My name is Tanya Tompolski. I am just starting my 3rd year in Nutrition and Food Science, with a minor in Physical Activity. I am in my second year at the University of Alberta, having done a year and half at Grant MacEwan University a few years ago.
It has taken me some time to determine “what I want to be when I grow up”. While at Grant MacEwan University I attempted to pursue a B.Sc. degree with the hope of finishing with a degree I would like and could use. I quickly realized that without having a more specific end goal, the challenges and stresses of school would soon become too much to bear and not worth the hair loss! With this realization, I dropped out and decided to do some self-exploration. Up until this point, my uses of social media where quite limited to chatting on Facebook with friends about the latest gossip, or the cutest dress we saw at the mall. Little did I realize a whole other world existed!
I started planning a trip to Australia, and I tried reading all sorts of travel books; you would think this would get me excited...think again! I found them to be so very boring. Yes the activities and sites sounded cool, but there was a lot of irrelevant information for what I wanted to know and not know. Giving up I turned on my computer and starting googling (not sure if this is a actual word). Lone behold I found everything that I wanted to know and much more exciting “non-traditional” tourist things to do. And where exactly I found most of this information you may ask? Blogs! Reading other peoples actual experiences, their reactions, emotions, and opinions was 1. useful 2. incredibly interesting 3. I was able to comment on the blogs, ask a question, and most of the times received a response. I based a lot of the second part of my trip (1st part I was on an actual tour bus) on nifty things other people tried that sounded awesome...and I ended up doing a lot of things I would not have done if I just read a tour book.
Ever since being back home in Edmonton, Alberta and back at school, I found my use of social media to continue to grow, and now participating in ALES 204, I am learning how I can use it in an academic and professional manner.
I currently read a blog called Gluten Free Chickie. Anyone else with Celiac Disease? Check it out. She is a locally based blogger (St. Albert) and having Celiac Disease herself, writes about every possible celiac, gluten free topic you could think of. She answers any questions quickly, and contacts major food and drink companies regarding they're nutritional information when unclear and makes this information available to everyone. Definitely check it out! I think that it is pretty cool that she has made a job out of something that she is passionate about and that she cares very much to share the information and help others, as having Celiac disease completely can change your lifestyle and how your body responds to environmental factors as well. I know I have learnt a lot about the disease off her blog, and by reading other people comments, I have discovered that I am not the only one that faces challenges with symptoms that are not in medical books, or reactions from foods that I should react from - the disease is odd that way.
I would definitely like to provide support and knowledge and encouragement to my clients on a daily basis when I become a lifestyle coach in a couple years. Being able to interact with people consistently I believe is extraordinarily important to the success of individuals completely their goals. Words can provide a surprising amount of motivation when used in the right context. If I had a blog, I would be able to post an exciting activity for my clients to try to stay active, or a delicious healthy recipe, or a seminar I might be hosting or another professional that they should check out and the list goes on. I would also love to set up a channel on YouTube and make videos, because the majority of people now a day seem to be more visual. They rather watch and see in real time then read about it and attempt to visualize in their head. I could provide workout videos, stretching videos, link to other videos and or even how to pick out the fruit and veggies at the market...I only just learnt this summer! It can be hard to know if the fruit or veggie ripe or not ripe or if a fruit is completely out of season...so then you know that it probably hasn't been ripened naturally. Also knowing that you can contact someone without worrying about “disrupting” them with a phone call on a land line to their home, by blogging, tweeting, Facebooking, texting, and so on allows individuals to feel at a greater ease when wanting to get in touch - especially those that may be more timid than others.
Before ALES 204 I only had a Facebook profile; no Twitter, no blog, no LinkedIn, etc. I am now proud to say I have Facebook (still), Twitter & a blog! Twitter is taking some time to learn and understand but I am liking it so far, considering I was rather upset I had to start an account for this class. And I think blogging about what I learn will be fun! I found it neat when Dr. Laccetti shared with us that they have actually have scientific conferences over Twitter and anyone can follow along.
I look forward to ALES 204 and learning how to use all these “fun” websites for professional use
Follow me on Twitter: @TanyaRose02
Toodles till next time!
To see more about this course, visit:
http://linamhegberg.blogspot.com
Tanya,
ReplyDeleteI really like how you can use your knowledge and experience from Celiacs Disease to benefit your patients. You will play such a big part in contributing to community nutrition. I find that gluten free diets have become fairly popular recently, especially with the rise in obesity. It is good to know how you can get energy and the proper nutrients using foods without gluten. Maybe in the near future you can use your new found Twitter skills to tweet about good recipes and health tips for people with this disease.