Tag: phone

Always help others…no matter what!

Always help others…no matter what!

Summer has officially been over for a month and it has taken me this long to sit down and write about someone that touched my heart when I was volunteering one evening in August.  I was volunteering at my alma mater because I love to help welcome the students back to campus.  It was a casual evening where I helped give directions to students, greet students, and welcome them during a “Back to Campus” event.  It was simple and easy to do.  I didn’t feel like I had done much other than say hi and welcome back to students.  As I was walking around at the very end of the night I came upon a student that was walking home after the event.  I walked by as I was browsing my phone and then circled back because there was something about the student that concerned me.  He had a physical handicap that made walking very difficult.  He was also staring at his phone with a confused look upon his face as if he needed something.  I could tell he was struggling so I asked if he needed help.  He said, “I am trying to figure out what direction to go to get back to the dorms.”  I explained the location of the dorms, but also wanted to make sure he could get to a bus because walking was very difficult for him.  It made me realize how much I take walking for granted.

He seemed very grateful for the help.  I actually wasn’t sure if the buses were running on their normal bus schedule so I went to verify it with campus staff to be sure he was able to get to where he needed to go.  He got the directions he needed to get to the bus stop and that was something that made me realize how important it is to offer help.  I came across this young student at just the right time to assist him with getting back to the dorms safely.

Not only did he remind me of the importance of helping others and being present rather than browsing on my phone, but he also forced me to think about how much I take my legs and feet for granted.  That student had a permanent handicap that prevented him from walking at a steady pace or maintaining quality balance.  It’s something that many of us take for granted on a daily, weekly, monthly, and yearly basis.  Next time you see someone who may need help, may be handicapped, or may need guidance I implore you to do the right thing.  It’s too easy to look down, look at your phone, stare, or just simply not want to get involved with others, but that’s not the right thing to do.  We are meant to be kind and help other people.  There’s a reason why we should be kind – that reason is often to help someone else, inspire someone else, or make the lives of those around us better.  After all, you will find more purpose and meaning when you give back and help others than you will in any other facet of your life.

~jj

#ProjectKindnessBook

#AlwaysChooseKindness

There’s an {exercise} app for that!

There’s an {exercise} app for that!

Each weekend my boyfriend and I go on some type of walk, jog, hike, or outdoor workout to get some steps in.  At first, it started as taking the dog for a walk, but it quickly turned into a weekend routine.  Now we go nearly every weekend.  Our weekend walk or jog has evolved over time.  We both have phone apps that track our steps which caused us to begin to pay attention to how many steps and how much distance we were covering for fun.  It has now turned into a friendly competition whereby my boyfriend and I ask each other several times along the walk how many steps the other has done.  Why you ask?  We now compete against each other to see who has more steps.  I usually win! 🙂  That’s mostly because I take smaller steps.  Not intentionally though, I have shorter legs!   He usually covers more distance then me, but who’s counting?  We both are to see who can claim “winning” the exercise race.  Of course, there is nothing to win other than saying you win distance or you win most number of steps.

So why am I telling you this story?  Because using a pedometer or some type of fitness app that makes you accountable for what you are accomplishing each day is a great way to ensure you are moving your body and getting exercise.  This is a great alternative to Fitbits and other fitness tools or devices that people often use for a short period because phones are always with us.  Lastly, I would encourage you to put together a work team or social team that can help motivate you.  I am positive my boyfriend and I would not get as much exercise during the weekend if it weren’t for the competition we have created with each other.  It goes as far as when I get up or he gets up to do something we take our phones not to use them, but because we want to make sure the phone is registering every last step that might put us ahead of  the other!  While we exercise regularly during the week, it is important to also get some exercise throughout the weekend!

Another reason phone apps are great is because you can use them anywhere and anytime so there’s no excuse for no workout!  You can do a quick workout in a hotel room if you are traveling for work or traveling for fun.  You can grab your phone and download an app that has fitness and nutrition inspiration, has workouts that target specific areas of your body, or you can find an app that has group exercise routines that you can follow.

Now it’s time to go to your app store on your phone to find an app that will help you achieve your fitness, nutrition, and health goals! 🙂

~jj

#ProjectKindnessBook

#AlwaysChooseKindness

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