[Caption: The above image is a silhouette of someone sitting on a bench under the tree. There are a few stray green leaves throughout the image, to visualize the wind. The image includes the quote "Someone is sitting in the shade today because someone planted a tree a long time ago".]
Heads up: Phew this week's is a long one! No pressure to read it all in one go, check out what we've got for you one thing at a time!
May Activity Challenge (B-Healthy: The Healthy Campus Initiative)
This May, B-Healthy: The Healthy Campus Initiative seeks to engage our Staff and Faculty in an Activity Challenge. All you have to do to participate is to submit the number of minutes you have spent completing low, moderate or vigorous physical activities! ~ That's right, your lunch walks DO COUNT!
May WellNYS To Dos:
Something To Do for the next 7 days, to B-Well!
Thu. May 2
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Do you meet the physical activity guidelines for adults of 150 minutes of a week of moderate activity and two days of muscle strengthening? If you do, create a fun physical activity challenge, and ask a friend to join you. If you do not, plan how to fit in approximately 20 minutes of physical activity in per day.
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Fri. May 3
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It’s always important to include your physician in any decision that increases the physical activity in your lifestyle. Make your doctor aware of any aches or pains that may limit your ability to perform a specific activity.
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Sat. May 4
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Fun physical activity challenges with family and friends can include setting a routine Saturday morning activity at a set time. For example: Every Saturday morning at 8:30 a.m. you agree to meet at your local park for a walk with a friend. What physical challenge would motivate you be active on Saturdays for May?
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Sun. May 5
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New York State parks are celebrating the Centennial Challenge in 2024! Complete 24 out of 100 activities and win a prize and be eligible to win a 24 three-year Empire Pass and a Centennial swag bag! Sign up at https://parks.ny.gov/100/challenge/
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Mon. May 6
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Download the Move Your Way Fact sheet and motivate your coworkers to join you to be more physically active. https://health.gov/sites/default/files/2021-02/PAG_MYW_FactSheet_Adults_508c.pdf
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Tue. May 7
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On-Your-Toes Tuesday. Today, find little ways throughout the day to do a few toe-raises, for example, when you are on your phone, waiting in line, or washing the dishes.
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Wed. May 8
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Today, the Olympic Torch will begin the journey through France. For 68 days, the torch will be carried by 11,000 people from all nationalities, each traveling 200 meters through every region in France, and will arrive in Paris on July 26, the opening day of the Summer Olympics. Try your own torch walk or run today.
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Goal Achievement
Positive Psychology has created a toolkit around Goal Setting called "3-Goal Achievement Exercises" ~ This 26 page toolkit provides a general overview of three exercises, includes directions, as well as worksheets that you can use.
26 pages is a lot - Let's break one down together!
Realizing Long-Lasting Change by Setting Process Goals
- Choose a Goal : Consider you'd like to change for good; some goal that would involve a long-lasting change.
- Choose an action: Think of the following question "Which action, if carried out repeatedly, would help you reach this goal?"
- Choose an approach: The secret to long-lasting change is the creation of habis. We create habits when we do the same thing repeatedly.
Consider these three approaches
- Drastic Change: Establishing habits through radical behavior change from the start, known as the "all-or-nothing" method, involves fully committing to a new behavior, like exercising for an hour daily or writing 2,000 words daily. This approach is often used to eliminate undesirable habits like smoking or drug abuse, opting to cease the behavior entirely rather than gradually reducing it. However, sustaining such drastic changes can be challenging.
- Gradual Change: A less strict approach to habit formation involves gradual change, where you start with a small dose of the behavior and increase it over time. For instance, if your goal is to meditate for 40 minutes daily, you might begin with 2 minutes per day and incrementally increase it. Similarly, in building a habit of non-smoking, you might start by reducing one cigarette per day and gradually decrease the number until you quit entirely.
- Habits can also be formed through a "chunking" strategy, where you break down the desired behavior into smaller segments over an extended period. For instance, to achieve the goal of writing a book, you might commit to writing for 20 minutes daily or spend 15 minutes each day reading to become an expert on a specific topic. These various habit-building approaches are further outlined in the Table 1 of this exercise's appendices.
- Start taking action: Start by carrying out the plan you described in step 3. No matter how small you action may seem, the most important thing to remember is that you are taking action. The trick is to focus on the fact that you are moving closer to your goal, not on how far you are removed from your goal. Keep moving.
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