Genius Hour Post #6

Hello Readers!
                As I have been working through my Genius Hour for the past 7 weeks, I have come to learn that one of the most effective strategies for achieving any of your personal goals is using the buddy system! Chances are, you’ve been acquainted with the buddy system since you were in kindergarten or daycare and learned that if you needed to go to the bathroom (or go anywhere for that matter) that you needed a “buddy” to go with you! You’re likely also familiar with the age old saying that “there’s safety in numbers”. Guess what? Your parents and teachers are right, there is safety in numbers and having a designated buddy is important! In this context however, it’s less about getting lost on the way to the bathroom, and more about accountability with specific regard to your personal goals!



Grantham, George. (1915). New York City school children. 2 girls
"with shining faces, opening day(Online Image). Retrieved from https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:New_York_City_school_children.
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                The buddy system has proven to be an effective way to achieve your goals, whatever they be! In particular, having a buddy along for the ride with you when you have health related goals has proven to be beneficial. When you have a buddy, you tend to operate as a single unit and assume shared responsibility by monitoring and helping each other. When it comes to health related goals, it’s all too easy to slack off and slip up. By having another person in on the goal with you provides more motivation to work hard to stick to your goals both for your sake and for the sake of your partner. Mark Sisson of the blog Mark’s Daily Apple cites research that has shown that people are more likely to stick with a health routine over time if they part of a formal group or partnership. Also, he argues that it has even been shown to improve relationships.
                There are similar benefits to be shared when it comes to cooking with a friend! The Care2 website shares a piece that talks about this specifically. The first benefit shared is that you will be able to strengthen your relationship. Another being that you can learn some new things when cooking with a friend, which is always good! When you’re trying to eat healthy, you can never learn enough different ways to cook chicken, or incorporate your favorite foods into a good meal. Additionally, they discuss how cooking with a friend can help you take risks and prepare dishes that you may not have attempted or given a chance on your own. This will help you add new foods into your repertoire so you don’t get tired of the same old meals you always make and give in on fast foods to change it up easily!
                I think that using the buddy system is really applicable to students because we are surrounded with peers that are all facing the same struggles and challenges that we are when it comes to many things, but especially self-care. Eating healthy and eating enough food to nourish and fuel your body is a big part of self-care. When it is viewed this way, we are surrounded with a large pool of people that we can buddy up with to take our self-care seriously! It is also really beneficial for anyone living on or off campus with roommates because you can really keep connected with each other and keep each other on track the best! I highly encourage you try out the buddy system!