Rounds 17 – 20 cover Service and Sprituality.
As we near the end of the 2009 Health and Wellness Challenge, it is time to turn our attention toward matters of the spirit. In her book “Quantum Wellness” (which has served as a loose guide for the Challenge) Kathy Freston says,
“Body, mind, and spirit all work together to create wellness.” (p. 12)
Much of this has to do with expanding our perspective beyond our personal world. Freston states,
“It’s all too easy to get caught up in life’s little dramas and forget about the big picture, but when you reach out and help someone, you feel your sense of purpose and mission kick in.” (p. 41)
The easiest way to broaden your world view is to do something for someone else. Freston tells us we can start small, with almost anything: “Help your nephew tie his shoe, tell a friend why you think he is wonderful, feed the parking meter or pay a toll for someone you don’t even know; all these things will make you feel good about yourself. You will feel alive and useful…by being the Healer for someone else, you will realize the power you have and can begin to use it on yourself.” (p. 171)
As Mahatma Gandhi said, “Be the change you want to see in the world.”
How do we do that? A good place to start might be to try just one of the suggested activities in the book “Me to We: Finding Meaning in a Material World” by Craig Kielburger and Marc Kielburger. Check out their website at: http://www.metowe.org/
The authors call Me to We a “life philosophy…a way of living that feeds the positive in the world – one action, one act of faith, one small step at a time. “ Here are some activities suggested in different sections of the book:
*Make a mentor’s day. List the mentors you’ve had over your lifetime. Did a teacher believe in you? Did a colleague give you good advice at a critical moment? Take the next step and thank each person on your list for the difference they’ve made in your life.
* Fill a pocket full of love. If you are a poet, a teller of jokes, or simply a kindhearted soul, sneak a note into the pocket of a loved one who hasn’t been feeling well lately.
*Host a movie night with a message. Raise awareness about an issue affecting our global community by gathering family or friends together to watch a movie about a world issue. When the movie ends, talk about it. For the adventurous, bring food or music from that part of the world. (A few titles to get you started: “City of Joy”, “Salaam Bombay”, “Hotel Rwanda”, “The constant Gardener”.)
*Buy nothing for a week. Commit to going an entire week without buying anything that you don’t absolutely need. Rely on your own resources. Celebrate the fact that it’s possible because we’re already blessed with so much.
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
Monday, September 14, 2009
Last Fun Round-Up
We have reached Round 16, the last round of fun activities, September 17 to September 30.
First, a game to ease you into the fun:
Draw-It, an online interactive real-time Pictionary type game. It's addictive!
Hobbies provide people endless hours of fun. Not sure what to take up? Go to Discover a Hobby, the Internet's ultimate guide for finding and starting a new hobby! Here you can find out how to start any hobby, where to find free online lessons or regular lessons in your area, free online instructional videos, and the best beginners equipment, books, and videos.
Finally, if you are serious about having some fun, please check out The Happiness Project. Writer Gretchen Warren has been spending a lot of time thinking about how to make her life happier. She encourages everyone to start their own Happiness Project too, and her blog is chock full of ideas and tips to get started. She describes a Happiness Project this way:
"A “happiness project” is an approach to changing your life. First is the preparation stage, when you identify what brings you joy, satisfaction, and engagement, and also what brings you guilt, anger, boredom, and remorse. Second is the making of resolutions, when you identify the concrete actions that will boost your happiness. Then comes the interesting part: keeping your resolutions."
Her blog posts cover all sorts of topics. Be sure to read "Sixteen Tips to Feeling Happier at Work". Ms. Warren also has a book about The Happiness Project, due out in December 2009.
First, a game to ease you into the fun:
Draw-It, an online interactive real-time Pictionary type game. It's addictive!
Hobbies provide people endless hours of fun. Not sure what to take up? Go to Discover a Hobby, the Internet's ultimate guide for finding and starting a new hobby! Here you can find out how to start any hobby, where to find free online lessons or regular lessons in your area, free online instructional videos, and the best beginners equipment, books, and videos.
Finally, if you are serious about having some fun, please check out The Happiness Project. Writer Gretchen Warren has been spending a lot of time thinking about how to make her life happier. She encourages everyone to start their own Happiness Project too, and her blog is chock full of ideas and tips to get started. She describes a Happiness Project this way:
"A “happiness project” is an approach to changing your life. First is the preparation stage, when you identify what brings you joy, satisfaction, and engagement, and also what brings you guilt, anger, boredom, and remorse. Second is the making of resolutions, when you identify the concrete actions that will boost your happiness. Then comes the interesting part: keeping your resolutions."
