Sticking To It

Have you ever set a fitness goal and then not stuck to it?  Well, you’re not alone!  Ideas that sound great from the comfort of your couch after a bowl of buttered popcorn, are not always the easiest ones to keep going with.  But the fact of the matter is you have to keep trying.  Giving up on being fit is the same thing as giving up on yourself – and that is simply not acceptable!  Here at KEWL, we’ve had our share of diets and exercise fads, and even when it’s hard to get back to work, we’re always happier when we do.  “If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again!”  It’s an old saying that is still around because it’s so true. 

So, what can you do to help you stay motivated?  Use any trick and every trick you can – whatever it takes to keep you trying.  Here are a few tips that we found helpful.

Set a goal. 

Be specific about your goal.  Do you want to be healthier?  That’s kind of vague, and it’s hard to stick to a half formed, hazy, foggy idea. Write it down and describe it in detail so it becomes crystal clear to you exactly what you want.  Then you can imagine it better and focus on making it happen.  Also, if it’s a big dream, set little goals on the way to the big one, so that you can really see and celebrate your progress!

Do your research.

It’s okay to dream big, but make sure you have a little reality check on how quickly you can expect to succeed.  It takes about 4 months to train properly for a marathon, and most things worth having take time.  Do some research to find out how long other people have taken to reach a goal like yours and what they have done to get there, so that you are prepared to put in the time and effort required.  Maybe you’ll even pick up a trick or two from them to help you along the way!

Repeat it often.

Research shows that people who remind themselves of their goals daily are much more likely to reach them than those who don’t.  Remind yourself each night before you go to bed, and if you write a note and stick it on the bathroom mirror, you can even start each day reminding yourself of what your goal is.  You could also write it in your locker, in your binder, and maybe even your notebooks.  In eastern religions they call a phrase repeated over and over to keep you focused on a specific goal a “mantra”.  If you turn it into a catchy phrase, you can even repeat it over and over while doing chores, riding the bus or waiting in a line!

Keep track of your progress.

Keeping a diary, and writing in it every day let’s you keep track of whether you are doing something each day to get you closer to your goals, and also to record if the work you’re doing is really bringing you closer.  Sometimes, something we are doing isn’t as effective as we’d like it to be, but if it’s not effective at all, you should give it up and try another way.  Writing things down and checking over them later will help you see where to focus your energy for the best results!

Don’t turn a slip into a stop.

Nobody’s perfect, and things aren’t always going to turn out the way you want them to.  You are only human, and you’re going to slip up or make a mistake.  The trick is not to let that stop you completely.  If you wanted to eat healthier, and just couldn’t resist that chocolate sundae, don’t fret!  Just get back on the program again right after – and stay strong after your treat.  There is a difference between slipping and falling down the whole mountain!

Practice ‘self-visualization’.

Find a quiet space every week or so, and imagine yourself achieving your goal as clearly as you can.  Add all the specifics and make it as real as possible.  Once you build the memory of already having achieved your goal, it won’t seem as impossible as it did before!

Team up.

If you can share your goal with a friend, do it.  Two people can help motivate one another when one person might be feeling blue and wanting to slack off.  If you can’t find a friend to work with you, then appoint a supportive friend who you allow to remind you of your goal when you are feeling weak.  And whichever way you do it, be nice.  It’s hard to be thankful to someone who tells you to put that brownie down, but you did ask them to help you! 

 We hope these tricks help you achieve your dreams! 

(photo: jzlomek/morguefile.com) 

Mental Fitness – Puzzles

Do you know the best way to keep your brain functioning at its absolute best?  By doing puzzles, of course!  Puzzles of all kinds are the best way to keep your mind fit and flexible and ready to take on any challenge, whether it’s in school, at home or life in general. 

When you start testing yourself with puzzles, you quickly realize that the fastest way to a solution is not always what would seem the most direct.  Crossword puzzles have you thinking ‘around corners’, going first for the obvious answer, and then looking at it from all sides and possible meanings, from puns and plays on words to other definitions of the same word.  Picture puzzles get your eyes looking for patterns in new and different ways, and Sudoku trains your logic skills!  - Sure, it uses numbers as symbols, but it’s not about math at all!

Puzzles teach you to look at things from more than one perspective, and see to them with many possible outcomes, which is super helpful in life.  I mean, would you rather read the same old book report, or one written in the style of the book’s author?  Or written from the point of view of one of the characters in the book?  Or even one that presents your opinion of what the book is trying to say?  These are the things that turn schoolwork, and grown up work too, into something truly interesting, that earns better grades, or even raises and promotions at work.

So go out and try some puzzles.  And just remember, anything new requires some work and guidance before you can get good at it, so be patient with yourself.  Not every puzzle fits every personality, so keep looking until you find the one that’s right for you!  Happy puzzling! 

Puzzling brain facts:

People who do puzzles live longer, more mentally active lives.

Doing puzzles actually stimulates your brain to create more connections (synapses) for faster and better brain function – Yep!  Doing puzzles actually makes you smarter!

(photo: Jane M Sawyer/morguefile.com)