The Importance of a Keener Morning - Aidan Davies

Let's face it. Not everyone is a morning person. That's totally understandable!! But a solid breakfast and attitude can reverse this negative auras around the waking hours. In the Keener program, having an awesome day is unavoidable. This blog will teach you the ways of improving the greatness of your days in the 'Burg and result in happy babies.

First things first. Sleep. It may be difficult to achieve sleep due to lots of new friendships, adrenaline from a day of whitewater or the 4 pieces of apple crumble you had at dinner… Albeit, being social and making lasting relationships is one of the most important parts of Keeners, but sleep matters too. Studies show that teenagers perform best on 8-10 hours of sleep. With a wake-up time of 07:45, this means going to bed at 23:30 at the latest. Sadly, conversations may be cut short with your friends. It will be worth it in the long run, as your friends won't be running away, and you have all day to converse further.

Second most important part of a functional morning is a solid breakfast. Preferably, proteins, and fruits are the essential parts to an efficient day. From experience, 2 eggs scrambled with milk is the best way to get your protein. This will give you around 20 g of protein and a fantastic energy boost. I would recommend accompanying your eggs with a fruit salad. To prepare an adequate fruit salad, cut apples, oranges, grapes, water melon, strawberries, and kiwis in any desired order into 1-2 cm³ pieces. Natural sugars from fruits are much easier on your body than simulated sugars like those of Fruit Loops™. A delicious addition to this salad is yogurt, which contains more protein, and healthy bacteria to keep your body working smoothly. Protein is especially important in the morning because it helps kickstart your brain into making better and more educated decisions. These decisions are important when running whitewater, communicating effectively (ie without grunts and excessive hand gestures) and choosing which way to put your shirt on. If you are still hungry, and craving something sweet, the Whitehouse tradition seems to be a large bowl of sugar with some Fruit Loops™. Cereal sauce is applied sparingly, and is often turned to sludge from deteriorated Loops and sugar. This sugar rush can help your heart rate working at upwards of 200 BPM which circulates blood more effectively, right?Thirdly, smiling is crucial to a good day. Take Stephen Wright AKA The Hobbit King. I would be surprised if you were ever able to find him without his grin on hand. Smiling contributes you maintaining a healthy attitude towards others and how your day went. Smiles are also infectious, and can help improve other people's days. As my mother always says, “Be the sunshine”. At Keeners, life is never dull, or down. Smiling, keeping the atmosphere light and laughing makes days much more memorable, and days fly by.

Lastly, although this is almost impossible not to do, have fun. Whether it be barricading your friends in their own room, or playing ultimate Frisbee in the morning, fun is what we are all here for. Keeners is an opportunity that very few people get to experience, and is immensely educational, and beneficial for teenagers going into the adult world. Having fun with such amazing friends, instructors and river is easy to do, especially when we all share so many common interests and values. You can take so much out of the Keener program, so I urge everyone who takes part in it to strive to be their best. Doing your best doesn't mean you should try to be better than everyone else, but rather become a better version of yourself, and push yourself to expand your boundaries and expectations. In the mornings, use the time to set a goal that you know you can achieve, and a goal you want to achieve. The more goals you smash through, the happier you will be.

In conclusion, the Keeners program is one of the best camps that I have ever been to. Within a week, I have already become friends with 21 other kids my age who are all amazing, and numerous coaches who do everything they can to make our 3 weeks the best they possibly can be. The morning is the most important time because it starts your day, and if you have an amazing morning, your day will tend to follow suit.