0 What to Give up for Lent

Ever been stuck for ideas with what to give up for lent? or how long for? Well, lent itself is from March 5th - April 17th, so that's a long enough period of time where whatever you give up will no longer be a habit (if you succeed that is). Here are some suggestions that you may want to consider.

1. Unhealthy Snacks

Unhealthy snacks are often on many people's list to give up, and with good reason too. Sweets, chocolate, biscuits, cakes and crisps, are the main foods that are seen removed from a persons diet when wanting to give up unhealthy snacks. Snacking is an incredibly easy thing to do, especially when at home, and is a big contributor to weight gain. Because it's so easy to do, like for instance when watching the t.v., lots of people do it. 
It's not against the law to enjoy an unhealthy snack or two, but if you are snacking all the time then other factors may be reasons why you want to stop. For example: health risks and weight gain. 

For me, sweets and chocolate are my biggest weakness. And of course with sugary foods, the more you eat of them, the more your body will crave for them, which can lead to an increase in snacking on them. 

A post related to this that you may or may not want to read is: How to Stop Snacking. 

2. T.V.

Television. Whilst I won't deny that it can offer some great entertainment and is nice to sit down to after a long arduous day...is also a massive time-waster. The amount of time some people waste watching t.v. is unbelievable and would definitely be better spent elsewhere. 

I do realise though how easy it is to lounge around on the couch. I myself went through a stage of watching large amounts of t.v. during the day, which had a couple of negative knock-on effects. I can remember never feeling positive after coming away from watching all those hours of t.v., but instead feeling down because I knew that yet another day had been wasted. Over time, this amount of t.v watching made me depressed and unhappy. I won't go too much into it here, but I don't watch that amount of t.v. nowadays, in fact I don't really watch it at all anymore. 

A post of mine that you may find interesting relating to this topic is: Is T.V. Wasting Your Time?

3. Smoking

Smoking is an addiction that many people are slaves to and are wanting to get rid of. The number of smokers is slowly being reduced but is still one of the 'big addictions' in this modern age. There is nothing beneficial about smoking, it has a lot of negatives, all of which are compelling enough reasons to stop. Smoking may be the perfect thing for you to give up for lent, yet I know that it is not an easy task to do. Two posts of mine that may be helpful or interesting if smoking is a part of your life are: How to Stop Smoking and Health Effects of Smoking. 

4. Alcohol

Alcohol is another great thing to give up for lent. Alcohol, whilst you may equate to having a good time, is poison to the body that has a lot of negatives from consumption. 
A post you may like to read that goes more into this subject is: 10 Health Effects of Alcohol Consumption. 

5. Swearing

In today's age, swearing is an all too common thing. You hear it pretty much wherever you go: public transport; on the street; in the workplace; when with friends or family; on the t.v.; on the Internet, etc. So with this constant bombardment of swearing, it's not surprising if you're prone to saying them too. You may want to change this though and stop altogether, if so, then maybe this is what you should give up for lent. 

6. Caffeine

Caffeine isn't something that gets you hooked quickly, but is an addiction that grows stronger over a longer period of time. Many people get their caffeine fix through coffee, and there are a few reasons why you may want to give it up. 
A post that may be useful if you're a big coffee drinker which goes more in depth about this is: How to give up coffee.

7. Facebook

Facebook, for some people, is their life. Whatever they do, whatever they think - it's posted on Facebook. They spend hours on the site every day, and it almost seems that Facebook, for these people, becomes more of their life than their actual life. Is it really that important if you don't find out what someone else was doing last night, or read about someone's opinion of somebody else, or show off what you had for lunch?  
So if this is you, then maybe giving up Facebook is the way to go. 

8. Twitter

Just like Facebook, Twitter is another giant among social media websites. And like Facebook, can be a massive time consumer. 

9. Music in Headphones

I know this sounds a little peculiar but with more and more people listening to music through headphones, hearing damage is becoming increasingly more common. You see people wear them when travelling/commuting, walking, exercising, at home, and more. I agree that it may help pass the time but your hearing is paying the price.

10. Make up 

This is more for the females out there. I know that it can be a hassle applying it (well, I don't know personally, haha) and then taking it off, and then reapplying it everyday. You may want to go for a more natural look?  

11. Phone 

Of course if you need to contact someone for something then having a mobile is going to be useful. If you're on it all the time though, then having some time away from it can only be a good thing. Modern phones have so many uses now that it's easy for your time to get sucked away and for you to be unproductive. As well as access to the Internet, phones have a whole host of things that can consume your time. 
If you would like a break from this, then you may decide to give up your phone. 

12. Fast Food

Like with giving up sweets, chocolates and the like, fast food is another great idea for you to give up for lent. Yes fast food is convenient, and yes it is relatively cheap and tasty, but it is also unhealthy for your body. If you are eating fast food regularly, then, although the reasons above may be compelling reasons for you to take a daily trip to McDonald's, it will be doing harm to your body - something that you may regret later on in life. If this is you, then fast food may be what you want to give up for lent?

13. Porn

This can actually become an addiction in itself and can cause you to develop damaging views of both women, men, and relationships - not a healthy mindset. 

14. Complaining 

Easier said than done this one. Complaining is very easy to do but not so easy to stop. Complaining will worsen the mood, can put people off from talking to you, and cause you to think negatively. Complaining basically translates to being discontent. 
If you do decide that stopping complaining is what you want to do, then this may be helpful: How to Stop Complaining. 

Detail: What to Give up for Lent

0 In 10 Years Time

10 years is a both a long time and a short time. Short because that time will definitely pass, and when compared to the average life-span (let alone the timescale of history), isn't really the longest of times. However, 10 years is long because it can see massive changes to your life, some for the better and some for the worst.


