Hi guys! Thanks so much for stopping by!
My name is Jessica Walters. I’m a proud Christian, nationally certified personal trainer and Harvard psychology graduate who is working to merge my three passions: faith, fitness and psychology!
My goal is to increase personal peace, health and happiness by promoting understanding of the relationship between the mind, body and spirit. Featured information encourages physical and spiritual well-being as an integrative treatment element in addressing obesity, depression and generalized anxiety disorders.
Prayers and Apples is divided into two main parts: the blog (full of fun posts, random pictures and easy-to-understand explanations of scientific research) and the research database (where you can search through hundreds and hundreds of mind-body-spirit related studies).
Featured blog posts can seem pretty random, including everything from how blueberries improve memory to bible verses – but they all have one thing in common: promoting exploration of the mind-body-spirit relationship! As a psychology student, I tailored my course load to reflect the interests that Prayers and Apples represents (with a strong background in ethical studies). A sample of completed classes includes:
- Mind, Brain, Health and Education (Dr. Stephanie Peabody, Dr. Kurt Fisher)
- Medicine and the Body in East Asia and Europe (Dr. Shigehisa Kuriyama)
- Medical Detectives (Dr. Shawn Murphy)
- Adult Development (Dr. Robert Kegan)
- Creativity: Madness, Genius and Harvard Students (Dr. Shelley Carson)
- Abnormal Psychology (Dr. Shelley Carson)
- Ethical Theory (Dr. Jeff McConnell)
- Social and Ethical Issues (Dr. Jason D’Cruz)
- Religion, Liberalism and Democracy (Dr. Jan Feldman)
- Religion, The Arts and Social Change (Dr. Diane Moore)
- Psychological Resilience (Dr. Shelley Carson)
- The Science of Physical Activity Applied to Health and Well-Being (Dr. Edward Phillips)
- The Science and Application of Positive Psychology (Dr. Stephanie Peabody)
- Evolutionary Psychology (Dr. Max Krasnow)
The following was created as part of the Prayers and Apples Indiegogo Project. Although the fundraising campaign has since closed, this video serves as a good summary of what Prayers and Apples is all about!
(To see the work that resulted from this project, check out: Depression Research Everybody Deserves to Know.)
I’ve also studied film production at New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts, as well as public relations at the University of South Carolina Honors College, Kent State Honors College and Westminster College (one semester each) – what can I say, I’m a bit of a free spirit!
In between college hopping, I love to have adventures! I don’t have Facebook, which is why you’ll sometimes see the occasional post about one of my crazy trips or haircuts (hence the random pictures to your left!). I also love music, so sometimes that finds its way in here too ;)
To get in touch with me, just fill out the form below (or email me directly at: jessicawalters [at] alumni [dot] harvard [dot] edu)!
Hope you enjoy! ♥ xo
I am new to your blog. You start off saying you are a “proud Christian.” I have always had trouble with that term. Does not the Scripture call us to be clothed with humility (1 Peter 5:5)? Can you give me any Scriptural example of the Lord telling His followers to be proud? I get being proud of my son, for example, for something he may accomplish. However, the object of my pride is my son not myself.