Her blog posts cover all sorts of topics. Be sure to read "Sixteen Tips to Feeling Happier at Work". Ms. Warren also has a book about The Happiness Project, due out in December 2009.
Monday, August 31, 2009
The fun Continues...
We are up to Round 15, September 3 - September 16. As we bid summer good-bye, here are some new suggestions for adding fun and creativity to your days:
The January 2009 Women's Day had some neat ideas for having fun:
*"Hide and Seek" - On separate pieces of paper, write down 15 fun things you've always wanted to do. Now put each sheet in a different spot: between the pages of a book you want to read, tucked in the back of a kitchen cabinet, between the towels in your linen closet, in the pocket of a pair of jeans, etc. During the year, whenever you come across a note, do whatever it says.
*Host a Closet Raid - invite friends over and ask them to bring clothes they are willing to part with. Go through your clothes and select some too. Then have a clothes swapping party.
*Put your right brain to work. Create your own artist's wall. Grab a camera, go outside, and snap whatever moves you. Hang the best shots, rotating in new ones every few weeks.
The January 2009 Women's Day had some neat ideas for having fun:
*"Hide and Seek" - On separate pieces of paper, write down 15 fun things you've always wanted to do. Now put each sheet in a different spot: between the pages of a book you want to read, tucked in the back of a kitchen cabinet, between the towels in your linen closet, in the pocket of a pair of jeans, etc. During the year, whenever you come across a note, do whatever it says.
*Host a Closet Raid - invite friends over and ask them to bring clothes they are willing to part with. Go through your clothes and select some too. Then have a clothes swapping party.
*Put your right brain to work. Create your own artist's wall. Grab a camera, go outside, and snap whatever moves you. Hang the best shots, rotating in new ones every few weeks.
And on the Web...
Here are some staff favorite sites for fun.
*Nancy V. claims she learned about these web sites in Cataloging class!
For cat people: http://icanhascheezburger.com/page/2/
For dog people: http://ihasahotdog.com/page/2/
*Wordle - Wordle is a toy for generating “word clouds” from text that you provide. The clouds give greater prominence to words that appear more frequently in the source text. You can tweak your clouds with different fonts, layouts, and color schemes.
*Visit Learn Something Every Day The whimsical drawings of trivia from the sublime to the scary to the ridiculous are endearing.
* Explore Invention At Play, a site devoted to highlighting the importance of play in fostering creativity and inventiveness.
Saturday, August 15, 2009
More Fun Activities to Explore
Round 14 (August 20 to September 2) continues to explore having fun. Some activities to sample include:
1. Taking time to smell the roses. Lifedev is a blog full of tips, tools and resources that can give you insights into ways you can improve your work and your life. Take better breaks is a collection of posts devoted to the art of recharging by taking a time out from your busy day.
Looking through my Delicious bookmarks (see the OCL Web Challenge) for more fun activities, I found some more fun things to do:
2. Six Word Memoirs from Smith Magazine. Can you sum up your life story in six words? That is the challenge on this web site. It was so successful that it was made into a book. Go ahead and try it, and share your memoir in the Comments.
3. Facebook is a great way to connect with old and new friends and family. A recent study said that checking social networking sites like this at work actually increases productivity! While the jury may still be out on that issue, it is still a fun way to reach out and socialize.
4. Guess-the-google is an addictive guessing game based on Google's image search. It turns the mental activity of searching into a fun, visual and engaging game where people can enjoy the challenge of being the fastest and most efficient at making that connection between search terms and their results
5. Freerice is a fun free vocabulary game. The website states: "For each answer you get right, we donate 10 grains of rice to the United Nations World Food Program. "
1. Taking time to smell the roses. Lifedev is a blog full of tips, tools and resources that can give you insights into ways you can improve your work and your life. Take better breaks is a collection of posts devoted to the art of recharging by taking a time out from your busy day.
Looking through my Delicious bookmarks (see the OCL Web Challenge) for more fun activities, I found some more fun things to do:
2. Six Word Memoirs from Smith Magazine. Can you sum up your life story in six words? That is the challenge on this web site. It was so successful that it was made into a book. Go ahead and try it, and share your memoir in the Comments.
