you, and tell us what you have discovered about yourself while trying to live a healthy life?

DO YOU KNOW THE SYMPTOMS OF DIABETES?

Do you know if you have diabetes? If not, do you know the symptoms of diabetes? If you were a diabetic and didn't know it, would your current lifestyle be healthy for a person with diabetes? With over 5 million Americans unaware that they have diabetes, certain lifestyle changes could save your life. Being unaware that you have diabetes could lead to serous health problems and even death. A diabetic must always be aware of what they eat and how much they exercise. In order to get this message to the urban communities of Miami we are having a "The Be Advised and Know the Signs Health Fair".

"The Be Advised and Know the Signs Health Fair" will show the urban communities of Miami, the warning signs of diabetes, healthy eating, and good exercising tips. The goal of this event is to educate the urban communities about healthy living in an educational and enjoyable environment. There will be plenty of live music, food, games and prizes for the entire family.

Here some warning signs of diabetes:

1. Frequent urination and an unquenchable thirst.

2. Blurred vision.

3. Numbness or tingling in arms, legs or feet.

4. Extreme irritability and fatigue.

5. Unusual weight loss.


My question to you, is if you were unaware you had diabetes would your current lifestyle be a healthy one for a diabetic?

Be Careful What You...Eat!

Stop! Put that burger, those fries, that pizza, or cake down and LISTEN! Why consume food that you know you're not sure about? Yeah, it may be easier and cheaper, but honestly, these foods really aren't very healthy. I mean, come on. I know what your thinking: "Fast food equals more time to handle school, work or any other extracurricular activities." But why risk your health for the time?

I am organizing a wonderful (fictitious) luncheon that will be held at Bethune Cookman University and I am pretty sure the first thing that students will expect is chicken wings or hamburgers. But those foods will NOT be distributed at this luncheon. The goal of my luncheon is to inform students about the dangers of fatty foods, not feed them these foods. So at this luncheon (by the way, its called the "Get Close to your Glucose" celebrity Luncheon), we are only serving healthy foods. Again, I know what your thinking: "Gross, who wants to eat healthy?" But I assure you these foods will taste awesome. Some of the foods include Asian Vegetable salads, Lemon-Pepper chicken and Rice Pilaf . MMMMM! Yummy, right? And they don't take long to make. These are just a few easy-making foods that can tantalize your taste buds. Below I have included some other foods you should try.

• Curried chicken Salad
• Turkey or Chicken Gravy
• Collard Greens
• Grilled Chicken Sandwich
• Italian Chicken Salad Pita
• Mexican Pita Pile Ups
• California Sandwich

And Plenty of more recipes listed on dlife.com. Check them out!

Then tell me: What types of foods do you usually include in your diet that are considered healthy and how often do you eat them? If there is none, then do you think the foods I listed will become apart of your overall diet?

Is managing a schedule part of "Keeping it Real" while trying to live a healthy lifestyle?

The answer is YES! maintaining a healthy lifestyle takes planning, and for many students that may be complicated due to our crazy schedules. I have found if I plan my day out in advance, I'm more focused throughout the day, because I know what to expect. It's a good idea to keep a planner handy,because you can write down when to take a snack break or a good time for a short distance jog after classes. Personally I live by my little planner and think it is a good idea for every student to keep up with their activities, assignments and even a record of the foods you eat to keep with your daily diet. In order to live a healthy lifestyle, you have to want to change for the better.

Here are Some Quick Tips to Living a Healthy Lifestyle:
1.Everything should be done in moderation – eating, working, resting, playing, maintaining hobbies, socializing, and so on.
2.Exercise regularly
3.sleep for at least eight hours every night
4.Drink plenty of water, it hydrates your skin and is good for every organ in your body
5.Go for regular medical check-ups

How do you live a healthy lifestyle?

Love candy? Love starches? Well...So do we! But we are aware of diabetes and FIGHT the enemy with healthy living! Hello health lovers, we are team three, consisting of Sommer Brooks, Ashley Palmer, and Brittany Roberson and we have created a blog to inspire healthy living among HBCU campuses and their surrounding communities. As part of our PR Methods course at Florida A&M University, we are each planning fictitious events geared to HBCU's in Florida that are associated with diabetes. Each week we will be posting questions, thoughts, and encourage your opinions to find out how YOU feel about the subject.

Our Public Relations Methods course is a writing class designed to enhance our hands-on experiences with communication tools, which include how to construct media kits and event planning. The textbooks that are associated with our course are as follows:

• Pubic Relations Writing: Form and Style, 8th edition by Doug Newsom and Jim Haynes




• The New Rules of Marketing and PR by David Meerman Scott




• Writing PR: A Multimedia Approach by Meta G. Carstarphen and Richard A. Wells




• Strategic writing: Multimedia Writing for PR, Advertsing, Sales, and Marketing, and Business by Charles Marsh, David W. Guth, and Bonnie Poovey Short

These books are used on a day to day basis to sharpen our skills in the PR profession.

Hello, My name is Sommer L. Brooks. I am a fourth year public relations student from the beautiful city of Ellenton, FL. I am planning a diabetes awareness luncheon that I call the "Get Close to your Glucose"celebrity luncheon. My luncheon is in Daytona Beach, Fl at Bethune Cookman University. The luncheon will incorporate a few celebrities who are currently suffering from diabetes. I hope that these celebrities can give testimonials and incite on diabetes and inspire students to change their eating habits.

Hi, My name is Ashley Palmer and I am a Senoir Public Rlations student from Ft. Lauderdale Flroida. I am planning a Hip Hop Health Fair at Florida Memorial University in Miami, Florida. At this fair they will show young people healthy living tips such as diabetical care, the importance of exercise and how to choose the right foods. There will be free food, fun and games for all ages. Not to mention there will be a Hip Hop Raffel, some lucky family will win free health care for a year and stick around for a historical performance for a special, diabetic artist. This event is sponsored by the American Diabetes Association and they want to implement life long health care to all.

Hello Fellow Blogger's,
I am Brittany Roberson, a fourth year public relations student from Tallahassee,Fl. I am in PR methods this semester and as an assignment, our class has to successfully plan a fictitious event;mine is a 24- hour marathon which is focused on diabetes. The event will be held at Edward Waters College in Jacksonville,Fl "home of the tigers". I am very excited about this endeavor, planning events is something I have a passion for doing, as the summer progresses I hope to get a better grasp on the what it takes to make a good public relations practitioner and event planner. So if you have any ideas or just want to check up on my project, don't hesitate to comment. Have an awesome day!



As group three, we want to ask you: What kinds of foods do you eat on a day to day basis, if they are bad what can you do to change them? If they are good tell us how u changed them and what tips you have for others ?