What is PAI?

Hello everyone, I hope all is well with you today. I’ve had a busy week of working, running, and writing. My Fitbit has a PAI indicator on it, so I’ve been a little more active this week. LOL

The PAI indicator is a personal physiological activity indicator. It measures, heart rate, intensity of daily activity, and other multi-dimensional characteristics to determine your PAI value. Long story short if you score above 100, you’re living your best life. A score above 100 means that you’re reducing the risk of cardiovascular disease and increasing your life expectancy. So, my goal is to get a 100 or better every day.

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What’s nice about that number is that you don’t have to do high intensity workouts to achieve it. It can be achieved just by going for a long walk. The days I run, my PAI is much higher, but walking a couple of miles also helps me reach my goal as well.

This gives me hope because sooner or later, I’m going to have to stop running. It’ll become too hard on my knees and ankles, when that happens at least I know I’ll be able to walk and still maintain my health.

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I’m worried about the next generation, though. Many teens these days aren’t getting enough exercise. They sit and watch YouTube videos or play video games and this activity has a detrimental effect on their health. Modern technology is great, but our bodies were made to move, and the kids these days are growing up on video games, Red Bull, and fast food. Not a great combination.

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I try hard to get my boys out moving, but I’m not always successful. I’m thinking about getting them fitbits and telling them they need to score over 100 on their PAI before they can sit down at the computer and play their games. But what about when they’re back at school?

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I wish school required more physical activity. We need to revamp our educational system to consider both mental and physical health. Make physical education a requirement all the way up to your senior year. Or maybe schools could offer classes for tennis, running, and volleyball so kids could learn those skills, too. I’m not sure what the answer is. How about you? What changes would you make to our educational system to improve the mental and physical wellbeing of our kids? Leave a comment! I’d love to hear from you!

Are you Following your Passion?

Hello everyone, I hope all is well with you. I’m back today after a week of work and unfortunately, I didn’t get a lot of writing done. I went back into the editing cave to do some work after getting some feedback from a beta reader. So, I’m making some more changes to my story. Cross your fingers for me.

But enough about that. Today, I’d like to talk about doing something that feeds your soul. As my boys grow and develop, I’m always trying to tell them to follow your passion, find something that makes you feel alive and do it. It’s hard for our kids to find this right now because it is the age of computers, social media, and video games. None of these things help kids find their calling, unless they’re doing a google search, but that even leaves them wanting more.

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Since video games and social media are interested in engagement, they do anything they can to entice our young people to stay engaged. This leaves little time for pursuing other interests. That’s the way social media gurus and game manufacturers want it. Did you know that Facebook is starting to take over virtual reality? For more information about this click here: https://lisaorchard.wordpress.com/2020/11/14/dont-look-now-but-social-media-is-taking-control-of-virtual-reality/

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This means kids are spending less time finding something that feeds their souls. This trend is dangerous. I feel that this might be one of the reasons teen suicide and depression are on the rise. Social media cannot replace the true connection of finding your life purpose. It takes a long time to find out what your life purpose is, you have to go through many things to grow and change before you truly connect with what sets your soul on fire.

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The pandemic makes it harder, too. Because we’ve shut everything down, my youngest isn’t playing tennis and he’s lost interest in school. His grades are still good, but he’s not as interested as he used to be. The only thing he can do at this time is play video games and shoot baskets. These are challenging times to say the least.

We need to get our young people creating things. Starting from scratch and making something. Be it a story, or pottery, or even creating a video game. That’s how we learn when we build something from scratch. That’s how kids find their passions.  

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It doesn’t have to be a way to make money. Their passion will sustain them when they get bored with their job or during times of stress. It will help them build their resilience, so when life knocks them down, they’ll be able to pick themselves back up.

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So, what’s your passion and how did you find it? Leave a comment, I’d love to hear from you!

Your Teen and Pandemic Stress

Hello everyone, I hope all is well with you. I’m back today after a busy week at work and writing. I’ve started the dreaded treadmill season where I run on the treadmill instead of going outside. I’ve finally adjusted to this even though I still struggle with motivation.

But on a positive note, I had my blood work done and my numbers look much better than they did last year. So, I’ve accomplished my goal. I’ve improved my health. 😊

Enough about that, though. Today, I’d like to talk about helping your teen deal with the stress and anxiety brought about because of the pandemic. It’s a tough time for them. They can’t socialize like normal and their activities have become severely limited. I bring this up today because we had a fourteen-year-old boy commit suicide in our state during a zoom meeting with his classmates. No one saw this coming. None of his classmates or his parents.

