Get Your Focus On!!!! -Do your homework more effectively with less distractions!

Hi You All,

I haven't posted in a while, but that is okay.

I wanted to talk about being able to do homework more effectively. I have had trouble trying to do my homework efficiently and often find myself overly distracted. I have often wondered why am I having trouble focusing?

I think the answer is that I have not been in a productive mindset when I'm doing my homework. I have too many thoughts going through my mind and that causes me to struggle to focus on the one piece of work I have to do at hand.

Here are some tips:

-Set a goal for your homework.

-Download and Use the Self-Control App. This allows you to block all the websites that normally distract you like Facebook or Youtube.

-Hide your Cell Phone.

-Close all the windows on your computer that do not directly relate to the assignment you're working on.

-Study in a good environment -Somewhere quiet and well-lit.

-Have proper nutrition. Healthy people perform better.

FINALLY: Get your mind in the right place: try meditation.
I have been doing a lot of these exercises before long nights of homework and they definitely help me
get in the right mindset; they help clear my mind of distractions.
www.uvm.edu/health/mindfulmedia
All of these exercises are free and one of them is only three minutes long, so it really can't hurt. Chances are you'll goof off and not focus for 20minutes so any of these are a productive and effective study break!

Best of luck during finals everyone!

Best,

Trevor

p.s. I hope you like the tired picture of me holding up the card I got from health and well-being about mindfulness.

The Summer Television Trap: College Student's Beware

I finished my semester last Saturday and once I got home I plopped myself down on the couch. I don't like to watch tv, but I needed to let my brain turn to mush after my last few finals and extreme lack of sleep. I am falling into what I call the TV TRAP.

The TV trap is simple, one hasn't watched t.v. for so long and are exhausted so the easiest activity to do is simply sit down and watch t.v.. Another issue to be added to this problem for me is that my family recently got high speed internet that is wireless. I therefore can now watch t.v. from my computer in the comfort of my own room; thank god for the self control application, I might need to use that on Hulu and youtube.

It's so easy to fall into this trap. I find myself watching the most stupid movies that are on t.v. such as Bad Teacher and Knocked Up; I hadn't seen either of them but decided I better give them a shot...whoops, there goes 4 hours out of my day. I could've spent those 4 hours cleaning up my room or doing a fun activity outdoors, but instead I watched t.v..

Another tough issue relating to the trap is that when one first gets back home, most of the time, that person does not have anything to do that has a deadline. For example, I want to get in better shape, clean my room, make healthy meals, put in the garden, etc.. but apart from the garden and the hunger of my stomach, none of those activities have a set deadline and those that do are very loose; yes, I should get in the garden by memorial day weekend.

The lack of deadlines, no pressures, no stress, and tired from finals = laziness. Also, t.v. is addicting. I haven't watched more than an hour a week when at school and I don't have one in my room but now...its right in the living room calling my name. 30 min of t.v. turns into an hour and half or more. HELP!

Not to worry! I got a solution!
MAKE A LIST:
-Goals for the day!
-A loose time schedule: I will run in the morning, or go to the gym after dinner.
Make it realistic and fun. Space things out. Clean room for an hour after lunch then skype friends.
Don't feel pressured to stick to this schedule, but try to accomplish basics.
Mine would be:
-Wake up before 9 am.
-Eat breakfast
-Check emails
-Clean room.
-Watch a little tv.
-Lunch around 12.
-Bike/run/hang out with friends til dinner.
-If time permits work on garden.
-Free after din.
-Make healthy snacks?

A small list of goals helps, and i can easily use this list time after time and alter it.
Don't get stuck in a lazy trap. Do that for a few days, but don't get too out of shape over it!

Stay Strong,
-Trevor

Picture from
http://shop.cafepress.com/animaniacs

Making It Personal -Current Health Trends.

I recently thought this blog is not personal enough and therefore I need to make it more personal.
I need to discuss my thoughts, my joys, my experiments and what I think the newest trends are in health.