This isn't going to be the longest of posts but I wanted to share some of my thoughts since my last post: Where is your Life Heading? In which I asked "what do you want to be doing in 10 years time". If you asked people this, the common result would be that they would want their life to have improved. This is of course is the answer that is expected as the question is asked to help motivate you to work towards a goal.

In the first paragraph of this post I mentioned that in the timescale of history 10 years isn't all that big. When you think about 10 years on an even greater timescale, that of eternity, those 10 years just become a mere blip that will come and go. In fact on the timescale of eternity even our lives are mere blips.
Although I will quickly say that although our lives will come and go, you definitely shouldn't waste valuable time, in fact it's even more of a reason to make every second count. For example: using your life to glorify God. 

It wouldn't be a bad idea to set yourself a goal. Obviously it would have to be quite a big goal for you to see the results in 10 years time but having one would be a great thing to do. If you want to read more into why having a goal is good, I'll direct you here: Why you need a goal.

If you saw a future version of yourself who happened to be 10 years older than you are now, what would you ask them? There are so many questions that you could ask, some of which you will want to know the answer to more than others. "Are you going to be doing the same thing as you are now?" "Are you going to know the same people as you do now?" "Will you still be the same person as you are now?" "Are you still going to be living where you are now?"
"Where will those close to you at the moment (family and friends) be in 10 years?" "What new people may have come into your life?" "What new technology will have come about by then?"

It's strange to think that there could be people out in the world now that you have no idea about, yet in the future you may meet and have a big influence on each others lives...who knows?

Whatever you think is going to happen in 10 years or want to happen in 10 years, we all know that none of us can know for certain what the future holds. The next 10 years could turn out to be brilliant and on the other-hand they could turn out to full of disaster. Whatever is going to happen in the next 10 years will come around in time. One thing that I personally hope for in the next 10 years is to somehow be a good influence on somebodies life, or do something that will have an impact of someone's life for the better.

It would be naïve to believe that these 10 years aren't going to hold challenges for us to tackle because we all know that they will. How we deal with these expected challenges will differ between different people, but one thing that we can know is that other people will be facing challenges when you are too.

Time is a strange thing but whether we like it or not is always going to pass. Your future is inevitable and none of us can escape from the ticking hands of the clock. So the 10 years that may seem like a long way off now, will get here. Year by year, week by week, day by day, minute by minute, those 10 years are coming closer and closer. 

"It is always wise to look ahead, but difficult to look further than you can see."

Winston Churchill

"Lost time is never found again."
Benjamin Franklin

"The future is something which everyone reaches at the rate of 60 minutes an hour, whatever he does, whoever he is."
C. S. Lewis

Detail: In 10 Years Time

0 Where is Your Life Heading?

I'm going to open this post with a question: "Is your life where you want it to be right now or on the way to being so?"
It's a straight forward enough question but one that we sometimes don't like answering. Not because it is difficult to give a response, we can all do that, but difficult because we don't like to admit to ourselves that actually our life isn't where we want it to be and doesn't seem to be heading that way either.


It seems to me that as we grow older, our ambitions, prospects and dreams (for quite a few of us of us (including me)) become less and less a reality, and we find ourselves following a path that we weren't ever planning on taking or expecting. This isn't always a bad thing because as people grow older it is quite common for them to change their minds about where they would like to end up.
Unfortunately quite a few people don't go for what they want through fear of not making it. For example: A person may want to become a doctor but is fearful of how competitive it is to become one, and also has doubts about getting the grades and qualifications. So instead, they change their goal and decide to still go into something to do with medics but something that they feel have a better chance at getting. It's a shame that not everyone can end up where they might want but unless you try your hardest how are you going to know?

Sometimes people get stuck in a rut that they can't quite budge from and end up staying in a position that they rather wouldn't be in. Getting out of a predicament like this always feels harder than that when you were first getting into it, and that is because normally that is true.

I have heard many times  by different people that each of our lives are on a road that we can't change - a pre-ordained path that we will follow, so we need to make the best of the situation and accept that we won't be able to change the predicament, nor should we try to. Don't let people tell you that you can't because you can. I'm not telling you to be discontent with your life, because you shouldn't, but I am saying that you shouldn't let people tell you that you can't change your life.

So take a look at your life at the moment. Make note of where you are and where it looks like you are heading, make a comparison to where you would like to be...is it heading that way? If it is then that is great, good for you (not to be taken as sarcasm), if not, then are you going to do something about it.

The reason why I thought I would write about this is because I've been doing some self-assessment as of recently. It's been something that has been accumulating over some time now, and recent events have led me to the decision that I don't want to be in my current situation in the future. That's not to say that I am unhappy with my current situation, in fact I regard myself very fortunate, but when I think long-term, I know I want a different situation, mostly by furthering my relationship with God.

When coming to this decision I asked myself different questions, but the one that is most commonly asked (and with good reason too) is "what do you want to be doing in 10 years time?" Even asking "what do you want to be doing in 5 years time" works just as well. Do you want to be doing the same thing you are doing now? Do you want to have reached your goal? It's a simple question yet also a revealing one, it brings to the forefront of your mind your opinion of where you think your life is going to be.
For me personally my answer, as I said above, is no I don't want to be doing some of the things I am doing now in the future, so I have made some changes that I'm hoping pay off. I don't intend on stopping this website though and am going to keep going with it for the foreseeable future.  

A common trap that people fall into is that they expect their life to end up where they want it to be overnight and give up if it takes time. The reality is however, that changing your life will take time and requires you to be patient and change it bit by bit, until eventually you are where you want to be. Consistency is the key - you need to stay consistent with the change(s) you have made.

