• November Challenge
• October Challenge
• July Challenge
• May Challenge
• April Challenge
• March Challenge
• February Challenge
• January Challenge
• December Challenge
• November Challenge
• October Challenge
• September Challenge

November

The hustle and bustle of the holiday season is right around the bend. This month take some time for yourself before the rush takes over, avoid some stress and relax!

Did you know?
Everyday stress causes psychological wear and tear. The psychological costs of stress include reduced well-being and increased negative emotions such as anger, anxiety, and depression; reduced performance at work, school, and sports; and impaired interpersonal relationships.

Try These:

1. Drink Hot Tea
2. Take a Time-Out
3. Meditate
4. Picture Yourself Relaxed
5. Breathe Deeply

October Challenge

Did You Know?
Exercise lowers risk for chronic diseases.

Concerned about heart disease? Regular exercise is a proven way to decrease risk for these and other chronic diseases. It will help to prevent or manage high blood pressure. It also raises high density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol, known as the “good” cholesterol, and lowers low density lipoprotein (LDL) or “bad” cholesterol. This combination will decrease the amount of harmful plaques that can buildup on your artery walls and keep blood flowing smoothly. Regular exercise can also help prevent type 2 diabetes, osteoporosis, and certain cancers. (ACSM Dr. B. Parir 2008)

Try These: 10 fun ways to ward off risk of disease and burn calories at the same time!

• Jumping rope--544 calories/hour
• Roller-skating--476 calories/hour
• Bicycling--408 calories/hour
• Swimming--408 calories/hour
• Hop-scotching with the kids--340 calories/hour
• Ballroom dancing—296 calories/hour
• Coaching your kid's soccer team—272 calories/hour
• Paddling a canoe—238 calories/hour
• Walking in the woods—238 calories/hour
• Playing Frisbee—204 calories/hour

July Challenge

Swimming!

Did you know?
Calories Burned Swimming Laps:
476 calories per hour; Freestyle, Slow, Moderate or Light Effort. Assuming a body weight of: 150 lbs

Try These:

1. Hold on to the side of the pool and work on kicking your legs — do flutter and frog kicks. Kind of like using a kickboard but oddly more fun. 
2. Run in the water to increase your heart rate. 
3. Tread water to improve your arm and leg strength. 
4. Attend an AQX classes on campus at the Recreation Center Pool  as part of the Summer Fitness Series.

May Challenge

Spring cleaning!

Did You Know?

*Based on a 150 lb. person.

What you can do:

• Put on some fast music while you are cleaning.
• Whenever you're cleaning, tighten your abs.
• Every week this month, do at least one of the spring cleaning items from the above list.

April Challenge

Been a while since you went for your walk? This month’s challenge - take a walk.

Did you know?
Walking every day could slash your risk of an early death by 50 percent to 70 percent.

Try these:

1. Put an alert into your outlook at work each hour to stand up and march in place, even this little bit will help.
2. The weather is getting warmer check the Path to Health in Narragansett
3. Pick up a pedometer; this will be a very simple reminder to take steps.
4. Walk during your lunch break, walk to see an office mate instead of e-mail them, or take a walk after dinner now that the sun is out longer, your waist line and your heart will thank you.

March

The general warm up should consist of a light physical activity. Both the intensity and duration of the general warm up (or how hard and how long), should be determined by the fitness level of the participating individual. Although a correct general warm up for the average person should take about five to ten minutes and result in a light sweat. The aim of the general warm up is simply to prepare the whole being for exercise.

Did You Know?

Properly warming up before exercising has many benefits. Some of these include:

1. Increased Muscle Temperature - The temperature increases within muscles that are used during a warm-up routine. A warmed muscle both contracts more forcefully and relaxes more quickly.
   
   
2. A proper warm-up may decrease the risk of strains and pulls.
   
   
3. Mental Preparation - The warm-up is also a good time to mentally prepare for an event by clearing the mind, increasing focus, reviewing skills and strategy. Positive imagery can also relax the athlete and build concentration.

Try These:

1. If you will be running, start with a slow jog for 5-10 minutes.
2. If you will be cycling outdoors, begin in lower gears.
3. If you will be using the elliptical trainer, begin on a lower resistance for 5-10 minutes prior to beginning your cardiovascular program.

February Challenge

You pound out mile after mile on the treadmill. You grunt and groan your way through a series of weightlifting exercises. Then you smile with satisfaction that you made it through your workout. Nothing left for you to do now but hit the shower, right? Not so fast. Did you stretch those muscles that just worked so hard for you? This month make a conscience effort to stretch after your strenuous workout. Your muscles will thank you in the morning.

Did You Know?

Regular stretching and flexibility training can lead to:

• Increase range of motion in joints 
• Decrease joint pain and stress
• Improve balance, stability, and circulation
• Enhanced athletic performance, relaxation, and posture

Try These:

1. The "Spinal Twist"
   While seated, extend the left leg in front of you. Bend your right leg, placing your right foot on the outside of the left knee. Extend your right arm behind you to support your body. Place the left arm on the outside of the right leg. Slightly twist the torso using your left arm until you feel the stretch in your side. Hold for 10-30 seconds. Stretch the other side.
   