Current Trends:

-Barefoot Running! This started a few years ago with the vibram five finger shoes, that look ugly and weird to most, however they are great for people's feet when run in properly. This trend really started to take off with Christopher McDougall's book Born to Run which talks about ultrarunning and the shoe industry. I personally love this book and therefore recommend it to everyone. I do caution one's who try barefoot running to do more research on technique and also to take it slow, the back of one's calves will kill after a barefoot run.

-Diet drinks: such as zero calorie drink. Almost all of these are sweetened with artificial sweeteners and are therefore bad for you. Most sports drinks are unless you're in an intense endurance sporting event. Avoid all diet drinks and their artificial sweeteners. Drink water or tea instead.

-Too much sodium: Prepare your own food as much as you can to avoid this. We consume way too much sodium.

-Fitness Apps. I don't know much about these but if they encourage you to exercise they can't be bad, right?

-Zumba: I have never done it but I hear its fun and a great workout. For those who don't know, zumba is a type of dance work out.

-Weight Watchers: Learn to eat healthy for life. Jenifer Hudson is looking good!

-Sleep: People still do not get enough sleep which causes a list of problems. Do I really need to say them? Imagine how you feel when you get a lack of sleep. Get 8 hours, lets stop glamorizing lack of sleep.

Finally, I wish walking was a current health trend. Walk to work, walk to the store, walk for fun, etc. People drive way too much, even just 2 minutes down the road. We were born with two legs, lets use them.
Also, Lack of adventure. Many people are too afraid to get sweaty, dirty, climb trees, swim lakes, and just act like a child on many of the adventures children will take. That is free fitness while one generally has to pay for the gym. I wish people would stop thinking of the gym as the key way to lose weight.

These are a few thoughts and I'm sure there are many others.
Best,
Trevor

Pic from http://activeredkickboxingandfitness.blogspot.com/2011/11/hey-there-today-we-are-bringing-you.html

End of March Snow: People Go Crazy

Snow on March 29th, it's the talk all over campus. Students are in disbelief and wonder,
what is going on with our weather? Last Thursday 80 degrees outside and today low thirties...what is going on? If you are a Vermonter you are used to this sporadic weather; however, it has never been this unusual.

What causes these changes? Is global warming really having its effect on us now? or is this still normal weather? I do not know what is right or what is wrong, however something doesn't feel right. It makes me really ponder every single item I buy and throw away, do I really need this? or is it just creating waste for the planet? Should I really eat meat? Or am I definitely doing too much harm now?

My other observation is the lack of runners outside. A couple weeks ago I wrote about joggers who only jog when the weather is nice and today I didn't see any joggers. True, I did go in the middle of the day, however there is usually at least one other jogger out and today there was no one. Remember, just cause it's cold outside doesn't mean you can't bundle up and go for it!
Human's are tough and once you run in some nasty storm, you'll feel like a champion and can run in anything!

Stay Strong,
Trevor

Pic from http://www.cartoonistswithattitude.org/blog/category/climate-change/

Getting Asleep, Staying Asleep, Good and Healthy Sleep...zZz

A common mistake people make is eating right before bed. It is all too common to grab a small snack, a couple drinks, and turn on the television before catching some sleep; however that is one of the worst decisions one can make in terms of staying healthy and keeping the weight off.

- Our body needs time to burn off food; this also includes drinks, which may be high in sugar and calories.
- Our body can be energized from the food we eat, therefore not allowing one to sleep.
-One therefore must be sure to avoid stimulants, such as caffeine.
- Stimulating activities such as exercise or physical labor will also cause you trouble falling asleep.
- Electronic gadgets such as T.V.'s and computers are also considered to be stimulating to the brain and I therefore recommend that one limits that before bed, such as do not watch or use the hour before going to sleep.

I therefore recommend, do not eat or exercise 3 hours before you go to bed. Also, do not drink within 90 minutes of going bed, this should help prevent needing to go to the bathroom in the middle of the night.