Our decisions reflect our life, they shape our life. From what we do for a living to what we eat, they encompass everything. Whether to go with the flow or against it, it's up to us. I'm sure many of you can remember decisions that you have made in the past that turned out to be bad ones, and I'm also sure that many of you can think of good decisions you've made in life too.
You are the only one who can make the decision to change or to stay where you are now. If you want to change then you will need to make that decision to change and not wait for change to find you because it won't.

Remember that it's not too late to make a change to your life, it's down to you and your resolve.  

"You cannot change your destination overnight, but you can change your direction overnight."

Jim Rohn

Detail: Where is Your Life Heading?

0 How to Deal with a Break Up

Break ups can be hard to take, especially for those of you on the receiving end. Emotions are normally running high and our rationality isn't what it usually might be, and you may feel like this for quite some time depending on how bad it has affected you.  
Of course I'm not saying that you will be fine once you've read this post or any other post regarding a break up because that's not realistic, but I hope that these tips will at least help you to better deal with your break up than you would otherwise and helps you to return to your usual self again sooner than you may have done.

1. Mull it Over

Whether you are the person who caused the break up or are the person who was on the receiving end of the break up, take time to think things through. I'm not talking about maybe taking 10-15 minutes to think, I'm talking about having a proper think about what has happened. What was the reason for the break up? There might be none that you can think of but for the break up to have happened there must have been one. Maybe it was because of a fault on your behalf, maybe on the other persons behalf? I don't know.
Whatever the reason is, those who have been in a relationship and have broken up are normally affected, and so should take the time to think about what has happened. It's healthy for you to sort things out in your mind and make clear of shady areas.

2. Don't Dwell

After mentioning that it would be good for you to have a proper think about what has happened and to sort things out in your head, as it's something that can be hard for you to get your head around, I will now say don't constantly think about it. A common trap that people fall into is that they start to 'dwell'. If you dwell too much on why your relationship has ended and on why you aren't still together you may start to develop some unhealthy mind-sets. I know it's easy for me to say this, I mean how can you not think about it if it has particularly hurt you? I say this because this is an unhealthy mindset to take up and can lead to other unhealthy behaviours such as obsession, jealousy and revenge, this will NOT help you deal with the break up at all - they will make the situation worse. 

3. Don't go Back on Your Words

If you were the one who did the breaking up, stick to your decision and don't go back to your ex. I'm saying this because if it hasn't worked up to now (hence your break up) why will it work if you were to go back there? Also it's not fair on the other person to put them through that, it's playing with their emotions. If however, they have done something to deserve you breaking up with them then I would say that it will probably be unfair on you if you were to get back together with them.

Also, if you are rethinking about the decision then chances are is because you are reminiscing about the good times, the romantic/flirty times, not the bad times. The parts that you miss most about the relationship will be roaming your mind but in reality will it just go straight back to that?
Your ex will understand how you feel...right?Don't assume that at all, although it sounds harsh - you must accept the situation and carry on with your life.

4. Don't Hate

After a break up, it can be more than easy to turn those feelings of affection/love for your ex into anger and in some cases hatred. For whatever reason you feel like they deserve all of your anger, I would advise against it. Although I can understand the anger and understand that you might not be best friends right now (or that you may never go back to being friends), it is an unhealthy mind-set to have. You will be doing yourself no favours, whist you may feel like they deserve it, it is definitely not going to help you deal with your break up. Anger can also lead to obsessive behaviour regarding your ex and jealousy...not a good place to be.

If you go through the anger-stage, it may not even be your ex who you are directing your anger towards. It may be yourself you are angry at, even if you didn't do anything wrong. This is more common than it sounds. After a break up people are angry at themselves for maybe not noticing the signs, or for making the choice to get together with the other person in the first place.
It is a waste of energy to beat yourself up, it won't change what has happened, it's best to move on.

5. Talk to Friends and Family

Of course in a situation like this many people want to be comforted, someone to talk to about what has happened. Talk to friends and family members who will understand what you are going through and how you are feeling. They will often offer the help and support that you need to cope with the situation, especially for those who wear their heart on their sleeve.

6. Write Your Feelings Down

For some people talking to people close to them may not be as helpful (or an option) as writing their feelings down. Writing your feelings down is similar to talking to others in the fact that you are getting your emotions out, however instead of others knowing how you feel you are dealing with your emotions yourself.
It's quite amazing how much writing things down help and really brings to life some of those thoughts and emotions that you have been bottling up.

7. Give Yourself Space

If you both now can't stand the sight of each other and have unfortunately fallen out completely, then it is going to be pretty easy to have space from each other as you wont want to see each other. However, if you two have decided to stay as friends, or even as best friends, make sure that you have some space. If you stay as friends and continue to have regular contact with each other, it can be very easy to revert back to a relationship or to things you might regret. If that's what you want then I suppose you wouldn't mind, but you need to ask yourself is that really what you want? Is it really worth it and what will you be gaining by going back there? Also, not to mention after a break up your emotions are going to be having a tug-of-war with you and things can easily become confusing.

I would suggest taking a break away from him/her, not having any contact. I'm talking about no face-to-face contact, no texts, no emails, no Facebook, no phone calls, no letters, no being around his family members, etc. Of course, I know that having no contact with your ex is going to be impossible for some of you, for example if you work together.

8. Keep Active and Busy

If your break up has hit you particularly hard, try to keep as active and as busy as possible. I say this because when something is weighing heavily on our minds and we don't have much to be doing, we can start to dwell on it (point #2), which can lead to our moods spiralling downwards. Making sure that you are active and busy, whilst you can still think about your break up, will also keep your mind occupied with doing what you are doing. Don't allow yourself to stop functioning, keep pushing forward.