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Now more than ever, kids need to feel connected to their families. This is a good time to do forced family fun nights. We spend time either playing Uno or watching The Office. I know. It can get kind of raunchy, but there’s some quality stuff in the show as well. For example, when Jim and Pam went to couples counseling and illustrated how to communicate with your spouse. That was brilliant. Kids need to learn how to handle conflict and how to express their needs. I loved that about that episode.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SIi8i3Pf3Ys&ab_channel=LaurenAmeruoso

The show also brings diversity to the forefront with the gay character of Oscar. I think this is important to show how to accept people who are different from us. It’s also funny. The different personalities of the characters are taken to the extreme to show how we can all get along using humor and sarcasm as a way of deflecting negativity.

Another way kids can deal with this stress is video games. I know. I know. I’ve heard all the negatives about video games, but in this time of no activities and no school there is still a way to connect with their friends. They can connect through their games. I like this because my boys can stay safe and still have a little bit of social interaction. They can do this without getting on social media. You still must take precautions. I advise them to not share any personal information with anyone online, but for the most part they play games with kids they hang out with in school, so it’s working. They can connect and stay safe at the same time.

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I also encourage them to get outside for at least an hour a day. It’s harder to do now that it’s gotten cold, but they do get out and get fresh air and exercise. One of my boys has gotten into weightlifting and another has started running on the treadmill. Exercise is another healthy way to deal with stress, and it helps that both hubby and I run. We are modeling the behavior we want them to engage in. So, not only are we talking the talk, but we’re walking the walk also.

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So, there you have it. Some ways to help your teens deal with the stress of isolation. How about you? Do you have any ideas? Leave a comment, I’d love to hear from you!

Are We on the Road to Social Isolation?

Hello everyone, I hope all is well with you. I hope you had a Happy Thanksgiving and had a wonderful food coma that day. It was different this year with the pandemic. We stayed home and had a turkey with our immediate family. It was nice, but I definitely missed my extended family, that’s for sure.

Because we had a stay at home holiday this year. I was able to get some writing done. I’m waiting for my Beta reader to get back to me on my story and while I wait, I’ve been working on another one. I really like this new one and I’m hoping I can do it justice.

But enough about that. Today, I’d like to talk about the effect the pandemic has had on our society. We work from home. Our kids learn from home. We sit in front of our computers in our homes and do our thing. This is very isolating. I need to interact with people. It lifts my mood to just be on a WebEx meeting with my colleagues. I worry how this kind of isolation is going to affect my kids. The thing is they need their friends and the only way they can interact with them right now as we all hunker down and ride out this pandemic is through their video games.

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Sure, they’ve invited friends over, but these visits are few and far between because it’s safer to stay at home right now. So, video games have become their social gathering avenue. So, I’ve been letting them play them more than normal. They need that social interaction and video games have been linked to helping combat depression. So, what’s a Mom to do?

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I worry that this will be more than a band-aid, though, and it will become a way of interaction for the future. I worry that the next generation will not have strong relationships because their only interaction will be video games and social media. This pandemic is setting a dangerous precedent. We are getting more and more dependent on our computers. What with social media moguls gathering data about what we find interesting so they can plant it in our newsfeeds, and video games becoming interactive. It’s going to change the way we function in society.

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I hope I’m wrong. I hope that the powers that be will make sure our communities don’t change, but that would mean our purpose would have to change, wouldn’t it? The all mighty dollar can’t be the only goal here. It’s going to have to be something bigger than ourselves and our pocketbooks.

So, what can we do until that happens? We can get our kids to take breaks from their computers and watch movies together, play board games, or cards. We can get them moving by taking family hikes and getting out into nature. Anything that would require face to face interaction. That’s how we combat this social isolation. How about you? Do you have any ideas? I’d love to read them, leave a comment! I’d love to hear from you!

Quarantine: Week Two

 

Hello everyone, I hope all is well with you. My family and I have gotten through another week of quarantine and we haven’t lost our minds…yet. I’ve been putting my story together and I’m getting more and more excited. I’ve written this story differently than my other stories and I really like how it has turned out. I can’t wait to see the finished product.

Photo on VisualHunt.com

So far, my family and I have stayed healthy, so the quarantine is working for us. It has also brought us closer together with late night Uno games and binge-watching Netflix. I love hanging with my kids.

 

Photo credit: hannah.rosen on Visual hunt / CC BY

But this quarantine can be hard on people who don’t have a family. People who live alone can become depressed and lonely. So, check on your friends who live alone, send them a text to make sure they’re okay. This is a time to stay connected even if we can’t get together.

There’s a variety of ways you can stay connected in this trying time. Social Media is a great way to stay in touch and make sure everyone is okay. There’s also program’s like Skype and Zoom where you can video chat with your friends. At the very least, you can pick up the phone and give them a call.

 

Photo on Visual Hunt

Another way to fight depression is to stay busy. I’ve been working on my book, so it doesn’t register that I’ve barely left the house in two weeks. Hubby has a couple of major projects going on around the house that’s keeping him busy and the boys have their video games where they communicate with their friends. I’m letting them have more screen time because playing video games is another way to fight depression.