In some cases one might be starving or dying of thirst, therefore consume a snack or drink.
-A good option is a glass of milk, because that will help one fall asleep and keep one from getting hungry.
-Low fat popcorn that is low in butter and sodium.
-Vegetables and hummus.
-Tea, such as chamomile. Make sure your tea is caffeine free.

I also advise properly winding down, so the matter how hard it can be in college ditch the laptop. Do a reading, clean your room, and stay away from electronics. This includes your cell phone.
I believe electronics are why a lot of people have trouble falling asleep.
It may sound embarrassing but I often will listen to books on tape to help me wind down and go to sleep. I really love the Lord of the Rings and Harry Potter series. Both are very well done.

Human's are also designed to go to bed when it gets dark and wake up when it gets light outside; it is our natural rhythm. Many people will argue this point and everyone's body is different, however this is my own belief and one can look up studies on this, but going to bed at 9pm and waking up 8 hours later feels different than going to bed at 3am every night and waking up 8 hours later. Despite the same hours of sleep one will still feel different and more refreshed going to bed at the earlier time. Many students will argue they are nocturnal. I don't think I buy it, but hey if it works for them go for it. Therefore, consider the time you go to bed as well.

Also, there is now a sleep app: Sleep On It, Sleep Tracker and Alarm Clock. http://www.medhelp.org/land/sleep-log-app I know nothing about it, however it has received great reviews and will be your alarm clock to get you up on time yet still be refreshed by following your sleep cycle. If you have this technology, give it a shot. If it doesn't work give up on it and do what you did before.

Sweet dreams,
and Stay Strong,
Trevor

Pic from http://www.medhelp.org/land/sleep-log-app

Exercise the Distractions Away

Facebook! Email! Cell Phones! Youtube! Stumble Upon...
These are all distractions many of us face every day and have trouble controlling. It is shocking to see how many students in the library are on Facebook when they mean to be studying. I am not hating on Facebook because when used properly it is a great networking tool, however it is also many people's largest distraction. There are distractions and then there are positive distractions, such as eating, showering, cleaning, exercise etc.

During my first year of college I was easily distracted. I had a a lot going on in my mind and I loved my coursework but I still was distracted. I would say my biggest distraction at the time was Facebook and then there would go 45 minutes of my studying. 45 minutes is a lot of time and I didn't do anything important on Facebook, I would just look at my friend's statuses and their pictures (I wasn't truly networking or using it for work).

I felt like it reached a point where my best options was just to go to the gym. I would tell myself, well if I go to the gym and exercise for 30 min then at least I'll have my jitters out, energy raised, and I will be able to sit down without going on Facebook. I was so surprised how well that worked.

Exercise has helped me, however there are also other options. There are certain websites or apps that will only allow one to be on Facebook for a limited time.

Either way, exercise is great and media distractions are not good; they just provide more distractions. Even small amounts of exercise can make a difference, like a 20 min walk in the pic above made a big difference in brain activity.

Best,
Stay Strong,
Trevor

Pic from
http://www.sd13.org/~jgabriel/
AND

Brain on left is seen taking a test with no prior exercise.

Brain on the right is seen taking the same test after a 20-minute walk.

A Secret Study Spot Without Your Phone

As I prepare for my massive anatomy exam I have made two key discoveries:

1. I need to have special study locations where I can crank work out.

2. If I leave behind my phone or computer I can also CRANK WORK OUT!

One's study location should be free of all distractions. One should not be easily found there and should also not have a view of other people, cars, animals, distractions, etc. It should just be a student with his or her work.

One should also not bring a phone or computer. One claims a computer is needed, however, unless you're typing a paper or need it for research you really don't need it. Also, if you need it but don't need internet that is cool too.
Also the phone, ahh we love it and we hate it. Leave it behind if you're seriously trying to study. People 20 years ago did fine without cell phones and there is no reason we can't as well; they were actually probably much more productive.

Good luck and
Stay Strong,
Trevor

Picture from: http://www.hooverwebdesign.com/free-printables/signs/free-printable-no-cell-phone-use-in-office-sign.html