Learning Challenge: Deskercise!

This week, I decided to challenge myself to Deskercising! Deskercising is when you do little things at your desk or while you're working to stay active and keep the blood flowing! It's important because it keeps you awake and focused while you're working too, and it's good for your health! I read 17 Exercises You Can Do At or Near Your Desk for inspiration and here's what I tried:

1. TMJ Exercise:
I really liked this one because I actually suffer from TMJ (or jaw pain) and when I get stressed out, the pain only gets worse because I clench my mouth so much! This move requires moving the jaw right to left about six times to loosen up! You'd be amazed at how much better you feel after with only doing something little!

2. Shoulder and Neck Stretches:
This move requires you to turn your head one way while you turn your torso the opposite way. It makes for a great stretch! My back cracked when I did it and I felt less stiff after!

3. Shake it Up
The final move I tried is the Shake it Up move. This requires you to shake out your wrists and hands every hour. When I write and type, my hands get cramped and this really helped relieve tension and cramping within them! 10/10 would recommend!

All of these moves and so many others helped me increase productivity and made me feel just overall better throughout my day. I highly recommend doing some to help you too!

Stress. Source: Pixabay

Growth Mindset: Fitness Schedule

I am a student athlete here at OU (Pom) and that requires a lot of time, practice and commitment. Outside of practice and our team workouts, I like to workout on my own. Some of my teammates think I'm crazy for putting extra time in from our already demanding workouts, but being in shape is hard for me and my body to keep up. I'm not built like a lot of my other teammates so it makes me feel stronger and healthier during practices and performances when I'm on the field or the court! I think sticking to a consistent schedule of working on school and studying will help benefit in my school life. I stick to a very consistent workout schedule so I think if I budgeted the same amount of time to school, I wouldn't be so stressed out close to due dates!

(Strength. Source: Flickr)

Week 14 Story: Puss in Boots

There was a miller who left no more estate to his sons other than the mill, his donkey, and his cat. The split it up this way: the eldest son had the mill, the second had the donkey and youngest received nothing but the cat. The youngest was upset about only gettin the cat and said, "my brothers may get their living handsomely enough by joining their stocks together, by for my part, when I have eaten up my cat, and made me a muff of his skin, I must die of hunger."

The cat heard all of it and said, "do not trouble yourself master. You don't have to give me anything but a bag and a pair of boots so that I can scamper through the dirt and brambles, and you will see I'm not as bad as you imagine."

The son was perplexed by what the cat said. He had seen the cat pull off cunning tricks to catch rats and mice. He was not opposed to having the cat help him through the misery. Once the cat got the bag and boots, he went into a warren with a great abundance of rabbits. He put bait into his bag and waited until naive rabbits to come and rummage through it.

He got some rabbits although not as many as he expected. A young a foolish rabbit hopped into his bag and the cat killed him instantly and without pity. He was very proud of his prey and went to the castle and asked to speak with his majesty.

He was shown up to the King's apartment and presented him with the rabbit he caught on his master's behalf. "Tell thy master that I thank him and that he does me a great deal of pleasure," replied the King.

Some time later, the cat hid himself in a cornfield and waited for a flock of partridges to fly in his bag. Once they did, he drew the strings to catch them in. He went and presented them to the King as he did with the rabbit. The king received the partridges with great pleasure. This carried on for a couple of months and one day, the master and his daughter went out for a walk by the river and the cat said to his master, "if you follow my advice, your fortune is made. You have nothing else to do but go and wash yourself in the river in that part I shall show you, and leave the rest to me." He did what the cat advised him to do what he was told and went washing in the river. The King walked by and the cat screamed, "Help! Help! My master is going to be drowned!" The King ordered his guards to immediately rush and help the master for he thought he had been the one catching his game. The guards pulled the master out of the water. The master turned to the King and said, "thank you your majesty. You saved my life. Although, I have to ask? Why did you think my live was worth saving? The King thanked him for catching game and having his cat bring him to share. The master obviously had no idea what the King was talking about, but as soon as they both turned to the cat, he had fled into the woods and was never seen again.