9. Have a Routine

This tip ties in with tip #8 of keeping active and busy, and that is to have a routine. After a break up it is normal for your daily routine to have been disrupted and thrown out of balance, so having a routine/plan is going to be a very helpful thing to have on hand. You will know what you are doing for the day without having to think about it. A break up can amplify and worsen stress and chaos making things a bit hectic, but having that routine set in place will help you to deal with that.
A post of mine you may want to read: Things-to-do-Today List.

10.  Avoid using Food, Drugs or Alcohol as a Means to Escape

I'm not saying that you are of course going to turn to the bottle when you are feeling down, but some people when they are feeling down (or as down as they might be after a break up) may turn to something for comfort. This may be food, alcohol, drugs, etc.. You should find a better and healthier way of helping you cope with your break up.

Conclusion

Break ups can be a sensitive topic, so I hope that I haven't sounded too harsh or dismissive with anything that I have said. If you are going through a break up, whatever the reason for it, I hope that these tips have helped.

Detail: How to Deal with a Break Up

0 Things-to-do-Today List

Basically, the things-to-do-today list is exactly what the name implies - a list of things that need to be done during the day. It is a guide for you to follow.
For me personally, if I am going to be as productive as I would like to be then I need to have a daily schedule/list consisting of exactly what needs to be done. Even if I know what needs to be done during my day, I find myself procrastinating if I don't write myself a detailed list with imposed restrictions. I found however, when looking into this, that this is true for many other people, that they aren't as likely to get everything done in the day without the help of a list/schedule, even when they know what they should be doing.

The great thing about having a list of things to do gives your day purpose and keeps you busy. Even if you feel your day has purpose without a plan, having it all laid out in front of you, I find at least, to be comforting because you know exactly what you are doing and where you would like to get to.
I absolutely hate the feeling of a wasted day. If I haven't done what I have needed to get done during the course of the day, then to me that is a day wasted - a feeling that I can't stand. To be honest, a problem I have is that if I'm not productive or haven't done what I should have, then I will often feel quite down and disappointed with myself for allowing it to happen. This is the main reason why I started a daily schedule where I know exactly what I am doing at what time.

Your list/schedule can be made to be as simple or as complex as you would like to suit your needs. So if you are someone who just wants a list of things to do in no particular order then that's fine, or if you are someone who wants everything planned out to the smallest letter then that's also fine.
Things you may want to include:

• Obviously a list of tasks/jobs that need doing (as this is the whole purpose of having a plan) :).
• How long each task should last for.
• What time they should be carried out.
• What happens during each task. For example: If one of your tasks was to practice the guitar for an hour a day you could go into greater detail by writing what your practice should consist of. Another example could be to do 30 minutes cleaning your room. You could go into further detail by specifying what area(s) you will be focusing on.

Including time restrictions for certain jobs and placing a start and finish time on each thing on your list, you can then see how much of your day will be consumed, and gives you a better concept of time-management. You will become more and more familiar with how long things take to complete and at what times are best for specific tasks, making you more efficient. When I first started having a daily schedule I was surprised how what I needed to get done didn't consume the whole day as they previously had. Before I began using daily plans, I would waste a lot of time without realising between each task and that caused me to waste a lot of my day and finish what I needed to get done later than was necessary, if at all. Then when I started to use a daily schedule/plan I found that I could finish everything 3 or more hours earlier than I had been, which made a huge amount of difference.

I normally have three columns for three titles. The first column is for the jobs that need doing in the day, the second column is the time scheduled for each one, and the third column is for the small completion boxes that I tick once I have completed each task. For some jobs that I need to do but don't have a specific time set, I will mark with a asterisk, and they are to be completed when's best. For the vast majority of things though I will make sure that I schedule a time.

I like to get up early so I can have a good head start to the day. I can get all of my 'main' jobs completed by lunchtime, which is great. If I get up at 06:00, that gives me 6 hours, or 7 hours if I get up at 05:00, before lunch to get a main chunk of my schedule completed. I hate the feeling of having things hanging over me that I know need to be done, so by getting my main ones out of the way during the first half of the day feels brilliant.

I write my list/plan the night before. I have sometimes done it in the morning for the day, but to me the morning is when I am feeling most productive, if I spend that time writing my list of things to do for that day - I feel like it is a waste of time I could be using to get things done. In fact, I now include writing tomorrows list on today's schedule so I don't forget.

Whether it is a detailed minute-by-minute plan that you use or simply a very rough plan of what needs doing, having something there as a tool to improve your productivity is an excellent choice.
An old post of mine that you may enjoy is: 7 Benefits of a Schedule.

Detail: Things-to-do-Today List

0 G.R.O.W.

I was speaking with my mum the other day and she was telling me about an Olympic athlete who had visited her workplace to speak to the children (as she is a teacher). He is visiting many different schools up and down the country and is trying to encourage hard work so that they can do the best they can. During the speech that he gave he mentioned a concept that I found interesting, it was called the G.R.O.W. concept. It is an acronym that is supposed to help motivate not just children, but people of all ages and is something that I find really quite interesting.
G.R.O.W. is a four-stage concept that will help you put into perspective where you are now and where you would like to be. It really helps in putting you in the know with what you are doing and in which direction you are heading.

The G.R.O.W. Concept

G

'G' is the first letter of the acronym  and stands for 'goal'. In this stage you need to realise what your goal is and where you would like to be in the future. If you don't know what your goal is at the moment or haven't given it much thought, take a few moments to decide what it is. It doesn't have to be something too specific if you can't think, a general goal is okay too, although having a specific goal will give you a clearer guide to where you are heading. What are your ambitions?, what do you want to do with your life?, what would you like to achieve? These are the questions that you need to ask yourself.

I've said it before in many different posts that I have written, having a goal will enable you to set your sights on something. It will set the standard for what you are wanting and gives you something to strive for. It will help motivate and push you forward. For example: If you were taking a test and you didn't have a goal, then you would just hope for a good result. However, if you have a goal to get an 'A' or top marks, then that would be something you would be aiming for, and in preparations leading up to the exam - would drive you forward to make sure you do everything you can to get that result. Of course you would still hope for good results, but you will have made sure that you have given yourself the best chance to get those results - because it is your goal.

