October 23 is National Make a Difference Day!

Taken from the October 20, 2010 Waimea Community Association e-Newsletter.

This Saturday, October 23, marks the 20th anniversary of Make A Difference Day, the largest national day of community service, and there is a wonderful assortment of volunteer opportunities in North Kohala. Unfortunately, you can’t do them all as they all happen at the same time, but look at the range of choices you have:

Mala’ai Garden Workday
Community members, students, teachers, staff and families are invited to our work days, from 9AM to noon. A pot luck lunch will follow and chilled lemongrass tea will be provided made from herbs grown by students in the garden. If the weather is inclement, please call ahead to confirm that the work day is being held. Info: Garden Leader Amanda Rieux (640-3637).  This Saturday’s workday will feature garden sprucing and weeding the we may even get to raise the roof on our first cooking station!  As always, be prepared to get dirty and maybe even a little wet.  Mahalo!

The Great Huki Puke!
A Human Chain to Move Books to North Kohala’s New Library. Pass the books to the new North Kohala Public Library (like the Hawai’ians passed rocks from Pololu to Pu’ukohola heiau). Please join  in forming a human chain! Eat before you arrive by 8:30 a.m. and bring water, chairs, umbrellas, etc Bring your family, club, church, team! Sign up and keep informed by contacting HukiPuke2010@yahoo.com or call Bond Memorial Public Library at 889-6655

Pelekane Watershed Workday
For only the second time this year, we are returning to the upper Luahine Stream corridor to out-plant and continue eradicating Banana poka (Passiflora mollissima). This particular part of the stream has an amazing mix of ‘Ohi’a lehua colors: salmon, red, gold, light yellow and pale orange. To see the poka vines suffocating these ‘Ohi’a was a very sad sight, so we are going to continue our efforts on this part of Luahine Stream. We cannot lose these kupuna of the forest. Please come join us!! We will provide additional water, snacks, tools and protective gloves. Please bring a water bottle and lunch. It can be windy, misty and wet, though it is hard to tell what we will find these days. Waterproof pants and boots could come in handy. We meet at 8:30 am, at the back of Parker Square on Kawaihae Road. We will return to Waimea by 3:00 pm.

Waimea Nature Park
People will assemble in the Waimea Nature Park (directly behind Canada France Hawaii Telescope offices) at 9 am on Saturday October 23.

Come for an hour or stay for the three-hour event. WOC will furnish rubbish bags and gloves as we fan out through town to pick rubbish, prune and weed in anuenue playground, pull black wattle sprouts from the Trails and Greenway trail, help to expand the trail system in the Nature Park or clean Waikoloa Stream.

A sandwich, fruit and cookies lunch will be served to the volunteers back at the Nature Park at 12:00. For further information contact Park Chair Carol Hendricks at 885-4453.

7 Habits of Highly Effective Exercise

Our TIOH 2010 – Participant Newsletter (Week 2) offers Exercise Tips from the article 7 Habits of Highly Effective Exercisers by Jennifer Song, featured in the July/August 2010 issue of Fitness Magazine.

Click here to read the 7 Habits of Highly Effective Exercisers.

New Registration Locations

August 30 and September 3
10:00 am – 7:00 pm
Hamakua Health Center, ask for Beverly

Steps to Make a Habit Stick

1. Commit to 30 days. Three to four weeks is all the time you need to make a habit automatic. If you can make it through the initial condition phase, it becomes much easier to sustain.
2. Make it daily. Be consistent. That is the key to making a habit stick. Try to do an activity for more than just a couple of days a week. Try four times a week. It will better your chances of creating and making that habit stick.
3. Start simple. Don’t try to completely change your life in one day. It is easy to over-motivate yourself. Start off with a simple habit like sit down and eat your food slowly. Then build from there.
4. Remind yourself. Put notes around your house as reminders of the habit you are trying to create.
5. Stay consistent. If you want to start exercising, try doing it at the same time and same place.
6. Get a buddy. Find someone who will go along with you and keep you motivated when you feel like quitting.
7. Replace lost needs. Don’t give up something … replace it with something better. If you’re giving up the morning doughnut, replace it with an apple, banana, or your favorite fruit.
8. Be imperfect. It’s okay to miss some days. Don’t beat yourself up. Try your best, expect the occasional bump in the road.
9. Use “but.” When you start to think negative thoughts, use the word “but” to interrupt your train of thought. “I’m no good at this, BUT if I work at it I can get better.”
10. Remove temptation. Restructure your environment. Remove all junk food from your home and replace it with fruits/veggies. De-clutter your home to make space for exercising or meditation. A cluttered space can be overwhelming.
11. Associate with role models. Spend more time with people who have good habits that you want to mirror.
12. Write it down. Write down the good habits you want to create. It’s always good to see it in writing. It creates a sense of commitment.
13. Know the benefits. Familiarize yourself with the benefits of making a change. Research the benefits of exercise and eating fruits/veggies. Knowing the benefits is just one of the many steps to living healthy.
14. Know the pain. You should also be aware of the consequences of NOT making healthy changes in your life. The downsides should provide added motivation.
15. Do it for yourself. Put yourself FIRST. It’s your body, your health, your decision. Like a house, in order for it to be strong and sturdy, it first needs a strong foundation. Be the foundation. Strong and healthy. Doing it for others is just an added benefit.