Hang on to your toques - we're zooming down the hill toward the second annual "10,000 Kettlebells for Parkinson's" fitness challenge!
That's right. The Royal University Hospital Foundation is on-board, we've got the Kettlebells dusted off, and we hope You are all set to join us for our second annual challenge.
If you're new to this, here's the quick summary (you can read the earlier blogs from last year to get up to speed):
For the 28 days of February, we challenge you to choose some kind of fitness activity you would like to do, or would like to do more of. I (and some guest bloggers) will be blogging about experiences participants have had, at the end of February, we encourage you to make a donation to the RUH foundation to support Parkinson's research. Last year, just over $3400 was raised!!
I am really excited to share some of the stories I have heard from folks who participated last year, but the MOST exciting part is that many of them have kept it up! It has been a year of real learning for me, personally. I have had my own experiences with fitness activities - mostly ups but some downs - and I have learned so much on this journey. I have been inspired and challenged by many people. Hopefully, some of our stories will encourage, inspire and challenge you toward a lifestyle of wellness.
We are officially in count-down mode: T-Minus 23 days and counting. . .
Sunday, 8 January 2017
Sunday, 20 November 2016
What Are You Learning?
It is possible that my interest in learning stems from my experience as a classroom teacher. Or it may be that my interest in learning was always there, and it was merely reflected in the teaching. I suspect the second thought is more accurate. At any rate, I like learning and I am interested in how we learn. The wellness journey my family and I have been on over the past few years has highlighted the importance of learning about wellness - actively, and purposefully.
I believe we gain more than just information when we actively seek out new knowledge. We gain an entirely new (and improved) outlook on life in general and our own life in particular. I am convinced that we need to learn how to find good resources and become proficient at internalizing that information – whether by reading, watching a video, or talking to a coach or mentor. The more new information we can capture, the better. What I am really saying is that a significant part of our own wellness involves learning about a variety of things.
Through introspection, we can learn about our personal physical health, our stressors and de-stressors, and we can evaluate the progress we are making in our own personal wellness. Through other people - coaches, trainers, mentors, friends/family members - we can learn through their experiences and shared wisdom. Finally, through external resources - books, magazine and Internet articles, videos, etc. - we can choose from a virtually limitless range of specific topics.
What I'm driving at is this: you might learn helpful wellness things by accident, or by osmosis, but if you make it a priority to grow in what you know about your own wellness, I think you gain the ability to manage your own wellness over time. I personally know a number of people who have essentially reversed declining physical health and atrophy by leaving the metaphorical siding they were parked on and switching onto a main track where they are now testing the limits of a more active life. In fact, after nearly a year on this new track, one person I am thinking of still has not found their new "limits" - they continue to build endurance and strength, and to make progress. And that does not even begin to describe how their quality of life has improved.
Learning about your own physical status and making a plan to develop your personal wellness entirely lies within your power. Go for it! Be an active learner and become a student of your own wellness.
I believe we gain more than just information when we actively seek out new knowledge. We gain an entirely new (and improved) outlook on life in general and our own life in particular. I am convinced that we need to learn how to find good resources and become proficient at internalizing that information – whether by reading, watching a video, or talking to a coach or mentor. The more new information we can capture, the better. What I am really saying is that a significant part of our own wellness involves learning about a variety of things.
Through introspection, we can learn about our personal physical health, our stressors and de-stressors, and we can evaluate the progress we are making in our own personal wellness. Through other people - coaches, trainers, mentors, friends/family members - we can learn through their experiences and shared wisdom. Finally, through external resources - books, magazine and Internet articles, videos, etc. - we can choose from a virtually limitless range of specific topics.
What I'm driving at is this: you might learn helpful wellness things by accident, or by osmosis, but if you make it a priority to grow in what you know about your own wellness, I think you gain the ability to manage your own wellness over time. I personally know a number of people who have essentially reversed declining physical health and atrophy by leaving the metaphorical siding they were parked on and switching onto a main track where they are now testing the limits of a more active life. In fact, after nearly a year on this new track, one person I am thinking of still has not found their new "limits" - they continue to build endurance and strength, and to make progress. And that does not even begin to describe how their quality of life has improved.
Learning about your own physical status and making a plan to develop your personal wellness entirely lies within your power. Go for it! Be an active learner and become a student of your own wellness.
Tuesday, 11 October 2016
Intrepidus
Intrepid derives from the Latin word intrepidus, itself formed by the combination of the prefix in- (meaning "not") and trepidus, meaning "alarmed." [Excerpt from http://www.merriam-webster.com]
This week, I want to offer a new word to you, or, at least, to breathe some new life into an old word: Intrepid. The dictionary defines it for us, but we can really boil its meaning to not being too afraid to do things. If you are intrepid, you are not afraid to set out on a challenge. You might have fears, but they don't stop you from going out and trying things. Do you get that? It's not the absence of fear; it's the setting out in spite of your fears. Or misgivings. Or doubts. That's why you often see the word intrepid used to describe explorers and adventurers.
So why this word now? Fair question. Here's what happened. . .
I was putting together some goal-setting ideas for the blog when I was interrupted by the following email, from my Mom, Marilyn, who is just south of 80 and lives with Parkinson's Disease:
NEWSFLASH!!
THIS AFTERNOON I ARRIVED IN BRANDON (ON MY VIRTUAL WALK)!!!!
It took me 10 months and 10 days.
That is a 150-kilometer trek, by the way. Mom hasn't just kept up with her walking from the February fitness challenge, she has increased her pace and daily range. And, twice per week, she heads down to the gym for fitness classes.
