Editor's Note
By Leanora Minai
February/March 2012
I didn't make New Year's resolutions.
Instead, I picked three words to sum up my focus in 2012. I decided to go with words instead of resolutions after learning about the exercise from Chris Brogan, whom I follow on Twitter.
Brogan is a CEO, publisher, speaker and trainer who specializes in social media marketing,content creation and content marketing. He wrote about selecting three words for the coming year in his Dec. 27 newsletter.
"The goal is that you think long and hard about what these words will mean for you, how you can sum up an entire PERSPECTIVE into these words, and how you can use them as guideposts for your actions in the coming year," Brogan wrote.
"Move" is one of my words.
I selected this verb to illustrate what I want to do more of this year – literally, move my body more. I'm already fairly active. I pick longer trails for hikes, and I'm running a half-marathon on April 1.
But my word involves moving off old habits and making small 'moves' or decisions to better direct my day, particularly in the area of making exercise happen more often. I climb the stairs instead of riding an elevator. I park farther away instead of waiting for a spot near a building. And I've started moving earlier in the day; I rise at 5 a.m. on weekdays to walk or run. The result is a marked increase in my energy level.
My word also fits nicely with a competition now underway at Duke, the "Get Moving Challenge."This employee fitness competition kicked off Jan. 23 with 2,257 employees on 242 teams vying to see who can walk the most steps, exercise the most minutes and lose the most weight.
I'm participating in the competition as a member of the "Run On, Sentences" team in the Office of Communication Services, which produces this publication.
If you're looking to move more this year,there are many ways to get started through Duke's employee programs, most of which are free. Inside this issue alone, we offer two examples – Duke's Run/Walk Club (page 11) and Take The Stairs (page 13).
And if you're like me, select one word to better focus your resolve to move more in 2012.