3. Facebook is a great way to connect with old and new friends and family. A recent study said that checking social networking sites like this at work actually increases productivity! While the jury may still be out on that issue, it is still a fun way to reach out and socialize.
4. Guess-the-google is an addictive guessing game based on Google's image search. It turns the mental activity of searching into a fun, visual and engaging game where people can enjoy the challenge of being the fastest and most efficient at making that connection between search terms and their results
5. Freerice is a fun free vocabulary game. The website states: "For each answer you get right, we donate 10 grains of rice to the United Nations World Food Program. "
Tuesday, July 28, 2009
Time for Some fun!
Round 13, from August 6 to August 19th
The next four rounds focus on fun activities.
What's so healthy about fun?
In her book, "Quantum Wellness", Kathy Freston writes, "...I can't imagine being well without having any fun. Fun activities, whatever they might be for you, bring levity to your life. They loosen up your energy and bring in optimism. They remind you that life is meant to be joyful." she continues to say, "Sometimes when you are trying to work on your health, you forget that the most important thing is to love life."
Kathy Freston's challenge to us this round is:
"Plan a fun activity - it gives you something to look forward to and then a precious memory to look back fondly on."
Her suggestions for putting a little fun in your life every day include:
*Go out dancing
*"Lose yourself" in your hobby of choice
*Play with your kids or run on the beach with your dogs
*Drive in your car and blast your favorite songs. Make sure you sing along!
*Watch a funny movie. (Please share your favorites with a post in Comments!)
Here are some other suggestions for having fun:
Visit fun SFW (Safe For Work) web sites. I have a category on my bloglines called "For Fun". Whenever I need quick pick-me-up, I take a look at:
Cake Wrecks - "When professional cakes go horribly, hilariously wrong"
Flickr feeds - Larry Meegan's photostream - look for the button that lets you subscribe - if you use bloglines, the photos will be sent to your account. Larry takes photographs of many major library events. It is always fun to find familiar faces and to see so many people enjoying the library.
Do you have a favorite fun website that you would like to share? Please add it in the Comments.
The next four rounds focus on fun activities.
What's so healthy about fun?
In her book, "Quantum Wellness", Kathy Freston writes, "...I can't imagine being well without having any fun. Fun activities, whatever they might be for you, bring levity to your life. They loosen up your energy and bring in optimism. They remind you that life is meant to be joyful." she continues to say, "Sometimes when you are trying to work on your health, you forget that the most important thing is to love life."
Kathy Freston's challenge to us this round is:
"Plan a fun activity - it gives you something to look forward to and then a precious memory to look back fondly on."
Her suggestions for putting a little fun in your life every day include:
*Go out dancing
*"Lose yourself" in your hobby of choice
*Play with your kids or run on the beach with your dogs
*Drive in your car and blast your favorite songs. Make sure you sing along!
*Watch a funny movie. (Please share your favorites with a post in Comments!)
Here are some other suggestions for having fun:
Visit fun SFW (Safe For Work) web sites. I have a category on my bloglines called "For Fun". Whenever I need quick pick-me-up, I take a look at:
Cake Wrecks - "When professional cakes go horribly, hilariously wrong"
Flickr feeds - Larry Meegan's photostream - look for the button that lets you subscribe - if you use bloglines, the photos will be sent to your account. Larry takes photographs of many major library events. It is always fun to find familiar faces and to see so many people enjoying the library.
Do you have a favorite fun website that you would like to share? Please add it in the Comments.
Thursday, July 16, 2009
Moving Right Along
Round 12 - July 23 to August 5
Congratulations! You have made it to the last exercise round! So, if you have an exercise routine, but are wondering what else is out there, here are some suggestions for adding variety to your usual workout:
1. Want to try swimming, but don't know what to do? Brendan Hansen, Olympic gold medalist, captain of the 2008 Beijing Olympics U.S. Swim Team and Director of Training & Performance for PureSport, designed this moderate swim workout .
2. If you are wondering if your workouts are overlooking a certain aspect of fitness, like strength or flexibility, check out: Outside Magazine's Fitness Challenge .
3. Outside Magazine also has a helpful article on fitness for improving skeletal system health:
Exercise for strong bones .