I still stand by the goal-setting process, but it can wait a week. Intrepid adventurers and their accomplishments must be celebrated. So - Marilyn - CONGRATULATIONS on reaching Brandon in your virtual walk!!
What a great example of setting goals and knocking them off. One more goal achieved. I believe she was last seen heading east. . .
A final irony: when Marilyn reads this blog's title, she will immediately understand it - she knows Latin!
This week, I want to offer a new word to you, or, at least, to breathe some new life into an old word: Intrepid. The dictionary defines it for us, but we can really boil its meaning to not being too afraid to do things. If you are intrepid, you are not afraid to set out on a challenge. You might have fears, but they don't stop you from going out and trying things. Do you get that? It's not the absence of fear; it's the setting out in spite of your fears. Or misgivings. Or doubts. That's why you often see the word intrepid used to describe explorers and adventurers.
So why this word now? Fair question. Here's what happened. . .
I was putting together some goal-setting ideas for the blog when I was interrupted by the following email, from my Mom, Marilyn, who is just south of 80 and lives with Parkinson's Disease:
NEWSFLASH!!
THIS AFTERNOON I ARRIVED IN BRANDON (ON MY VIRTUAL WALK)!!!!
It took me 10 months and 10 days.
That is a 150-kilometer trek, by the way. Mom hasn't just kept up with her walking from the February fitness challenge, she has increased her pace and daily range. And, twice per week, she heads down to the gym for fitness classes.
I still stand by the goal-setting process, but it can wait a week. Intrepid adventurers and their accomplishments must be celebrated. So - Marilyn - CONGRATULATIONS on reaching Brandon in your virtual walk!!
What a great example of setting goals and knocking them off. One more goal achieved. I believe she was last seen heading east. . .
A final irony: when Marilyn reads this blog's title, she will immediately understand it - she knows Latin!
Tuesday, 4 October 2016
What Happens When You Set Goals
A few months ago, I put together a worksheet to help translate my fitness vision into short-term, medium-term, and long-term goals. Great idea, that worksheet. I basically forgot about it for a few weeks and my vision was just as blurry (well, the fitness vision), and my goals were more like a wishful thinking list.
So I pulled the worksheet out, got some feedback, and made a few tweaks. Then I tried it. There was no parade, and no heavenly choir sang. It was just a worksheet and I - well, I guess I just worked on it. It was not difficult, it was just work. And then my session was over and I stuffed the sheets into my backpack to take to work, in case I had a quiet lunch break one day. A few ideas were bouncing around in my head, but I was a bit disappointed that there had been no magical enlightenment.
What I did not realize then was that I had only started the process. The worksheet is just a paper; it is not the process. I realize now that, by sitting down with the paper and a pen and spending some focused time thinking and reflecting, my vision and goal thinking had been activated. Over the next few weeks, I became aware of specific goals that suddenly popped into my mind. I put these on sticky notes so I wouldn't lose them. When I sat down the second time, I had lots of goals and was able to organize them more coherently over time.
To me, the most interesting thing about the process so far is that the goals have led almost directly to specific workouts which are way more focused than anything I would have tried before. I'm not saying that YOU have to do my specific workouts, but what I discovered in my situation was that my goals led directly to the activities I am now planning to do. That is the takeaway, and why this basic process should be more or less universal.
So, what do we know? Well, thinking about your personal fitness/wellness vision and setting goals begins a process that allows those ideas to percolate. Over time - a month or so, in my case - you discard a few less important goals and identify other, more important goals. And these goals lead directly to some very specific activities or workouts which will propel you toward your goal.
What happens when you set goals, then, is that you are able to make thoughtful choices about specific activities. You are in a position to EXECUTE. That is half the battle. When you know what to do, all you have to do is do it. It is now in the hands of your self-discipline.
I hope you are willing to start a vision-casting and goal-setting exercise. The process will help you define where you want to go and how to get there. All you have to do is do it.
So I pulled the worksheet out, got some feedback, and made a few tweaks. Then I tried it. There was no parade, and no heavenly choir sang. It was just a worksheet and I - well, I guess I just worked on it. It was not difficult, it was just work. And then my session was over and I stuffed the sheets into my backpack to take to work, in case I had a quiet lunch break one day. A few ideas were bouncing around in my head, but I was a bit disappointed that there had been no magical enlightenment.
What I did not realize then was that I had only started the process. The worksheet is just a paper; it is not the process. I realize now that, by sitting down with the paper and a pen and spending some focused time thinking and reflecting, my vision and goal thinking had been activated. Over the next few weeks, I became aware of specific goals that suddenly popped into my mind. I put these on sticky notes so I wouldn't lose them. When I sat down the second time, I had lots of goals and was able to organize them more coherently over time.
To me, the most interesting thing about the process so far is that the goals have led almost directly to specific workouts which are way more focused than anything I would have tried before. I'm not saying that YOU have to do my specific workouts, but what I discovered in my situation was that my goals led directly to the activities I am now planning to do. That is the takeaway, and why this basic process should be more or less universal.
So, what do we know? Well, thinking about your personal fitness/wellness vision and setting goals begins a process that allows those ideas to percolate. Over time - a month or so, in my case - you discard a few less important goals and identify other, more important goals. And these goals lead directly to some very specific activities or workouts which will propel you toward your goal.
What happens when you set goals, then, is that you are able to make thoughtful choices about specific activities. You are in a position to EXECUTE. That is half the battle. When you know what to do, all you have to do is do it. It is now in the hands of your self-discipline.
I hope you are willing to start a vision-casting and goal-setting exercise. The process will help you define where you want to go and how to get there. All you have to do is do it.
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