They’ve been reading every day and their school has a website set up where they can do some assignments. I think it’s great, but I’m not forcing them to do it. I believe they’ll be just fine when they get back to school. The school must adjust to the students needs and I believe they will.

 

Photo on Visual hunt

So, that’s how were dealing with the quarantine, working on our own projects and having more family time and staying in touch with my single friends. How about you? How are you combating depression in this crazy time when you can’t leave the house? Leave a comment! I’d love to hear from you!

 

Could Minecraft Change the World?

Hello everyone, I hope all is well with you! I’m back today and I’m talking about my boys and their obsession with Minecraft.

When they first became obsessed with this game, I was concerned. They could play for hours if I let them. Of course, I didn’t most of the time anyway. 🙂 Even though I’ve limited the amount of time they could play, I began to notice something, and that was how proficient they were on the computer.

It amazed me that they were able to do some basic tasks like copy and pasting, uploading files, and deleting them. I realized they were learning basic computer skills while playing this game. In my opinion, dealing with computers is the future for our kids. If they’re comfortable with them they’ll have a skill that’s in demand when they’re out searching for a job.

Also, the Minecraft game itself is similar to my husband’s home building software that he uses when he gets an idea for our next house. He wants to build and he’s always drawing up computer generated plans to compare to see which layout we like the best. It’s fun and we’re able to dream. 🙂

When my kids are playing Minecraft, they’re building all kinds of structures. Similar to my husband’s house building software and it’s such an awesome thing to see them working together, sharing their ideas with each other, and problem solving together.

They can even get on the server and play with other kids from all over the world. Isn’t that amazing? Wouldn’t it be funny if Minecraft and other interactive games solved the cultural barriers that we now have? Imagine it…video games solve problems that the United Nations couldn’t solve. I know it’s a big leap, but maybe an accurate one.

Just imagine my son becoming friends with someone in Iran as a result of Minecraft. They continue their friendship and when  my son becomes President of the United States 😉 and his friend becomes President of Iran; they solve world problems because they learned to work together solving problems on a video game. They already trust each other. It could change the political process completely. Wouldn’t that be amazing?

I know, I’m making a huge leap, but I can do that. I’m an author! 🙂

Thanks for reading my post today! I’d love to read your thoughts, so please share them and leave a comment!

My thoughts on Video Games

Hello Everyone! I hope all is well with you! I’m here today talking about video games. My kids love them and when I was a kid I loved them too.

They could play them for hours if I let them. The game they love to play now is called Mine craft. At first, I didn’t get it. It seemed like such a pointless game. But then I had someone explain it to me and they put it in terms I could understand. It’s like Digital Legos and can be addicting. Well…Digital Legos… it can’t be that bad. I mean how violent can Legos be?

So, in that respect I don’t have a problem with Mine craft. In fact, it can be quite educational. I’ve explained to my boys that what is happening on the video game is Fiction. They learned about fiction and non-fiction in first grade so whenever I can I reinforce those lessons.

By playing Mine craft, my boys have been questioning what is fact and what is fiction. They will ask me questions like, is iron ore real? And I’ll say I don’t know, let’s look it up on the Internet. Well, after we research it and they learn iron ore is real…they’re on to the next question. Are cave spiders real?  And on it goes. We can spend a couple of hours researching these things that they were not even aware of if they hadn’t played Mine craft. So, in that respect, I’m glad my kids enjoy the game.

However, I do have a problem with video games as a whole. In my opinion, video games are a passive activity. What I mean is; it doesn’t require a lot of physical activity to play them. The industry is trying to combat this by attempting to make them more interactive. There are now dance games and sports games where the individual has to get up and move to play. This is a step in the right direction.

But, it doesn’t take the place of really getting involved and playing a game of soccer or baseball. This is where video games are unhealthy if they are played too much.

When kids play video games for hours on end or shut themselves in their rooms and play into the wee hours of the night then parents need to curtail their use. In my opinion, video games are okay if used in moderation.

Think about this, a child can’t play baseball for hours on end because they get tired and need a rest. I feel we should take that as a guideline, your child’s brain needs a rest too. But since playing video games is not physically taxing it’s easy to let an hour stretch into two… or three… or four.

As a parent I don’t ban video games from my home because they can be educational if used in the right way. But I do feel that they shouldn’t be the only activity my kids engage in. So, I limit the time my kids can play them.

In lieu of video games, I get the board games out. 🙂 That’s right good old fashioned board games…you remember those, right? Monopoly and Clue?

Just last night my sons and I played Monopoly. It was a great bonding experience, plus it’s educational too. They are still learning about money and how to count it in school, what a great way to reinforce that learning experience by playing a game about the exchange of money for goods and services.

Don’t overlook those oldies but goodies! We play Clue too! What a great way to teach your child to use their powers of deduction. 🙂 Kids will need that skill in life too!

And if all else fails…you could get the books out! 😉

Thanks for stopping by my blog and reading my post. I would love to read your comments on video games or the oldies but goodies! So please share!