Day 7 - Fit-in 15 - Ipod Winner

Thanks to the whole Parent Club community who participated in the Fit-in 15 Challenge! Your tweets were appreciated and your comments motivating.

I for one, will continue with dedicating 15 minutes (at least) a day to focused activity. I overcame my fitness issue, met my objectives and used my Fit-in 15 secret plan effectively. Though I didn't think I could find the time between work deadlines and family activities - I made the time - and that makes all the difference. I chose to be active rather than sedentary. I think it's the right choice. Fit-in 15 is an important activity (for yourself and for your family)!

And now...drum roll please...the winner of the
4GB iPod Shuffle and a $20 iTunes gift certificate courtesy of Fit-in 15.

Random Integer Generator
Here are your random numbers:

5
Timestamp: 2009-06-24 12:50:34 UTC

(www.http://www.random.org/integers)

The 5th comment to the Fit-in 15 challenge was from:

Karen said...

"Mowing the lawn definitely counts, if house work does then so does lawn mowing...especially if you have a crazy rechargeable electric lawnmower that weighs 80lbs like I do...
I'm going to try and get out for a walk at lunch today...but it is getting pretty hot for that and I may not be too welcome back in the office once I am done!!
If I make it out for 15 minutes (at least we usually do more like 30 - 40 when we go at lunch time) I will certainly add another comment to help with the challenge!!"

Congratulations to everyone in the Parent Club for getting active - keep it going!...

Day 6 - Fit-in 15

It was so close! Thanks to all the Parent Club readers who commented on yesterday's friendly (yet non-official) Fit-in 15 challenge with Bargainista. You were all great participants! We would like to congratulate Bargainista readers a walk-well-done!

All comments, from the Fit-in 15 series, will be tossed into a virtual hat for a chance to win a 4GB iPod Shuffle and a $20 iTunes gift certificate courtesy of Fit-in 15. (The randomly chosen winner will be announced here on Thursday June, 25, 2009 - Canadian residents only please.)

On a separate note: This is a public announcement to remind you (and your families) to WEAR HELMETS when you partake focused fitness activity like biking, scooters, roller blades, etc. My prince went out for a bike ride, slipped on a wet patch, and took a nasty fall. It was a good "teachable moment" to show Thing 1 & Thing 2 the importance of wearing helmets for protection (his road rash showed that even grown-ups can get hurt).

It's important (and fun) to do 15 minutes (or more) of focused activity - but don't let safety slide. The adult human body has about 206 bones - you don't want to break any of them. That is why you need to have a zero-tolerance policy on protective gear for fitness activities with your family. No helmet - no scooter. No shin pads - no soccer.

Today's Fitness Menu

• Going for a 15 minute walk with my ipod. Love how music motivates me. Love getting outside. (am getting addicted to this daily walk!) Also, going to Thing 1's soccer game today and will do some gentle stretching while I cheer the team on.

Day 6 - Fit-in 15 - Challenge

Parent Club and Bargainista have arranged a friendly Fit-in 15 competition between our two sites. Who will win the much coveted (very-non-official) Fit-in 15 trophy*?!

How you can get involved...go for a 15 minute brisk walk. You could do it downtown - on your lunch break (take advantage of the P.A.T.H. to beat the heat.) Quick step your way to your favourite store for some power shopping. Push the stroller to the park (have a healthy snack under a shady tree). Walk to pick the kids up from school. However you can fit-in 15 minutes of fitness into your day.

Then, (pah-leez), come over to Parent Club and comment, to this post, before 6pm. The blog with the most reader comments today (up to 6pm) "wins" the competition and get the virtual trophy.

What can YOU win?

All comments will be tossed into a virtual hat for a chance to win a 4GB iPod Shuffle and a $20 iTunes gift certificate courtesy of Fit-in 15. (The randomly chosen winner will be announced here on Thursday June, 25, 2009 - Canadian residents only please.)

[Disclaimer: we devised the trophy/competition all-by-ourselves. It is not an actual competition endorsed by Fit-in 15. It's a buddy-system competition to get ourselves - and you - moving]

Day 5 - Fit-in 15

I must say - I'm enjoying the little motivational tip e-mails from the Fit-in 15 website (you sign up for the e-mail tips on the site). The e-mails aren't too wordy yet they are providing interesting information.

Like this:

Health Fact: Did you know the average human heart beating at 72 beats per minute, will beat approximately 2.5 billion times from birth to age 66. Regular exercise will help keep your heart in good health.

File that in the "things I didn't know" file! You're a resource - Canadian Chiropractic Association.

Yesterday's Day 4 Fitness Menu got a little messed up because of the rain. However, a little rain was no excuse to not do 15 minutes of focused activity (no excuses people - this is for health - and - quite honestly - habit only happens when it's habitual). So we parked furthest away from the store and walked - and walked - and walked. All good.

Today's Fitness Menu

• Divide and conquer. Each parent in our household will take a child to their respective morning classes - by bike. I'm not-a-bike-by-nature kind of gal - but I'm trying to get in the habit of biking as it is a good (free) family activity.
  
• A walk along the boardwalk at the beach would be a nice Father's Day activity. hmmm...
  
• Does mowing the lawn count as a focused fitness activity? It is a walk. And you are pushing something has has a bit of resistance to it. I wonder...

Day 4 - Fit-in 15

I have not - HAVE NOT - yet missed a day of the Fit-in 15 challenge.

I have actually, looked-forward-to-doing a focused fitness activity just before lunch thus far. (Same bat time. Same bat channel. Everyday.) It's true the more you engage in 15 minutes of fitness the more you get in the habit of it. I'm liking this "active" part of my day.

