Help on The 12 Acts of Fitness Challenge

There's been a few questions about some of the exercises for the challenge, so here are some answers:

First, I want to make sure it's clear that you can do the challenges in ANY order. You don't have to worry about counting down or up. Just do as many as you can by New Year's Day. And keep track so I can award your points!

Here's a link that shows how to do my favorite neck stretch and the doorway stretch: http://taylorgoldensneaker.blogspot.com/2011/11/im-thankful-for-novembers-challenge.html

Here is a yoga tree pose:

Remember, you can modify by placing your foot on your ankle or waaaaay up on your thigh.

Here are some of the squat varieties:

The classic ball squat. You can hold weights too.

The sumo squat is just a body squat but with a wider stance and toes slightly pointed out.

The plie squat has a very wide stance and your body stays more upright. You can add a heel raise for more challenge.

The chair squat just gives you a target to make sure you squat nice and low. Plus it gives you the security of knowing something will catch your fall if your legs give out! Raising arms is optional.

The sissy squat is more advanced and can be a bit awkward at first. But it's a great challenge for the quads. Make sure you have something you can hold on to for balance.

My favorite way to do single-leg squats is with the ball because I'm not ususally strong enough to do it unsupported!

Here is a reminder for the crunch.

For this challenge, hold the "crunched" position for a count of 5 before lowering, then repeat. You can also lift your feet off the ground and/or hold some weight (medicine ball) between your knees. You can do these in bed!

Those are the exercises I've received questions on so far. Sorry it took me a bit to respond, but let me know if you need any others clarified. I'll reply as soon as I can!

The Twelve Acts of Fitness

On the first day of Christmas my trainer gave to me... a really awesome fitness challenge!

See how many of these 12 acts of fitness you can perform by the New Year. You get 1 point for each one you accomplish. PLUS you get to double your points if you accomplish ALL TWELVE. Yes, that’s right: DOUBLE POINTS!!! This is a good way to really rack up the points (and perhaps make up for your slacking on the previous challenges) during, this, the last Golden Sneaker challenge of 2012!!!

You can choose to do them all at once or spread them out until the end of the month. Here's to a healthy, happy holiday season!

· Spend 1 minute doing a yoga tree pose on each foot. (Foot can be placed on thigh, calf or ankle – avoid placing on the knee)*

· Do 2 minutes of stretching. Must include a neck stretch and doorway chest stretch.*

· Do 3 varieties of squats, 10 X ea. Choose from the following: body squats, ball squats, sumo squats, sissy squats, jump squats, plié squats, chair squats, single-leg squats, or choose your own! *

· Spend 4 minutes dancing to a song you love.

· Eat 5 servings of fruits/veggies in a single day.

· Do something active 6 days in a row. This can include anything from an actual workout to standing and marching in place during the TV commercials.

· Eat 7 shelled Brazil nuts; or 26 almonds; or a handful of shelled pistachios. Find out what 1 serving of your favorite nut is and make it a regular snack… just don't over-do it.

· Take 8 deep breaths before responding to someone who just really ticked you off.

· Take no more than 9 bites of a particularly indulgent treat. Depending on what it is, this could be quite a lot or not nearly enough!

· Spend (at least) 10 minutes doing something that will make you feel like a kid again: hula hooping, trampolining, playing hop scotch, jumping rope (But you MUST also do a chant. Y’know: Cinderella, dressed in yellow went down stairs to kiss a fellow…), skipping to your Lou (or is it loo… I’ve always wondered).

· Perform 11 crunches with a 5-second hold. Too easy? Do them with feet elevated and squeezing a medicine ball between your knees.*

· Knock out 12 pushups (wall, kitchen counter, knee, standard). Too easy? Make them burpees instead.*

* email me, text me or leave a comment if you have any questions about the technique of any exercise.