4. Many everyday activities burn calories, so if you can't make it to the gym, plug in the vacuum!
5. Quick Tip - log your workout on a calendar.
6. And finally, Donna at Manchester designed the following 30 Day Fitness Challenge:
This 30 day exercise challenge is a solid commitment to yourself to take one step forward each day to improve your health. The goal? A healthier YOU by the end of the Challenge.
You Pick your type of exercise and mix it up with variety.
1. Commit to doing exercise for 30 Days
2. Build in rest days 1-3 days per week
3. Plan a variety of activities to always have options
4. Increase your time/reps each week
5. Post your result daily after exercise
Good luck, and remember to just keep on moving!
Congratulations! You have made it to the last exercise round! So, if you have an exercise routine, but are wondering what else is out there, here are some suggestions for adding variety to your usual workout:
1. Want to try swimming, but don't know what to do? Brendan Hansen, Olympic gold medalist, captain of the 2008 Beijing Olympics U.S. Swim Team and Director of Training & Performance for PureSport, designed this moderate swim workout .
2. If you are wondering if your workouts are overlooking a certain aspect of fitness, like strength or flexibility, check out: Outside Magazine's Fitness Challenge .
3. Outside Magazine also has a helpful article on fitness for improving skeletal system health:
Exercise for strong bones .
4. Many everyday activities burn calories, so if you can't make it to the gym, plug in the vacuum!
5. Quick Tip - log your workout on a calendar.
6. And finally, Donna at Manchester designed the following 30 Day Fitness Challenge:
This 30 day exercise challenge is a solid commitment to yourself to take one step forward each day to improve your health. The goal? A healthier YOU by the end of the Challenge.
You Pick your type of exercise and mix it up with variety.
1. Commit to doing exercise for 30 Days
2. Build in rest days 1-3 days per week
3. Plan a variety of activities to always have options
4. Increase your time/reps each week
5. Post your result daily after exercise
Good luck, and remember to just keep on moving!
Monday, July 6, 2009
Round 11 - Keep Moving!
We are about halfway through the Health & Wellness Challenge! We started our journey on February 19. We only have ten more rounds to go.
So, this round's exercise activities will focus on how to overcome an exercise slump, or what to do if you are having trouble getting started.
If you wonder why you should bother with exercising at all, this article from SparkPeople highlights an often overlooked benefit of physical activity: better sleep habits.
Exercise on a Budget: Want to get in shape, but your budget won’t allow for a gym membership? This site offers a variety of low or no-cost options, such as renting exercise DVDs from the library or doing exercises that require no equipment.
Low Back Exercise Program: If you’re concerned about starting an exercise program due to lower back pain, take a look at this site, which provides a list of exercises that can help.
Have you ever decided to take up running again, actually done some running, and gotten up the next morning in horrible pain? You might want to ease into the whole running thing with the Couch-to-5K-Running-Plan, an easy to follow, step-by-step plan that will have you running 3 miles in two months.
Zen Habits is a blog chock full of advice on all kinds of aspects of life. The secret to this blog is that information almost always comes in the form of lists - small chunks of ideas that you can quickly skim and pick and choose from. Check out "Top 42 Exercise Hacks" and try one or two of the suggested activities.
So, this round's exercise activities will focus on how to overcome an exercise slump, or what to do if you are having trouble getting started.
If you wonder why you should bother with exercising at all, this article from SparkPeople highlights an often overlooked benefit of physical activity: better sleep habits.
Exercise on a Budget: Want to get in shape, but your budget won’t allow for a gym membership? This site offers a variety of low or no-cost options, such as renting exercise DVDs from the library or doing exercises that require no equipment.
Low Back Exercise Program: If you’re concerned about starting an exercise program due to lower back pain, take a look at this site, which provides a list of exercises that can help.
Have you ever decided to take up running again, actually done some running, and gotten up the next morning in horrible pain? You might want to ease into the whole running thing with the Couch-to-5K-Running-Plan, an easy to follow, step-by-step plan that will have you running 3 miles in two months.
Zen Habits is a blog chock full of advice on all kinds of aspects of life. The secret to this blog is that information almost always comes in the form of lists - small chunks of ideas that you can quickly skim and pick and choose from. Check out "Top 42 Exercise Hacks" and try one or two of the suggested activities.
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