R

Once you have decided on your goal, the next step in this process is to be real with yourself and ask what is the 'reality'? What is your life like at the moment and are you anywhere near to, or on the road to, reaching your goal? Definitely do NOT brush past this step. Whilst it may seem trivial, the actuality is that this is very important to have a grasp of. If you say that everything is fine and it actually isn't then chances are that you aren't going to reach your goal or you will but at a much later point in time than is necessary. For example: going back to the example I used a minute ago about wanting to get good grades. If I was wanting to get an 'A' or whatever, and I did an assessment on my current situation and said everything was fine, when in actuality I don't revise, I don't work as hard as I could, I skip over the bits I find hard, then I'm kidding myself and even though I might have the goal of getting top marks - in reality it doesn't look like I'm going to achieve them.

That's what this point is about, being honest about your current state and giving yourself some home truths that yes you aren't really doing much and you are wasting a lot of time. It is an important step that you need to go through if you want to make an improvement.
If you do this self-assessment and the reality is that everything is going well at the moment and everything is heading in the right direction, then that's great news. However, if you are using this concept and have just set in place a goal, then there's a high chance that the reality of your situation could be better.

O

The third step in the G.R.O.W. concept is to now decide what are your 'options'? Now that you have a goal that you would like to achieve and have acknowledged the reality of your current situation, you now need to go through your options and decide what the best plan of action is. You may have a number of options that you can choose from, but you will need to pick one you are going to stick with.
Going back once again to the example of the person who wants to get top marks in a test, they have many options. Revision is an option, studying with the help of someone may be an option, taking extra classes or doing extra work could be another option, etc.
Whatever you decide to pursue, the options are there - they just need you to notice them.

W

The last letter of the G.R.O.W. acronym is 'w', and it stands for 'will'. What 'will' you do? Along with everything else: having a goal; knowing your situation; and knowing your options, having the will to do what you intend is especially important. It's all good knowing where you want to be and knowing how you are going to get there, but without the willpower to make sure it happens, how will it happen?

Getting to where we want is not always easy, in fact it normally seems far from easy but as is life. Often people look to those who have become successful and in their mind somehow think that they got to where they are magically and that they haven't really put in that much work. In reality however, this is the opposite. People who have got to where they want is because they have worked hard to get there and have remained focused on their goal. Yes, I will admit that not everyone who has got to where they want has worked hard, but on the whole the vast majority have.

Detail: G.R.O.W.

0 How to Start Running

Running is a great source of regular exercise and has many benefits. Wanting to start running? Like starting anything new, familiarity and knowledge will come with experience and will be one of your best teachers, however, that doesn't mean that taking some advice beforehand is useless.


1. Go Outside and Run

The easiest way to start running is simply to start, which is a bit of a rubbish piece of advice but in reality is the truth. If you want to begin running then the best way to start is to simply get outside and place one foot in front of the other. Whether it's pavement, grass, soil, snow, or sand, it doesn't matter as long as you are getting out there and running. Also, you don't need to invest in some state-of-the-art running shoes, just some old trainers should do the job.

2. Choose the Right Clothes

You can all out if you really want to and get some top-of-the-range running clothes but what it comes down to is wearing clothes that you don't mind getting sweaty in and that are comfortable.  They don't have to be nice clothes, as long as they are comfortable and don't hamper/restrict your movements then it's up to you what you wear. For me personally when I exercise, I like to wear tracksuit-bottoms and a t-shirt with some old trainers.

3. Run 3 or more times a Week

If you want to get into the habit of running then you are going to need to run regularly. If you are just starting out (which chances are you are if you are reading this post) then I wouldn't suggest running everyday and would advise you to run 3-4 times a week. For someone who doesn't run at all or very much, running everyday will probably be too much and could put you off altogether.  

4. Set a Time Limit

Ok, so lets say that you are running 3-4 times a week and have gotten into a routine - which is great. However, to really solidify the habit and make consistent progress you should as well as running regularly also run for a set amount of time. It's no good running 5 minutes one day and then 30 minutes another, yes you will make progress but you don't have a reason to carry on. You may say, well the fact that I want to run should be a compelling enough of a reason to continue running. This may be true, but we all go through periods of time where we don't feel like doing something, and for those days - having a time limit is going to be important. For example, if I was running and I really wasn't in the mood for it and wanted it to end, and didn't have a time limit, then I would more than likely stop. If however, I made sure that I ran 25 minutes a session, then that time-restriction would compel me to continue until I had achieved what I had set out to achieve.

For starting out, maybe the first week or two 10 minutes is sufficient. Then for the week or two after that extend it to 15-20 minutes, and continue the process until you are happy with the amount of time spent running.

Having a time limit when first starting out, I would say, is the most important time to have one. I say this because you won't be used to running and doing too much too quickly won't help you out. So, take things slowly first and work your way upwards, but make sure that you have that time-restriction implemented into your run.

5. Add Distance

An alternative to adding a time-restriction is to add a target distance to complete. So instead of doing 25-30 minutes running, for example, maybe run 2 miles instead. It is just like setting yourself a time-limit to achieve but distance instead.

6.  Try Different Routes

Running back and forth along the same route every time you go for a jog can become stale and tedious. Try mixing it up a bit by having 2-4 different routes planned out so that you can add diversity to your runs.
Different surroundings can make all the difference to your run and can surprisingly help motivate you. Explore different routes and before you know it you'll have lots of places to choose from. Whether you're in the middle of a city or in the heart of the countryside, changing up your running route can really make a difference.

