Stretch.

I'm sitting here in the SOAR office working. Trying to work.  It's one of those moments were you think to yourself, "I should be productive right now but... something is just holding you back.  I came to the conclusion that 97% of those instances can be instantly cured by stretching. 

According to Wikipedia stretching is a form of physical exercise in which a specific skeletal muscle (or muscle group) is deliberately elongated, often by abduction from the torso, in order to improve the muscle's felt elasticity and reaffirm comfortable muscle tone.[1] The result is a feeling of increased muscle control, flexibility and range of motion. Stretching is also used therapeutically to alleviate cramps.


In its most basic form, stretching is a natural and instinctive activity; it is performed by humans and many animals. It can be accompanied by yawning. Stretching often occurs instinctively after waking from sleep, after long periods of inactivity, or after exiting confined spaces and areas.

Increasing flexibility through stretching is one of the basic tenets of physical fitness. It is common for athletes to stretch before and after exercise in order to reduce injury and increase performance. Yoga involves the stretching of major muscle groups, some of which require a high level of flexibility to perform, for example the lotus position. Stretching can strengthen muscles, and in turn strong muscles are important to stretching safely and effectively.[2]


Stretching can be dangerous when performed incorrectly. There are many techniques for stretching in general, but depending on which muscle group is being stretched, some techniques may be ineffective or detrimental, even to the point of causing permanent damage to the tendons, ligaments and muscle fiber.[2] The physiological nature of stretching and theories about the effect of various techniques are therefore subject to heavy inquiry.

I feel like stretching is one of those things we all take for granted.  So wherever you are, stand up and let out a stretch.  You will feel amazing and your cholestoral will be lowered by 200 points. It's a fact.

This video can give you some good boogie body tips.  I recommend watching the whole thing.

Leading my life.

Yesterday I was at a retreat for the A-team (a group of students at USU who run the orientation program).  I was in charge of a short presentation on leadership.  I'm currently in a leadership class on campus and I've been involved with a lot of organizations that have helped me learn what a good leader is/does.

There are so many theories and aspects to leadership it is often hard to pick one that best fits you.  As I thought about what I could share to the group a video came to mind that I had seen months ago (see video below).  A few weeks ago in class we were discussing the difference between managing and leading.  We agreed that although managing isn't necessarily a bad thing it often deals more with just maintaining, or "keeping things under control" while leading should have more to do with expanding, growing, initiating, etc...

The small epiphany I had at that moment was, how can I try and lead others when I am only managing myself.  So often I feel like i'm just maintaining, or attempting to maintain where I am instead of growing and improving.  It's often very easy to get bogged down by our responsibilities to others and forget the responsibility we have to ourselves.  I believe that occurs because our responsibilities to others are usually spelled out very plainly.  We get job descriptions for our employment, mission statements for service organizations in which we volunteer, and manuals for our religious involvement.  Although we may not always live up to these expectations we know what they are.

Personally my religious beliefs are my manual for life but as I mentioned above, we still struggle sometimes even though we have all of the information in front of us.

Since yesterday I have really felt that need to stop maintaining and begin leading my life.  It sounds so easy on paper but it will definitely take a lot of hard work to implement.

(This video that I shared may be slightly extreme in its' attempt to express nonconformity but I love the overall message.  Also, the quote below has become one of my favorites.)

"When the sun sets, and the city idly drinks itself  into numbness,

in the sea will I wash."