I am a 60-something baby boomer, getting fat and out-of-shape. I have health issues, high cholesterol, type-two diabetes among them. It wasn’t always this way. I used to be an athlete. In high school, I lettered in football and baseball, and played intramural basketball. After high school I played softball, some occasional pickup games of baseball, tennis, and golf. I know what it means to be active and fit.But I have never made fitness and health a priority. Until now.I am working harder all the time at eating right and exercising. I don’t do this in anticipation of delaying the inevitable (that’s death, in case you were wondering) but of making my daily life better. Tomorrow, so I’ve heard, is not promised to any of us. So, several weeks ago, I started yet another exercise program. Yep. That means I have done this before.Several years ago, my wife and I joined our local YMCA, and for a while, I was a semi-regular attendee. Then, in an effort to save money — and because we were not as regular as we had been — we dropped that membership and joined a storefront fitness center. Which one it was is not important. What is important is that I was never able to make going there a habit.In the summer of 2009, I joined a diet program. You know, the one where you count points. That was working for a while, but then about eight months, I stopped attending those meetings about eight months ago. In November, 2009, I stopped watching what I was eating and stopped exercising. Guess what happened: I gained weight. What a shock. And my bad numbers — high cholesterol, high blood sugar, high blood pressure — got worse.So, are you starting to get the picture? I am not a fitness fanatic.But then, at the start of the summer of 2010, I started to get serious about my health again. I had been promising myself I would, but the turning point, for me, was a blog called Zen Habits. The post I found was one called “13 Things to Avoid When Changing Habits.” Among the 13 things, these were the ones that resonated most with me:
Taking on two or more habits at once.
Not committing a plan to paper.
Not having support.
Not realizing the obstacles.
Not logging your progress.
Having no accountability.Here’s what I did:
I committed to changing one habit: exercise.
I wrote a plan for the next six months.
I enlisted my brother, who lives in Lexington, to provide both support and accountability. We talk on the telephone every Sunday at 6 p.m.
I am logging my progress in the same document that holds my plan.I am 10 weeks into it, and it seems to be working. So, here’s a tip. Keep it simple. (Right. Like you’ve never heard that one before.) Still that’s it. For me, I can say I have always been a fan of simplicity. But that’s it: a fan. Not someone who really embraced simplicity. I think that’s changed. I think I am really moving toward accepting the simple life. You can sort of tell these things.
Learn Digital Photography – Setting Goals For Your Photography
The exciting part of any new year is that the year starts on the day you decide. It is not necessarily January where you need to begin. Just be prepared to make a start and set goals for yourself. Let’s take a look at why it’s so important to make goals for your photography.As with anything in life those who fail to plan, plan to fail. Setting goals for yourself will take you further along your photographic journey and help you become a more competent and skilled photographer. Setting out what you want to achieve and by when will stop you from meandering along the journey and make you more focussed as you learn digital photography. So what should you do to set some success photographic goals?1. Determine to shoot moreIn order to become a better photographer you need to shoot more. If you’re not taking photos then you are achieving nothing and cannot learn digital photography effectively. Take small steps and make sure that you have some form of programme to either encourage you or keep you disciplined.2. Shoot a photo a dayI have a challenge I give to my students which is very effective in assisting in point one. The 365 Photo Challenge. Basically all this is is that every day you determine to shoot one image at a specific time of the day. It helps you bring discipline to your photography, learn digital photography more effectively and also keeps you shooting throughout the year. You can either shoot a random shooting programme or choose a weekly, monthly or regular theme.3. Carry your cameraEven if you don’t take your camera everywhere with you, determine that you will take it with you more frequently. If you are not carrying a camera you will lose opportunities and will not be taking photos regularly. If you’re a DSLR user take a compact if you have one and keep it in your pocket or bag.4. Read a photography book or magazine a monthReading a book or magazine a month or if you can afford it, a week, will start giving you insight and inspiration for your photography. What this does is expose you to techniques, tricks and the work of others. Discipline yourself to do this so that you are getting a constant input of new photographic information from which you can learn digital photography.5. Take a photo walk with friendsThere is so much fun doing things with friends and if you can find other friends who have a photographic interest like you, then it’s a recipe for success. People feed off each other’s energy. It is motivating to be with other photographers and you will challenge each other. Before you go, choose a theme or a few concepts to shoot so that you have ideas and a focus or plan.6. Find a mentorIf you’re a beginner, or an even more advanced photographer it pays to find a mentor who will help you move to the next level. Someone you can ask questions of and learn new techniques from and be inspired by. This can be someone you know or someone you’ve met through a forum online. It is a person you can learn from wherever they are. The goal is improving your photos as you learn digital photography.7. Practise, practise, practiseIf you set any goal that includes practising your hobby, by the end of twelve months your improvement will be dramatic. Gary Player, golfing legend and winner of every major golfing tournament, says that the harder he practises the luckier he gets. If this is the only goal you set for yourself over the year, do it. It will bring a huge reward.Setting goals in life is key to success, so, by applying this to your photography is guaranteed to bring you success. So start small and then work towards your bigger goals. This will prevent you giving up too soon into your plan. Keep going and happy shooting!
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