7. Don't Give up During the First Stages

When first starting out you may not really enjoy it or think that you are good at it, and so may be inclined to stop. Don't stop though. In the beginning stages of anything you can't expect to be brilliant, the beginning stages is the most likely place for people to give up. If they just persevered at it then they would improve over time and get good at it, and that's why I encourage you to stick at it before deciding if you would like to dismiss it. I'm a big believer in giving things a chance, and if you are willing to give something a chance, who knows what a big part of your lifestyle it may become.

When I first started this blog, I had a clear view of where I wanted it to be and had clear reasons to why I wanted to start a blog. However much I read up about blogging and running a website it's still not the same as actually doing it yourself. I have learnt a lot since first starting and have been through stages where I really considered quitting, but am very pleased to have given it that chance. Now it is a big part of my life that I want to continue and can't imagine not having.

8. Organise a Routine

People like routines. People like things that they can expect and rely on, having an exercise plan is one of these things that a person can rely upon.
A post of mine dealing with this can be found here: How to Create an Exercise Plan.

9. Stay Hydrated

Exercise, although is very healthy and is something that our bodies need, can dehydrate you. Taking necessary measures to make sure that you stay hydrated is a must. A lot of runners take a water-bottle with them on their jog so that they can drink on the go.
Also, many people before even beginning exercise are already dehydrated, so making sure that you are hydrated beforehand is essential. When I used to jog I would have a glass of water just before I left out of the front door.

10. Don't do Too Much Too Soon

Often when we are starting something we want to start at a level that is way above where we actually are. Wanting to get through the tedious beginning stages is a normal thing that a lot of people feel, for example when starting out with a musical instrument - you want to be able to play lots of fantastic amazing music but instead you have to go through the foundations first and work your way up.
The same holds true for running, a person starting out may (or may not) want to run a marathon but the reality is that it isn't going to happen straightaway. In fact, even a mile may be too much. So start small and work your way up to a level that you want to reach. Doing too much too soon is, whilst understandable, silly and could (certainly in the case of exercise) do more harm than good.

Detail: How to Start Running

0 Walking Challenge

Challenge: Walk 12,000 - 20,000 steps per day depending upon how active you are now.

Challenge Duration: 21 Days

Walking is healthy for us and is exercise, and our bodies need exercise (as well as other things) to maintain good health.  Something I briefly went over in two recent posts of mine is about the 10,000 steps guideline. 10,000 is the number of steps that is advised for us to try and reach each day. Researchers have said that by walking these 10,000 steps a day you are likely to significantly improve your health.
 
Before I get into this challenge I will first say that you are going to need a pedometer as it is based on the number of steps you take, unless you are willing to count them. There are three different levels to this. The first is the 'normal' level, the second is the 'intermediate' level, and the third is the 'difficult' level.
The three different levels are in place to cater to everyone. If you are unsure about which one to go for then I would first suggest wearing the pedometer for a few days so that you know how far you usually walk in your day.
Also, the duration of the challenge (21 days) is the same whichever level you are doing.

The main aim of this challenge is not for you to be able to say "I walk 12,000+ steps a day" (although you could say that if you wanted) but simply to get you to walk more and get into the habit of regular exercise. 
Here's a post which discusses the good things about walking: 9 Benefits of Walking.

Normal Challenge

I would suggest taking on the normal level of this challenge if you walk around 10,000 or less steps a day.
The normal level is to walk 12,000 steps every day for 21 days, which won't have you walking huge expeditions every day but will make sure that you are active enough to notice a difference.

Intermediate Challenge

The intermediate level is for those already pretty active people out there who either will find the 'normal' challenge too easy or already walk around that amount of steps per day anyway.
I would suggest taking on this level if you are walking 11,000-14,000 steps a day. This level cranks up the amount of steps by three thousand steps making your daily target 15,000 steps per day for 21 days. 

I think out of the three levels of this challenge, I personally would take on this as it is something that would feel challenging yet at the same time not out of my reach to achieve.

Difficult Challenge

Finally we come to the hardest of the three different levels of the challenge which is the 'difficult' challenge. This is meant for those who are very active each day and do a lot of walking. If you are already doing around 15,000+ steps per day then this one is for you, although I don't want anyone to overdo things and injure themselves, so only do if you are in peak physical condition and know you could handle it. For this one, your daily goal to reach is 20,000 steps.

Detail: Walking Challenge

0 I've Been Locked in my House

I don't usually write a post concerning my daily life but when I sat down at my laptop today to write something, this was on the forefront of my mind and so for a change I thought I'd write about it.

I got up at 07:50 or somewhere around that time, which isn't particularly earl,y and went about my morning business of getting ready. I would have liked to have gotten up earlier because I love the early mornings and feel much more productive at this time of the day, but unfortunately I went to bed late last night and I'm trying to ensure that I get enough sleep - so after 07:00 it had to be.

Once up, I made my way downstairs where I was like usual greeted by our dog, who just continuously drops hints that she wants to be fed. I'll normally have my breakfast before I feed her though but on a Wednesday, like it is today, it's rubbish day. So instead of having breakfast when I come down, I'll get dressed and put the rubbish out. Each week the rubbish rotates between recyclable and normal household waste. This week was the turn of the recyclable rubbish. So I did what I normally do on a Wednesday and go to get the rubbish, we don't have a side walk so I have to take it to our front door and let myself out to the front that way.
However once there, disaster! My house key was gone!

I'm the only person at home at this point and so my key is the only one on hand. I didn't panic when I couldn't see my key I just felt a little confused before I started to search. By our front door is a small thin, tall table where we leave our keys, and that of course was empty so obviously my key wasn't there. I looked underneath the table where our phone wires are to see if it had fallen or been knocked from the table to underneath...nothing.
Having not found my key in any of those two places I could then be assured that it was not in the house. It may sound like a really bad search but that is the only one place where I leave my key, without fail, on the table. If it isn't on there and it isn't underneath the table then it won't be anywhere else in the house. I know that no-one else in the house wouldn't have had reason to move it as they all have their own keys and know that I leave the house each day, so I can discount that.