Talking about the day - today is the dreaded DAY 4. The day where, I have traditionally, fallen-out-of-love with an activity. Then add in the fact that it's a Saturday (and Saturday's are usually crazy crazy days).

I'm not quite sure where today's Fit-in 15 will fall - (check back tomorrow) - but I have some very good intentions - and children who will want to be doing something outside - so there is very good chance of exceeding Fit-in 15 today.

Today's Fitness Menu (buffet style)


• Parking my vehicle in a spot that's furthest away from Loblaws
  
• Go for a bike ride with the kids
  
• Clean the house (hello? squats anyone?!)
  
• Walk to wine store. Carry wine home (we'll call that weekend weight training)

Day 3 - Fit-in 15

Um...guys...my calves hurt (the Day 2 Fit-in 15 Fitness Menu was fun but I'm feelin' it today).

I surfed over to the Fit-in 15 site to get some tips on how to stretch my sore calves - and I stumbled upon this...

Fit-in 15 is a public education initiative of the Canadian Chiropractic Association aimed at motivating sedentary Canadians to start a physical activity habit by fitting in 15 minutes of focused activity a day.

I must admit - I AM fairly sedentary - I spend a large portion of my day sitting at a computer (maybe that's why my neck hurts - I lean into the computer to read rather than sit back. Note-to-self: check Fit-in 15 for neck stretches too). And today, of all days, I will be really chained to the computer as I have a big deadline looming.

So today's fitness menu is aimed at moving the body - indoors - taking inspiration from the Making it easy area on the Fit-in 15 website

Today's Fitness Menu

• Putting on my favourite music and dancing my heart out for 15 minutes. (Do I remember them doing this on Ally McBeal or was it Grey's Anatomy?) Since I work-from-home this is a perfect activity - no equipment required. If you're in an outside-the-home-office - ok, well, maybe dancing around your cubical isn't so good. Alternative: take the stairs/walk the halls/do some chair yoga stretching)

Parent Club and Bargainista have arranged a friendly Fit-in 15 competition between our two sites. Who will win the much coveted (very-non-official) Fit-in 15 trophy*?!

Monday June 22nd (that's this Monday people!) go for a 15 minute brisk walk. You could do it downtown - on your lunch break. Quick step your way to your favourite store for some power shopping. Push the stroller to the park. Walk to pick the kids up from school. However you can fit-in 15 minutes of fitness into your day.

Then, (pah-leez), come over to Parent Club and comment before 6pm. The blog with the most reader comments on Monday (up to 6pm) "win" the competition and get the virtual trophy.

[Disclaimer: we devised the trophy/competition all-by-ourselves. It is not an acutal competition endorsed by Fit-in 15. It's a buddy-system competition to get ourselves - and you - moving]

Day 2 - Fit-in 15

I must admit...I liked my 15 minute brisk walk. A little Jai Ho (slumdog millionaire soundtrack) was the perfect soundtrack.

My shoulders relaxed, I had some cleansing breath - it was actually a good tension breaker. (Good Ghandi! - I had a spring in my step!)

But that was Day 1. Everything is always good on Day 1. I usually fall-out-of-love with an activity around Day 4. Deadlines, the laundry, snacking, entertaining the kids -- usually get top priority.

So today, the secret plan (Just between you and I) is to incorporate what usually takes priority in our daily lives with our Fit-in 15 challenge.

Today's Fitness Menu

• I am taking the kids on a bike ride after school. It will be mobile kid entertainment. No doubt, the child in the back of my bike will be motivating me (or un-motivating me) and Thing 1 will be asking "one more tour?...". The cardio will be the peddling. The strength will be the friggin' hills. And the flexibility will be some stretching (hello, quadriceps! Where have you been all my life?)

ok - over to you - what are you doing to be Fit-in 15 today?

Parent Club Challenge: Fit-in 15

Ok parents - we (and by we - I mean WE - you and I) are starting the Fit-in 15 challenge - TODAY.

The Fit-in 15 challenge is to build into our (yes busy) day 15 minutes of fitness activities in the categories of cardio-vascular, strength and flexibility.

My fitness issue: Commitment. Yes, I can find 15 minutes today. But tomorrow? The next day? I have commitment issues. So my objective is, to build into my day, 15 minutes of fitness activity no matter what and stick-with-it. (motivate me people!)

My overall goal: Tension relief. Improve endurance. More energy. If you have read me - you know I have a chronic digestive problem which makes me fairly slender. So, I don't need to lose weight - but I do need to improve my overall health. I want to be able to keep up with my busy little family - don't you?...(and "don't you" I mean...don't you want to be able to keep up with your own busy little family - you don't need to try to keep up with my busy little family - that would just be weird)

My Fit-in 15 secret plan: Incorporating 15 minutes of focused activity into our regular day to make it easy and manageable for us. So easy and manageable, the fitness activity might become a habit (an enjoyable habit -- like getting out the good ice cream after you put the kids to bed).

Do you want to get Fit-in 15? I said DO YOU WANT TO GET FIT-IN 15?! (ok - that's my best attempt at a boot camp voice). If it isn't much trouble, could you - pretty please - do the Fit-in 15 with me - please.

One lucky Parent Club reader - who participates in the challenge with me - will be chosen to receive a 4GB iPod Shuffle and a $20 iTunes gift card. Surf over to the Fit-in 15 website to get some tips on what activities we should do, how we should motivate each other, what we are looking to achieve in this. Then come back here and share your comments with Parent Club. Easy-breezy.

Today's Fitness Menu

• I am going for a brisk walk to get - our much needed - 4 litres of milk. Will be taking along my ipod for motivation. Will carry 4 litres of milk home (the parent equivalent to free weights) - switching arms half-way through walk to balance out. Then, some shoulder roles.

Challenge closes Wed. June 24th, 2009