The Trailmix.Net Blog

August 2007 - Posts

Goal Setting 101

This is an article about prioritization and goal setting. For the fourth or fifth time this year, I am starting a workout program. I am going to spare you the reasons why my previous attempts failed. What is more important is moving on and trying again.

Setting a Goal

As I look back on exercise programs that were most successful for me, each one had a specific purpose. I was preparing for a climb, a run, or some other physically challenging activity. In each case, there was a deadline. I had two choices, prepare or suck wind. Sometimes I prepared, other times I learned to prepare.

None of my efforts this year were attached to an event or time bound end point. I had a general idea that I wanted to be healthier but my plan lacked specificity and wasn’t realistic. Although I was able, I wasn’t really willing to prioritize my program over other things.

This time I am setting a SMART goal. Goal setting is a fundamental element of planning, and application of the SMART formula is a fundamental element of goal setting. If you are unfamiliar with the acronym, here is how it breaks down:

Specific

General goals, such as “get in shape” need to be sharpened. Sure, getting in shape is what I want to do, but the more specific the goal is the more tangible it is and the more likely I am to focus on it and successfully complete it. In my case, I am setting a goal to use the Couch to 5K running plan located at CoolRunning.com to run 3.5 miles in the Apple Hill Harvest Run in Camino California.

Measurable

How I know that this goal is reached? Simple. I track my progress against the plan. When I cross the finish line, I am done.

Attainable

The key to getting better at something is setting goals outside of the “easy” realm of the scale, but not so far outside that they are unrealistic. I have no doubt that if I apply myself, I can run 3.5 miles. What is going to be challenging for me is to muster the discipline to follow the plan. Prioritizing the time to complete the workouts isn’t going to be easy but it is certainly within the realm of possibility.

Realistic

This is one of the most important elements and probably the root cause of my previous problems. For a goal to be realistic, I must be both willing and able to invest the time, energy, and resources into achieving it.

Timely
When is it going to get done? In this case, I have selected an endpoint clearly bound by time. November 4^th at 9:00 the race starts.


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Posted Aug 30 2007, 08:01 AM by Mike Barlow with 1 comment(s)

Filed under: Running, Goal Setting

Television and Young Children

A couple of weeks ago, Time Magazine published an article about research conducted at the University of Washington suggesting that 40% of children are regular consumers of video products by the age of three months. A whopping 90% of children two years old spend two to three hours a day in front of a television screen.

As one would expect, the article goes on to describe how unchecked consumption could cause developmental setbacks, particularly in the area of language skills. Quick scene changes and editing creates a series of images that stimulates the brain, but does little to challenge and develop vocabulary.

A separate media study linked in our research area shows that the total hours of consumption will more than double from the levels described in the University of Washington study between the ages of 8 to 18.

What can you do? March to the beat of a different drummer. Anything that can be measured can also be managed.

Set an appropriate limit: Review the American Academy of Pediatrics list of “10 Things Parents can Do” to create healthy television habits.
Measure: Log the tube time for a week.
Analyze: Make a decision about weather or not your measured result is where you want it to be.
Improve: Adjust from there.


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Posted Aug 24 2007, 04:13 PM by Mike Barlow with no comments

Filed under: Parenting, Television, inactivity

Touring California Gold Country? Visit Gold Bug Park.

I have no idea how many times we have driven up Highway 50 through Placerville on our way to Lake Tahoe and noticed the sign to Gold Bug Park. We have always wondered what was there and today we paid the park a visit. We are glad that we did.

Our kids are two and four and sometimes they get bored when I spend too much time learning about the history of places we visit. -- Mining they get. The idea that people would spend their time digging in the dirt and mud to find shiny rocks is a concept that they can completely relate to. Once they saw the gold panning exhibit, they didn't express any concern at all that there were no slides or swings in this park.

Owned by the city of Placerville, Gold Bug Park is listed in the National Register of Historic Places. If you enjoy gold rush history and geology, visiting the 65 acre park is time well spent. Within the park boundaries are over 250 mines (two of which can be toured by visitors), opportunities to pan for gold, a museum and gift store, 5 short hiking trails, an ore stamping mill, and probably a number of other things that we didn’t have time to see.

We spent a fair amount of time at the Joshua Hendy Stamp Mill where a park volunteer showed us a scaled down version of the equipment used to crush ore in the early 1900’s. I was fascinated with the machinery, the kids loved the display of minerals that were illuminated with fluorescence.

We also took the opportunity to pick up a geocache and a letterbox on the Stamp Mill trail. If you walk on the trails, watch out for the poison oak. It’s everywhere in Gold Country. If you don’t know how to identify poison oak, go here.

To visit the park, take US 50 to Placerville, California. Take Bedford Avenue North for 1 mile and follow the signs. The park is open daily from 8:30-5:00 during the normal tour season of March 31^st to October 31^st.