There's only two conclusions that I can come up with. The first is that my key has been knocked off into a bag that has been taken out of the house. My mum is a teacher and has her books in large Morrison's bags which are left right next to the table, so if my key was knocked off then it is a very great possibility that it fell into one of them, and if so she won't be back until roughly 18:00.
The second conclusion is that another family member has taken it because they have misplaced their own. I don't really consider this one as much as the first, but it is something that a particular family member would do, so we'll see.

I went and placed the rubbish back into the garage and had to change my plans. I also go to the gym in the mornings so I couldn't do that either. Last night I thought I would treat myself to a Terry's chocolate orange and bought the original and white chocolate version. I had and shared the original one last night and placed the white chocolate one in the fridge. As I couldn't find my key and was feeling a little annoyed I decided to throw caution to the wind and have the white chocolate orange, but when I went to the fridge to retrieve it....it was gone! That's two things missing. I was really looking forward to it too. :(  I have a good idea who it was so I'll interrogate them later.

For the time being though I'll just have to wait until someone comes home. Our dog doesn't seem to be too understanding as she's giving me the evils for not taking her out...

I felt a post like this would provide a bit of a change to my usual content and was also a little refreshing to be writing something different, you may not want to have read about my trivial happenings in life and I apologise if that is the case, but if you do want me to do more posts like this then let me know.  Either way I'm not fussed.

Detail: I've Been Locked in my House

0 The Amount of Water I Drink

Water is the healthiest liquid for us to drink, I won't go into detail why in this post, but I have written a post relating to why: '10 Benefits of Drinking Water'. The thing is that many of us don't drink near to the amount of water we should and are actually dehydrated most of the time without really knowing. I think it's because a lot of us don't drink until we are thirsty, which sounds like common sense. However, when I did this, only drink when I felt thirsty, I wasn't drinking enough at all because I didn't feel thirsty enough to have enough to drink. I was having maybe 2 or 3 glasses of water a day which wasn't enough.


Another thing people do instead of drinking water is to substitute it for another drink, for example something like a fizzy drink, squash, juice, etc. Some of these substitutes are hydrating, not quite as much as water, but of course have flavourings and/or sugar and/or other ingredients.
For me, when I was younger squash was that water substitute. I would drink, what I considered anyway, to be a huge amount of squash each day. Thinking back to it now I still only drank 3-4 glasses a day I would say, which is still less than the recommended 2 litres of water per day. Also I liked squash to be strong, around 30-40% of the glass, and so was only getting (if you condense it) about 2 glasses of water a day. To put this into better perspective, a rough estimation of what 2 litres is is about 8 glasses a day.

When I had first started this blog I can remember writing two post about drinking water. One of those posts I mentioned at the top of this post (link provided), and the other was: '11 Tips to Drink more Water'. At this time I was going through a stage of trying to drink more water and made sure that I kept myself hydrated. I would drink the advised 2 litres of water each day and was getting into the habit of doing so.
As time went by however, and my days changed and my routines changed, my 2 litres a day water-drinking sadly went out the window, and I was back to where I was before of not keeping hydrated enough.

As of frequent, the last month, I have got back into the habit of drinking more water, and I now drink more than ever before. In fact I don't aim for the recommended 2 litres a day guideline - I aim for more and actually drink 3-5 litres every day. It sounds a bit excessive but it really isn't and I've felt so much more healthy for doing so. It's great, I've seen my skin look healthier and my liver is going to be benefiting greatly. Now that I've got back into the habit of drinking lots of water and have been doing so for now just over a month, I now rarely drink anything else and prefer it this way too.

Now going back to this rough estimation of 8 glasses of water per day, I decided to measure out the glasses in my house because I'm just that sort of person. The two most common glasses that are in our shelf are (if filled up to around 95%) 310ml. There is also a green glass in there which comes in at around 540ml, and finally my large cup which is 700ml. As I have measured these I can now keep an idea to how much water I do drink. Normally I will have 2-3 glasses of my large cup. So that is 1.4 litres-2.1 litres right there. Then on top of that I will normally have around 6-8 of the normal glasses, which is another 1,860ml-2,480ml on top. Lastly, I may have 1 or 2 glasses of the green one, which is 540ml-1,080ml. Adding all that up, the amount of water I typically drink in a day is 3,800ml-5,660ml, or 3.8 litres-5.66 litres of water per day!

I started on 02/09/13, and it's definitely a good new habit to have gotten into to that I know will benefit my health and will help my body for many years to come (I hope)
I feel that I must also mention, in case this has made any of you reading this to want to drink more water, that I drink that 3.8 litres-5.66 litres over the course of the whole day, and that drinking too much water at once is dangerous and could cause water intoxication. I will also encourage you to not enter into such events as water drinking contests as they are actually very dangerous.

Detail: The Amount of Water I Drink

0 No T.V Challenge

Are you an avid watcher of television? Do you find it hard to go a day or two without having to glue your eyes back to the screen? Can you live without T.V?

Many of you who have come here to read this will be thinking, 'nope that's not me, I can go without t.v for more than a couple of days, and yes I could manage without it'. Well if you are one of the people who could live without television, good for you (that's not meant as sarcasm ). It's surprising though how much we do watch t.v and how 'addicted' we might actually be. It often makes me smile when I hear people say (not very often granted) "I haven't watched t.v for ages" and in reality it was four or five days ago when they last watched it. It is kind of sad as well that 'ages' for many people when it comes to t.v is only the space of a few days.