Author's Note: In the original story, the son is left with the cat and is mad but the cat shows him he is worthy to be saved. The cat catches lots of game in his bag and takes it with him to the King but says that his master caught it and wanted him to have it. One day when they were walking by the river, the son went to wash himself in the river and the cat called out that he was drowning. The King ordered his guards to save him. In the original story, the cat calls for the son to get a new wardrobe because thieves had taken his. I changed it to where the King finds out about the cat bringing him the game that the son didn't actually catch and the cat ends up fleeing in the woods.

The Master Cat, or Puss in Boots by Andrew Lang.

Puss in Boots. Source: Pixabay

Reading Notes: The Goat's Ears of Emperor Trojan

Once upon a time, there was an emperor, Trojan, who had ears like a goat. Each morning when a barber shaved him, he asked if they noticed anything weird about him. They all replied that his ear's looked liked a goat. Each one was put to death. This occurred for a while and eventually there was hardly anyone left to shave the emperor. The Master of the Company of Barbers was set to go to the palace but suddenly fell ill so he sent one of his apprentices in his place. When the youth was taken to the emperor's room, he was asked why he was there and not the master. He explained the situation the emperor was impressed. The barber began his work. He noticed the emperor's ears but when he was asked about it, he said he didn't notice anything unusual. The emperor asked the barber to come back to shave him everyday.

The apprentice went up to the palace everyday and received twelve ducats as payment. After a while, he itched to tell someone about the emperor's ears. The master knew it was bothering him and asked him what was going on. "I will keep it to myself," the master assured him. He even said he will go dig a hole, say the secret three times, and bury it with the earth. The apprentice thought that was the best plan and went to a meadow outside the town to bury the secret himself.

After a few weeks, a tree sprang up where the hole was and had three straight stems. Some farmer's noticed the tree and cut off its branches to make flutes. When the flutes played, they sang, "The Emperor Trojan has goat ears." It wasn't long before the whole town knew of this secret. The emperor sent for the apprentice and asked him about it. He defended himself saying he never told anyone but the emperor didn't hesitate to bring out his sword. The apprentice got scared and told him about the hole and the tree.

The emperor and the apprentice drove to the tree and cut the last stem down to make a flute. The flute sang, "The Emperor Trojan and goat ears." The emperor knew it was the earth that gave up his secrets and spared the apprentices life but never allowed anyone to shave him again.

To Goat's Ears of Emperor Trojan by Andrew Lang.

Goat. Source: Pxhere

Reading Notes: The Dirty Shepherdess

Once upon a time, there was a King who had two daughters and loved them so much. When they grew up, he suddenly wanted to to know if they truly loved him back. He decided he would give his kingdom to the daughter who best proved her devotion to him.

He asked the oldest daughter how much she loved him. "As the apple of my eye!" she answered. "You are indeed a good daughter!" he responded.

He asked the youngest daughter how much she loved him. "I look upon you, my father as I look upon salt in my food," she answered. The king did not like her answer. He ordered her to quit the court and to never see him again. The princess went up to her room and started to cry. She grabbed her belongings and left the castle. She walked on the road and didn't know where she was going or what she would do. She didn't learn how to do anything except follow household rules and dishes. She was determined to make herself as ugly as possible in order to gain work.

She put on horrible rags covered in mud and smeared mud all over her body. She went around and offered herself to people but people turned her away because she was so dirty. After many days of this, she came across a farm where a shepherdess engaged her.

One day, she was keeping track of her sheep and missed dressing in fancy clothes. She washed herself and put on her old fancy clothes and transformed herself into a lady. The King's son, who got lost hunting, saw her and thought she was lost too. As soon as she saw him, she fled into the woods. The Prince ran after her but couldn't catch her.

When she was safe, she put on her rags again and smeared mud on her face. The Prince found his way to the farm tired and thirsty. He asked for the name of the beautiful shepherdess and everyone started laughing because the shepherdess was so ugly.

The Dirty Shepherdess by Andrew Lang.

Begger. Source: Pexels