Woody Wonders

Motivation It's very much a Woody Wonders as in 'hmmm' this week. Today I ran Huddersfield 10K, it's a race I've run numerous times over the years.  It's truly horrendous in terms of the hills so what keeps me motivated to keep going back year after year. This set off a whole chain of thought about motivation: What is it?   How do we get it?   How do we keep it?   Why does is wane from time to time? I wish I had all the answers to these questions but sadly, I don't.  However, I will try and give you my own interpretation of the answers and what motivation means to me. Motivation is a mental state of mind Our bodies are perfectly capable of running, jumping, swimming etc but it's very much our mind that tells us we can or can't do something.  We're often motivated to start something but then struggle to follow it through. Let's take New Year's resolutions as a prime example.  At the start of January we're often su...

Be happy In the final part of the 'keeping healthy at work' series, we'll be looking at how we can be just that little bit happier at work.  We're there an awful long time remember so how can we jazz things up a bit? Motivation Mojo It's natural for your 'mojo' to waver from time to time, especially when you've been in the same job for quite some time.  The key is not to do anything rash that you'll later regret.  Simply take some time out to regroup.  Go and find a quiet place (or do this when you get home) and inhale deeply for a count of 4, pause, then exhale for a count of 8.  Continue until you feel like your mind has cleared.  Now grab some paper and a pen (or your iPad, showing my age!) and note down how your job fits in with the overall business.  List the tiny details of how your role plays a vital part in the system.  It doesn't matter whether you're the cleaner or the MD, your role is integral.  Doing this simple task wi...

Sharpen your mind Welcome to part two of how to be healthier at work.  We live in a 24/7 quick fix society so it's no wonder that our brains struggle to keep up with the amount of information thrown at us every minute of every single day. Stay focused If your workplace allows it, place a plant on your desk.  Herbs, such as thyme and rosemary for example, have been proven to help boost brain function.  If this is not possible or practical, for a quick boost why not try Bach Rescue Remedy which is particularly helpful for when you're feeling stressed. https://www.bachfloweradvice.co.uk Stay productive We all procrastinate from time to time and then we start to stress about procrastinating which then in turn makes us more stressed about the task we're not doing!!  Don't waste your time trying to figure out the reason why you're not doing the task, simply focus on the next tiny step you could take to start it.  For example, this could be as simple a...

Protect your body Many of us work around 40 hours a week, I was going to say that I'm lucky enough to work part-time but in reality there's some weeks when I do end up working 40 hours over the course of 4 days!! When you spend such long hours at work, you have to keep your body and mind healthy and despite your protestations there are many ways you can do this but you have to help yourself in the first place, no-one is going to remind you to do these things. Stand up on a regular basis Don't sit at your desk for hours on end without moving.  Move around for at least 10 minutes every hour, whether it's to go and make a drink, ask a colleague a question instead of emailing or to use the toilets on another floor.  Research has shown that musculoskeletal problems account for around 31 million sick days per year - wow!!  However, you can quite easily offset this simply by moving on a regular basis.  If you're lucky enough to have stairs in your office lik...

Welcome to my new blog! Woody Wonders will cover a whole range of topics but will be mainly focused on health and fitness and how to keep yourself motivated and organised in today's frantic 'quick fix' world. It could be 'wonders' as in wow!! 😃 or it could be 'wonders' as in hmm ❓❓