Meeting with mentor
My mentor and I have not met as much as I would have liked to since my last blog post, but that is my fault as I have not reached out to schedule a meeting. My mentor and I have covered the importance of taking care of your body after physical activity and the process of recovery. This topic is very applicable to me because I have been dealing with issues with my lower back. We have talked about the importance of pushing yourself but knowing your limits. We have also talked about the importance of rest and recovery. I have played sports all my life but at a young age, I never learned about the importance of recovery. The discussions with my mentor are full of new information because of this.
Since my back has been sore, I have recently not participated in sports the way I wish I could. Which makes right now the perfect time to dial in and create a personalized training plan with the help of my mentor. Through this, I can apply what I have learned from our discussions about recovery and the research that I have done through the internet, experience, and talking to others. This will also allow me to work on the personalization aspect of my in-depth skill.
Questions & Answers
Skill Focused
Who do I know that prioritizes their health and fitness? What do they do that makes me think this?
There are quite a few people in my life that I have noticed that prioritize their health and fitness. Over the past week, I have made a list of some practices these people follow. During this time, I have also written down what these people have in common. The list is below for you to take a look at.
I created this list to benefit my knowledge and to discover trends within the people I notice prioritize health and fitness. This may also be a way for people to gain some quick inspiration. By no means do you have to get a dog or do any of the items on the list. There are other ways that you can practice prioritizing your health and fitness.
Why does society have such a negative relationship with the idea of health and fitness?
Since my last blog post, I have done a lot of reflection and research on society’s negative relationship with health and fitness. I wanted to focus on it because it is a topic I think about a lot. Much of the negativity surrounding health and fitness stems from the competition. There is this idea that everyone needs to be doing better than one another. Competition and comparison create negative energy around a topic that should be encouraging and uplifting. People compare their body types, the time they exercise for, the sports they play, the weight they can lift. We live in a world where everyone always wants to be doing better than everyone around them. If we carry this idea that we need to be better than other people, we will never get the true benefits from health and fitness practices. The people I was talking to and observing, who I consider people who prioritize health and fitness in their lives, are not doing it to be better than others. They are doing it to be the best versions of themselves. I heard this quote the other week that said: be so focused on watering your own grass that you do not have the time to check if anyone else’s grass is greener.” This has stuck with me since I have heard this because I struggle with comparing myself to other people. We need to shift the focus of health and fitness to be doing better than we were yesterday. It is not fair to compare yourself to someone who is not you. We need to learn to accept the ups and downs and focus on watering our own grass.
Here is an interesting TEDTalk about comparing yourself to others: To overcome challenges, stop comparing yourself to others | Dean Furness – YouTube
What are some of the pros and cons that may come up in individuals’ opinions of prioritizing their fitness? Why or why not may this be true?
PRO
Keeps your body fit – Physical fitness is a great way to keep your body happy and healthy. It helps improve your strength, flexibility, energy, and posture. It can also help avoid lifestyle-rooted health problems.
Clears your mind – Exercise is one of the best ways to clear your mind. It is one of the most popular stress-coping mechanisms. Research has shown people who exercise are 25% less likely to develop depression or anxiety. It has also shown that exercise helps memory and learning. If you are ever feeling weight down from the pressure of life, try to get some fitness in, even if it is for only a few minutes.
You may live longer – Many studies have shown that exercise may help us live longer. Research on this topic dates back to the 1980s. In these studies, the participants with higher fitness levels live the longest. This was especially true in older participants and people with high blood pressure.
Great way to meet people – Exercise is a fantastic way to meet new people. If you play on a team, you can make friends and build lifelong positive connections with people. Even if you do not play a team sport, there will be a community of people who also enjoy the same forms of physical activity. Social media groups and fitness apps make connecting with people a lot easier. Fitness classes are also full of people who will support you. No matter what form of physical activity you are doing, there will always be people to connect with.
It is fun – Once you find the types of exercise you enjoy, it will be much easier to get up and do it. It may take a little time until you find the physical activity for you. However, once you do, it can change your life. Many children grow up playing plenty of sports and changing them from year to year. This is not different at any stage in your life when you are searching for forms of physical activity you enjoy. Do not give up the search, keep trying because once you find the type of exercise for you it will be worth it!