Hi Fred! Thank you so much for stopping by! I apologize if my wording was confusing, by ‘I am a proud Christian’ I mean: ‘I am proud TO BE a Christian.’ Like the example you gave of your son, the object of my pride is the Lord – not myself. (Much in the same way you might say you are ‘proud to be a father’ without implying anything about yourself, specifically, or your qualities as a father.) Surely, Scripture teaches humility – 1 Peter 5:5, as you point out, as well as: James 4:10 (‘Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up’) as examples. Regarding pride and the practice of faith, Matthew 6:16-18 specifically reminds us that when we fast, not to be like hypocrites who ‘disfigure their faces that they may appear to men to be fasting’ but to, instead, wash our faces and rest in knowing that ‘your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly.’ However, by saying ‘I am a proud Christian’ I am not making any claims on my own personhood, but rather expressing a joyful allegiance to God – confessing my faith, as it is written in Romans 10:9-10: ‘that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.’ In Matthew 10:32 it is also written, ‘Therefore, whoever confesses Me before men, him I will also confess before My Father who is in heaven.’ So while I strive to approach my own life (and the endeavors of this blog!) with humility (as Mark 10:45 reminds us: ‘For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many’), I am very proud to confess my faith. For it is written in Matthew 10:33: ‘But whoever denies Me before men, him I will also deny before My Father who is in heaven.’ I hope my explanation helped clear things up! I am proud TO BE a Christian – but certainly agree with you about the perils of pride in and of itself! Thank you again for writing, and I hope you will continue to explore new articles! :)
Hi Jessica,
Just found your website, great information and I love the layout. I’m a proud Christian also and do not apologize for it! Keep up the great work!
Kelly
Thanks so much Kelly! I’m not much of a computer person, so the layout took a while! lol :) Glad you found the blog! :)
Hey! Thanks for the note! I am just seeing it now and it appears I cannot reply through that feedback thing. Sorry about that : )
Your welcome! Really enjoy your blog! :)
Hi,
I love your site and the effort you put in it. This info is so valuable and such a great & fast resource. I’m so happy I stumbled upon it. And you seem like such a driven and successful girl, very inspiring! Thanks again. I’ll be back! :)
Hi Olgy,
Thanks so much for your kind words! So glad you like the site, look forward to having you back! :)
good morning on this beautiful friday! I wanted to thank you for your great advice on remembering the compensations. Not only did I memorize every compensation and corrective strecth/exercise, I know for sure I answered every question about the assessment chaper correctly. I am happy to report that as of 4/30/14, I am a NASM certified personal trainer. Hard to believe that last January of 2013 I was 450lbs. I made small changes like not drinking soda, portion control, and getting up more, I lost 17lbs by myself. Feeling like I needed more help, I seeked out a personal trainer to show me how to exercise. I began exercising on 5/28/13, at 433lbs. As of 5/02/14, almost a year later since exercising, I have lost 158lbs, lost 6 pant sizes & 3 shirt sizes, can do a pushup, can jog a 5k, and now a personal trainer. Crazy that last January I only dream of being 260lbs (my goal) and I’m only 13lbs away! Funny how much life can change in year’s time.
Congratulations!! What an INCREDIBLE success story!! :) :) Thank you so much for sharing – your journey will definitely inspire others! And I’m so glad the compensation study tips worked (sometimes my ideas sound a lil crazy! lol). I’m just re-reading your comment again and in total awe of how quickly you accomplished so much! WOW – totally speechless :) CONGRATULATIONS!! :) Hope you have a wonderful weekend – and best of luck with your new career as a NASM-certified personal trainer!! :)
Love your mix of research and blog! Such a great idea! I’m sure I’ll be referencing this in the future :) Thanks for all your efforts!
Hi Dawn, Thank you so much! I jumped over to your blog… and I love the Rainbow Fitness Flower! :) Looking forward to talking more down the road.. All the best! xo :)
Jessica! I feel like i absolutely have to inform you how inspiring it has been for me, stumbling across your website. As of right now, i am in the middle of my college years and I’ve become impatient trying to find myself. I so admire the way that you put your positive energy, seemingly-limitless knowledge, and desire for adorable visuals all on the same page! Your website is one that every girl should read, even the ones who don’t even like to read that much. (like me) Today i needed the reminder that constant smiley faces, even in text form, are possible and can even bring joy! I thank you so very much for putting the :) :) :) :) :) :) :) great big smile on my face today.
With utmost sincerity, from an artificially-blonde gemini with repressed positivity in her thousand-personality head
Hi Rae!
Thank you SO much for your kind words – I’m so happy you enjoy the site (your comment made my day!). Wishing you continued success – and plenty of smiley faces! – as you continue on with college :) ENJOY! And thanks again for reading! xo Jessica