PUSHING THE ENVELOPE

(GETTING OUT OF YOUR COMFORT ZONE)

One of my New Year's resolutions was to be more diligent and consistent with my workouts. In the past I would do well for a few weeks and then take a few days off and then find it was really hard to get back in a routine. With my 44th birthday looming, I vowed that this would be the year I would finally "get in shape" I decided that no matter what, I would get on my treadmill for a minimum of 30 minutes, five times a week.

The great thing about a treadmill is that once you get on you have no choice but to keep going. You can set it at a certain speed and a certain incline, put on your favourite music and voila you are off to the races. I found that if I stayed at about a 4 % incline and remained at a steady pace of about 3.5 miles an hour I could get through my workout without too much trouble. I thought the most important thing was to be consistent as if the workout was too hard I would just end up saying to heck with it. I stuck with the same routine for a few weeks and soon found I was able to get through the 30 minutes without breaking a sweat. I thought to myself fantastic... I must be really getting in shape. What I did not realize was by remaining static in my routine I was preventing myself from getting stronger and fitter, subsequently I would plateau and wonder why I was not seeing any results. After a bit of research I discovered that our bodies will adjust to any exercise program over time, so you need to fool your body into continuing to progress by changing your program every two weeks or so. Think about this concept for a moment and how you can use the same principle to expand your mind or develop a skill you never realized you had. Don't allow yourself to get stagnant.

In order to grow we must leave our comfort zone from time to time. We must try new things even though it may be a bit scary. Fear is a natural feeling but it should never keep us from accomplishing something we really want. It is OK for things to be a bit uncomfortable at times for that is a sure sign that we are making progress. Challenging our fears doesn't have to be painful. Change your fear to excitement, push yourself just a little bit from time to time and teach this to your children Explain to your children that it is impossible to do something perfectly the very first time they try it but if they persevere even though it may mean a little hard work, they will be amazed at what they can accomplish.

Here are some ways to help your children grow

# When reading stories to your children and you come across a word he/she may not understand don't change the word to something familiar. Instead read the word and then give the definition of what the word means. In this way you help to expand your child's vocabulary.

# Play games once in awhile that challenge your child such as trivia games or other thinking games that will expand your child's intellect.

# Suggest that your child try a new activity such as a new sport they have never tried before of join a club he or she may be interested in.

# Get your children to try new foods, tell them they don't have to eat it all just have a taste, you never know if you like something until you try it.

# Encourage your child to try drama or public speaking or even standing up in front of the class to make a presentation. For the younger children a good way to begin would be show and tell.

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PUSHING THE ENVELOPE