CON
Takes a lot of time – Not all forms of exercise take lots of time. You may decide to on a walk around the block, or follow a short workout video. You do not need to block out an hour of your day every single day for exercise. 150 minutes of moderate-intensity to 75 minutes of intense physical activity or a mix of both each week is the recommended amount of exercise. When you think about this, is only 20 minutes per day or an hour 2-3 times per week
It is expensive – Not all forms of exercise are expensive. Many forms of exercise do not cost any money. Such as going on walks or hikes. There are an unlimited number of at-home workouts you can do that cost nothing. You can find one of the millions of workout videos on YouTube or even create your own. Since the beginning of the pandemic, there has been a surge of at-home workouts posted online. These are great resources as there are exercises for every skill level and style. I would highly recommend all three videos linked below. The HIIT Cardio Workout is best if you are looking for a high-intensity workout. The Dance Workout is great for all fitness levels, and they are so much fun. There are all different styles of dance as well as all different songs to dance to. The Full Body Flow is a great yoga practice for people who have done yoga before and those who have not. Yoga is a great way starting point in implementing fitness into your life. It is a very mindful exercise, yet it is also a great way to strengthen your body.
Exercise Videos:
– 30-Minute HIIT Cardio Workout with Warm Up – No Equipment at Home | SELF – YouTube
– 30-Minute All-Levels Cardio Dance Workout – YouTube
– Full Body Flow | 20 Min. Yoga Practice | Yoga With Adriene – YouTube
Exercise is tiring – Exercise can be tiring, but it will make you stronger. Each time you exercise and push yourself you get stronger. It is a great aspect of life where you can see that if you put in the effort, it will help you improve.
It is boring – All exercise is not boring. You may need to try out some different forms of exercise until you find one you like. Going to the gym and lifting weights is not the only form of exercise that exists. There are so many other options. Some forms of exercise you may want to try are walking, hiking, yoga, water sports, or even joining a sports league. Once you find the exercise that is right for you, you may realize that you love it.
Injuries are common – Injuries are always a possibility and are common in athletes. Learning to practice physical fitness safely and responsibly is extremely important. There are many ways to learn, the easiest being the internet.
Great resources to learn more about the benefits of physical fitness:
– Exercise for Stress and Anxiety | Anxiety and Depression Association of America, ADAA
– Regular exercise changes the brain to improve memory, thinking skills – Harvard Health
Mentorship Questions
What went particularly well during your mentor meeting sessions?
What has been going well during the meetings I have with my mentor is the flow of our conversation. Our meetings are productive, and I often get to explore than I think I will. I go into the meeting with questions and an update on the progress that I have been making. We usually start with a check-in then move into the focus of the discussion for that meeting. I have enjoyed the meetings with my mentor because he is very insightful. With his help, I have stayed on track towards reaching my goals, and I could not be more thankful to have someone like this to support my learning and help me grow.
What learning challenges emerged? What did you do to hold yourselves accountable for the learning?
It has been challenging feeling the need to know all there is to know. There is such a wide range of topics on health and fitness. There will always be more research I can do or more opinions I can draw on. What I need to do is jump right in because I will learn more that way. I will begin to learn practical skills and begin to do the part of my in-depth that I was excited about in the beginning. To hold myself accountable for my learning, I have been intentionally looking for time in my schedule to work on my in-depth. Whether that be online research, talking to people to gain their insights, or trying different forms of exercise and following a variety of YouTube videos.
What three strategies could improve the quality of your mentoring interactions? What is the action plan for implementing each of the three strategies?
- Regularly reaching out to my mentor – Even before this project, my mentor always reminded me his door is always open. I want to begin taking up this offer more often. I will start by talking with my mentor whenever I see him around. My mentor has encouraged me to ask any questions I have, so I will try to ask any questions that come up in between meetings.
- Trying to be a bigger contributor to our meetings – I am never very vocal in social interactions. I enjoy taking a step back and listening to what others have to say. I am not the only one learning as the mentee. Sharing my ideas during meetings will give me and my mentor opportunities to learn. This is not a practice with a specific strategy that I can follow, but I should try to say what I think and not always worry what others will think of it. This will also help me in class because I often do not speak up in class even though I have a lot to say. There are times when it takes me so long to find what I want to say we have moved on or somebody else has said what I have to say.
- Remind them how much I appreciate their time and effort – For mentoring relationships to work, there needs to be mutual respect. My mentor and I already have respect for one another. Though it is always nice to hear an extra thank you here and there. I am going to work on thanking my mentor more often, but appreciation does not always happen verbally. I am also going to make sure I listen attentively, consider feedback and apply it to the best of my abilities, and make sure I ask questions.
I am really excited to continue working with my mentor and see where this project will take me!