Wednesday, March 15, 2017

sol17-15 How can I learn more about that?


I am participating in the
Slice of Life Story Challenge (SOLSC).
All participants are writing about one moment, one part of their day, every day of March 2017. 
A big thank you to Two Writing Teachers for providing this unique opportunity
for teacher-writers to share and reflect.


I have been participating in an on-line 30-day exercise challenge, thanks to the prodding of a very dear niece...and I am amused by my warmup routine. Yes, I begin each workout with a Google search of all the exercises I don't know followed by viewing Youtube video clips of how to do them. Here's just a sampling of the exercises I've had to investigate:
  • bear hug side plank
  • burpees
  • mountain climbers
  • Russian twists
  • tricep dips with leg raise
  • holloman to knee crunches
  • plank jacks
  • chaturanga push-ups
  • lateral skater jumps
  • heismans
  • Brazilian lunges
  • curtsy squats
Don't you think I should be in amazing shape, just because I know what these are now? Unfortunately, it doesn't work that way. Practice, practice, practice.

I feel energized when I am "getting smart" about something new, much like an adventurer in new terrain. This positive feeling was the silver lining to my son's autoimmune disease - finding out everything I could possibly know, comparing different sources, learning what to question and what to accept as truth. It is the adrenaline boost for preparing for vacations, especially travel abroad - reading about the location, investigating sightseeing possibilities, and compiling lists of to do's. It is the 'piece de resistance' of my teaching - looking up new techniques, reading about others' experiences, getting background information, considering another perspective.

It is remarkable how essential the internet is to research and how quickly you can access the information you need. It wasn't so long ago that research necessitated a physical visit to the library. It wasn't so long ago when the big questions involved looking at microfiche (and I'm nerdy enough to have loved this level of fact-finding). It wasn't so long ago that if new questions arose or there was something additional to include, you needed to buy new typing paper and begin all over again. Truly, it is extraordinary what information is available right at our fingertips, within mere seconds.

It certainly makes my workouts easier!

6 comments:

  1. Now to learn how to "sift and winnow"! My husband and I are currently researching a trip (Scotland! Ireland!) and have been amazed at how much UN-useful information is out there - as well as poorly done YouTube videos. Separating the wheat from the chaff is the hard part of any research. Even workouts, I'd imagine!

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    1. Yes! That is true! There is a lot more garbage to wade through on the internet than there ever was in microfiche. ;-)

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  2. I know all but one or two of those exercises, but that knowledge, and having performed them often, doesn't seem to be making me thinner!

    And I do remember what it was like to research before the internet. I also like the old ways as I sat in the library pulling books and journals from shelves. The internet is both a blessing and a bane!

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    1. I am impressed that you knew these exercises! Whole new world for me. My niece is 33 years old and I rationalized that it was an age thing...but I think it's mostly because I've just been a hiker, walker, sometimes jogger. These really work the body all over.

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  3. I'm interested in those "Brazilian lunges", & just think, I can Google them and see what they are! And I love "you needed to buy new typing paper and begin all over again." I used to tell my students that no griping was allowed about making changes a la computer. What if they had to type it all again? I think you and I would be good friends, Maureen. I love the learning of new things, sometimes even get caught up at the library with a displayed book! Happy discovering.

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    1. It has been a lot of fun - a lot of work and a lot of fun!

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