Hula Hooping and Hopping

I pulled out the Hula Hoop today and did some backwards and on top of the Bosu!  Then Regan has this toy called the Busy Bee Hopper.  It circles a rod around its base and you are expected to jump over it as it rotates around.  Yep, I did it with the girls.

Thank goodness for little kids!  They keep me RAF-ing regularly!

Random Act of Kindness

One of my latest RAKs:  I cleaned up some kid's hot chocolate spill at the school's holiday party.  I just happened to be right there when it happened and decided to be the one to run to the bathroom to grab some towels before the mess got out of hand.  I figure it could've just as easily been one of my kids doing the spilling!

This qualifies, right?  What are you guys doing?  Keep track and earn lots of points!

December Challenge

This month is way to hectic to do our voting for the winner, right?  We will do that in January when things calm down. 

Instead, I am issuing a standard monthly challenge to get us through the holidays more healthily and to give you one more chance to rack up more points for the "Not-So-Dumbbell" award.  So far I'm a shoe-in for the prize (remember, it's $25 iTunes giftcard or exercise DVD of your choice), but that could change this month!

Challenge:

Random Acts of Fitness and Kindness

You earn one (1) point for each Act that you do.

Examples of RAFs:

(You can read my blog http://www.lazytrainer.blogspot.com/ for some ideas.)

• 100 body squats throughout the day.  (Break into sets of 20 or so)
• 100 pushups...
• 5 minutes of hula hooping.
• Add 10 more trips up your staircase than you normally do during the day.
• Jumping jacks or crunches or lunges or marching in place, or all of these... during commercial breaks.

Examples of RAKs:

• Let someone merge into traffic.
• Compliment somebody.
• Send someone a note in the mail.
• Pick up some litter that isn't yours.
• Deliver a little gift anonymously to a neighbor.

I know there are more/better ideas out there... please share some!

It's a busy time of year, so sometimes things just have to be fit in quickly and randomly, but let's not completely abandon our good deeds - fitness and otherwise! - in the rush and stress of the season.

November Report

OK. Report in, everyone! I only scored 2 points for my stretching. My excuse is that they are such good stretches that they benefit me for many days, so, even though I encourage daily stretching, just getting it in when you can will be beneficial, as well.

I also scored a point for doing something active with the family over the Thanksgiving holiday. And we actually did more than one thing, didn't we?  Thanksgiving day we hiked to some Indian petroglyphs (sp?) and on Saturday we participated in the Johnson Golden Sneaker Challenge (pictures will be coming soon!).

So, three points for me in November.  How many for you?!?

Bonus Challenge

Okay, I have to throw an extra Thanksgiving challenge out there. If you do something active with your family over the Thanksgiving holiday weekend, you earn a point.

Go for a walk, play some football, do a Wii dance competition... whatever it takes to get you moving as a family.

I'm making it real easy for you Johnsons this year.  It'll be a no-brainer with our Golden Sneaker Challenge.  So, no wimping out!  Galbraiths, you're on your own, but I'm sure you'll figure something out!

Anyway, don't just gobble, gobble this weekend... get moving and earn your extra point!

Celestial Stretching

Anyone stretching out there? I've only taken the time to do it once so far (after I tell everyone how easy it is to fit in even several times a day! Sigh.) But, even doing it that once has benefitted me for days. Sometimes my neck starts to get so stiff, that I fear another "neck episode," but these stretches really help loosen it back up!

And I know that my Mom is!  She said she was working in the Celestial Room the other day at the temple and was alone for a time and decided it was a great time to do the neck stretch.  She was kinda worried that it might be inappropriate, but I think it's a prime spot to do it, especially the "thankfulness" part of the challenge.

And the thing I focused on during my little stretch the other day was how thankful I was for my family. I know it's a little routine to declare gratitude on that topic, but it is one of my greatest blessings, so I take every opportunity I can to make sure that Heavenly Father has no doubt how grateful I am for my wonderful, incredible, awesome family.

Happy Thanksgiving!

I'm Thankful for November's Challenge

We’ve been working all year to try to combat our hard-heartedness with exercise and now let’s focus on improving our stiff-neckedness with stretching!

It became evident from talking with several of you this summer that most of us have tight and painful neck issues. I think poor stress-management runs rampant in our family! So this challenge is designed to help with the emotional/spiritual side of reducing stress while dealing with the physical ramifications of such strain.

November Challenge:

Do the following neck stretch and chest stretch at least 1x/ day till the end of the month.

Start by aiming your nose toward your arm pit like you're trying to smell it. I am quoting the physical therapist's very instructions to me. He says with that descrption, it'll be memorable.

Keeping ear close to shoulder, start to turn head to look away....

Keep looking away from your smelly arm pit until you're looking forward with your ear still close to your shoulder.
Repeat on the other side. And try not to look as grumpy as I do.

Find a doorway or a corner and stretch away. Hold for 10-20 seconds. And breathe.

That’s the challenge but you don’t have to have a perfect performance to benefit. You earn 1 point for every day that you do both stretches at least one time. I recommend doing these stretches 2-3 times a day, but you’ll get the point for doing them at least once. Sorry, no points for the extra effort, just the added health benefits!

Plan ahead and pick a time when you’ll do it. For example, when you take your lunch break, plan on taking a few minutes to do the stretches. Or, first thing in the morning after you potty. Or at night after you brush your teeth… Set a timer or alarm if you need to, in order to remind yourself.

Okay, now the mental/spiritual side. While your stretching for a few minutes, do a little mini-meditation/prayer and think about what you have to be thankful for in your life. Think about a few of your blessings and even take a moment to thank Heavenly Father for those blessings. Lay aside any stressful thoughts for those few moments and get your Zen on!

Appropriate for Thanksgiving, right?! Plus, it’ll help us all manage the upcoming stress of Christmas, I hope!