   
2. Quadriceps Stretch
   Supporting your body with your left arm against a solid object, grab your left toes with right arm. Pull your heel up to your buttocks until you feel the stretch in your thigh. Hold for 10-30 seconds. Stretch the other side.
   
   
3. Hamstring Stretch
   While seated, extend your left leg in front of you. Bend your right leg, placing the bottom of your foot on the inside of the left knee. Place your right hand on top of your left hand. While keeping the lower back straightened, reach toward your left foot. Hold this for 10-30 seconds. During this stretch, keep the foot of the straight leg upright with the ankle and toes relaxed. Repeat for the right leg.
   

January Challenge

On the days that you do not perform cardiovascular exercise, lift some weights!

Did You Know?
The benefits of weight training include:

• Increased muscle strength
• Increased bone density
• Increased lean muscle mass -- and, if weight is kept constant, loss of fat
• Increased insulin sensitivity
• Increased endurance (to a somewhat lesser extent than with aerobic exercise)

Other Suggestions:
At the market, carry the can goods farther to the basket.

When picking something off the floor, bend at the knees and squat to pick up then return to standing position.

When carrying in the groceries, do some grocery bag bicep curls.

December Challenge

Its winter time again in Southern New England and we all know what that means-SNOW! Grab your shovels and conquer this month’s challenge. Instead of calling the local guy with the plow on his truck, get out and shovel.

Did You Know?
An hour of shoveling snow burns 378 calories.

Other Ideas:

Stack some firewood for the fireplace or the woodstove and you will burn 194 calories in only 30 minutes.

Go sledding! In only a half hours time you will have burned 223 calories.

There’s a holiday party and you’re hosting? No sweat.  Preparation for the party can burn around 159 calories every hour.

Happy Holidays!

November Challenge

Fall is here! Let’s go outside. Each week during the month, try one of these outdoor activities.

Did You Know?
One hour of apple picking burns approximately 314 CALORIES!

Local Place to Pick Your Own:

• Rocky Brook Orchard
  Apples, pears, peaches
  997 Wapping Road, Middletown, RI 02842. Phone: 401 851 7989.
  Open: Saturday and Sunday day 10:00AM to 4:30 PM
• Rocky Brook Orchard
  Apples, pears and peaches
  997 Wapping, Road, Middletown, RI . Phone: 401-851-7989.
  Open: weekends,  10 am to 4:30 pm.
• Narrow Lane Farm
  Apples, peaches
  213 Narrow Lane, North Kingstown, RI.  Phone: 401-294-3584. Open: August to October, every day, 9 am to 6 pm.

Other Ideas for outdoor activities:

• A leisurely Frisbee game with neighbor, friends or family will burn 105 calories per hour.
• Touch football game in the park with family, friends and kids for only 30 minutes torches 256 calories.
• Raking and bagging the falling leaves in your front yard stops the tracking of leaves into your home.  This activity will also burn 133 calories in only 30 minutes time. 

October Challenge

Where ever you are, rather than take the elevator, use the stairs. Whether at work, in a shopping center, or the doctor’s office locate the stairs and get in some well needed exercise for your heart and your body. I can’t tell you how many times I send my kids up the stairs or down the stairs to get something for me. Now, I stop and think, no, I’m going to do it for my health! Good luck!

Did You Know?
Walking up and down steep stairs in your own home (12 steps to each set of stairs), not holding on to the banister, not stopping- counts as aerobic activity. This burns 425 calories per hour. How many stairs do you see a day?
Go Get Them!

September Challenge

Cardiovascular Activity

Did You Know?
According to new research findings, regular exercise can help prevent cancer beyond reducing excess weight.  Vigorous exercise (to the point of sweating and/or getting out of breath) has been shown to lower risk of rectal cancer by 40 percent. Women engaged in 1-1/4 to 2-1/2 hours of brisk walking per week have shown an 18 percent lower risk of breast cancer compared to inactive women. Physical activity seems to improve the body’s antioxidant defense systems and to strengthen other immune defenses to protect against cancer.

Source: American Institute for Cancer Research 7/04.

Try These:

1. One way to make fitness a priority is to write it down in your calendar and treat it like an important appointment that you can’t miss. In the next 24 hours, block out some time for your favorite exercise routine one day during the next week. Make a commitment to keep your appointment.
   
   
2. Challenge yourself to take two or three walking breaks to get 20-30 minutes of exercise.
   
   Some tips:
   • Walk 15 minutes during lunch and then 15 minutes after dinner.
   • Walk 10 minutes before breakfast, 10 minutes during lunch, and 10 minutes after dinner.
   
   
3. Try a new piece of cardio equipment at the fitness center, instead of always walking on the treadmill; try the elliptical trainer or the stationary bike.