I thought then, it would be an interesting idea to write an article challenging people not to watch t.v for two months - this is quite a good indication to yourself if you are addicted or not. I was originally going to make this challenge for 2 weeks but really two weeks isn't going to have that big of an impact, but two months will. Now two months when you think about it is quite a duration to go without something if you are used to having access to.

If you are somebody who watches t.v regularly but are confident that you could last without t.v for 2 months, you may be surprised at how challenging this may be. The first couple of weeks are normally the hardest as you are trying to get into a new rhythm, but after third week it's likely that you will have got yourself into a new routine.

Rules to the challenge:

1. You can't watch t.v for two months, not even for five minutes - if you do so them you have failed the challenge.
2. You can't watch it when others are watching it and then make the excuse that it was others watching it and you was just in the room, for example family members - this still counts as you watching it.  
3. You may not use other devices (such as smart phones or computers for example) to watch television shows, however, you may use other devices to see what the weather is and what news has been happening, as long as you make sure that you are getting it from a source that does not involve you watching a screen.

If you manage to complete this challenge, well done. :)

You may decide to carry on not watching t.v or reduce on the amount you used to watch, or go back to how you was before and watch it on a regular basis, whatever you choose it's interesting to note how much a screen with images can consume so much of our time.

Detail: No T.V Challenge

0 Will-Power is Key to Success

When we look at people who have been successful in their lives, (whatever you yourself determine successful to be), it's easy to think 'I wish I had a life like theirs' or 'I wish I was in a position like them'. It's very easy to look at someone else's life which has seen or is seeing success in a certain field (or fields) and become discontent with your own. I would urge you not to become discontent with what you have or to become jealous of them, I'll probably go into this some other time, but instead to look at how they have become successful.

There is normally a list of things to do to become successful in a certain area, not a written list but things that people say that you will need to do. For example: If you are wanting to get into better shape and 'tone-up', the things people say that you would need to do are watch what you eat and work out. Those are the two main things that are mentioned - with good reason as without doing them how are you going to make a change to yourself? However, one point that is normally overlooked that I believe should always be included is Will-power.

Will-power, without it, makes all the advice you get given pointless as will-power is the driving force behind your goal(s). When you look at people in the course of history who have achieved landmark goals, all of them will have had one thing in common....and that is a strong will-power. It motivates you to carry on, it is what makes you continue through the hardships and lows of trying to get where you want. If you give up or start to take it easy when really you know that you should be pushing yourself, then your will-power isn't that great. You need to have a lot of it if you are wanting to make changes to your life.

One thing that puts a lot of people off from carrying on with something or trying for something is because of what others say, in particular people saying that you 'can't' achieve what you want. This attitude of others can have a huge impact upon your aspirations but don't let it dishearten you or force you to stop.
I find this one of the strongest ways of motivating myself, not just me but many people find this extremely motivating, and that's because deep down inside you their is a will to prove them wrong and a will to prove to yourself that you can achieve your goals. 
The only thing you can't do is give up, that's what you need to keep telling yourself otherwise the people that have been saying that you can't succeed will be proven right. When people tell me I can't it just spurs me on to continue so I can prove them wrong. 

There are going to be times when motivating yourself is going to be very easy and it takes little to no effort at all for you to get yourself involved in doing. Will power through these easy times isn't going to be pivotal to you as you are going through a stage where self-motivation is easy, it's through the more difficult times when you truly see how motivated you are to achieve your goals. The difficult times, when it feels impossible to motivate yourself and every other thing seems like the right thing to do except for doing what you know you should be, are the times when your will-power is put to the test. How long can you keep soldiering on day after day?, are you mentally prepared? Will-power is key to achieving anything and without it our goals would never be realised. 

Self-doubt can sometimes play in our minds, yeah of course it can, it sometimes can seem like a very long road that we are travelling on and sometimes we lose sight of the end of the road - our destination. Remember though that at some point or other every successful person will have faced self-doubt but they still managed to become successful, not by giving up but by taking the bull by the horns and continuing on - pushing themselves forward and striving onwards.

Detail: Will-Power is Key to Success

0 Why is Trust Important in a Relationship?

Trust is foundational in any relationship. Why is it foundational? Why does it matter? Well to answer these I first need you to imagine what a relationship would be like without trust? What could you say to them?, how could you divulge your feelings to them? 
Trust is not something that can be easily gained but very easily destroyed. Trust IS important, trust IS necessary, and trust IS foundational to any and all relationships - and in this post I am going to highlight some reasons why trust is important. 
Here are two related posts that you may like to read: How to Gain Trust: 4 Tips and 6 Means to Regain Trust.

1. Dependability

Having a level of trust will mean that you are dependable and that is something that is essential in a relationship. If someone is trustworthy then you know that you can depend on them whatever the circumstance.
The other person in the relationship will want to be able to rely on you also and having the assurance that they can do so, it is something that works both ways.

2. Openness

Without trust how can you be open with one another? Openness is where you can share information with each other, personal and private information, and have the confidence that they will be not only understanding but also trustworthy enough not to run around telling everyone. Think what it would be like in a relationship if you couldn't be open with one another because the trust didn't exist - who could you turn to in times of hardship, how could you express some of you deepest emotions with that person if you couldn't trust them, and how could they do the same with you if they couldn't trust you?

3. Less Stress

If you can't trust somebody then it is likely that anxiety will become a factor in your daily life. A relationship without trust will cause stress and will likely cause friction between the two of you. How can you relax when trust is not one of the foundations which your relationship is built upon?, thus stress and anxiety will arise, possibly forcing your relationship apart.
Having trust will mean that there won't be the need to worry about the other person, anxiety and stress if you have any wont be the result of trust issues.

Detail: Why is Trust Important in a Relationship?