Tuesday, January 4, 2011

New Year Energy

It's still early in the year, but has anyone else noticed that the parks are home to quite a few more active souls in the mornings and evenings these days?

We think it's great that everyone has fresh new year resolutions, and are getting out for some healthy activity, but inevitably most of these people will fall of the wagon, and stop working out, and the park will no longer bustle with the same energy.

Why do so many people "fail" in their resolutions? Here are a few reasons:

1. Goals are TOO difficult - If you set your goals at an unreasonable level, you wont be able to stick to it, and that feeling of failure and despair may keep you from doing anything. So instead of saying you want to work out every day for the whole year (not only is that difficult, but it leaves no room for rest and recovery), commit to a challenging, but attainable goal such as 3 days a week.

2. No support system - There are very few people that can be disciplined enough to get out and exercise consistently without any extra incentive. But if you commit to your friends, and establish a group that you are accountable to, you are much more likely to stick with it!

3. Not enjoying it - Not everyone loves exercise like we do, but we do believe that exercise can be fun for everyone. All too often, people only think of the end goal of better health, or losing weight, and will suffer through their exercise just to attain the goal. But if you enjoy what you're doing, how much easier will it be to stick with it? You just have to find a group that you enjoy, or an activity that you really like. Trying lots of new things is a great way to not get bored, and potentially find a new passion.

If you are setting goals for this year, and need helping quantifying, or creating something challenging but attainable, please feel free to ask for help, and we will do our best to assist. We will also continue to provide a great support system, and mix it up in class so you all enjoy your workouts!

Monday, January 3, 2011

Kurt Hahn Challenge 2011


To understand the challenge, first you have know who Kurt Hahn is, and what he strives to do in his teachings.

Kurt Hahn is an international educator who was involved in founding Outward Bound among other things, and his philosophy is described below.

"Hahn's educational philosophy was based on respect for adolescents, whom he believed to possess an innate decency and moral sense, but who were, he believed, corrupted by society as they aged. He believed that education could prevent this corruption, if students were given opportunities for personal leadership and to see the results of their own actions."

He lists 6 declines of modern youth, and each year I make plans to make sure I do not fall victim to these declines. They are:

Decline of Fitness due to modern methods of locomotion;
Decline of Initiative and Enterprise due to the widespread disease of spectatoritis;
Decline of Memory and Imagination due to the confused restlessness of modern life;
Decline of Skill and Care due to the weakened tradition of craftsmanship;
Decline of Self-discipline due to the ever-present availability of stimulants and tranquilizers;
Decline of Compassion due to the unseemly haste with which modern life is conducted or as William Temple called “spiritual death”.

While I was in Oregon, working as a park ranger, I met a friend named Dorothy. She introduced me to the principles of Kurt Hahn’s teachings, and I was inspired by her drive to do her part in fixing these 6 declines. She made plans at the start of each year to do something positive for herself in each of the declines, and she dedicated herself and her job to helping others to do the same by getting them outside, learning and moving.

Her challenge to herself, which I adopted and have shared with Jenni is to work on something in each of the 6 declines of modern youth to counter the problem.

For the decline of fitness - set some fitness goals, stay active, challenge yourself to do something new, or go faster or farther (you are all ahead of the game by being in Rough-Fit)
For the decline of initiative and enterprise - Have an Adventure! Go out and do something amazing and be inspired by nature and the world around you.
For the decline of memory and imagination - Set goals and allot time for Reflection. This can be journaling, reading, or meditating.
For the decline of skill and care - Learn a new skill. Whether it’s simple or complex does not matter.
For the decline of self-discipline - Commit yourself to being disciplined enough to reduce or eliminate a particular artificial stimulant from your life (TV, CPU, blackberry, Facebook etc.). You can also eliminate stimulants and tranquilizers that are found in artificial and processed foods.
For the decline of compassion - Volunteer! Doing something for someone else, it's as simple as that.

At Rough-Fit this year, we will be doing our best to help you fight these declines. But we encourage you to share this challenge with your family and friends and let’s take on the Decline of Modern Youth together.