Another Challenge - WHAT?????

You could say he's been at it again.  Through a rather unlikely sequence of events, an email from Dave arrived in my inbox on Friday (DAY 26 of our challenge).  The upshot of the email was that another challenge had been hatched by some folks in Ottawa whereby teams of 10 would each do burpees for the month of March and see how many burpees each team could do.  At one point per burpee, this challenge has a competitive angle.

"This sounds like a perfect thing to follow up our February challenge", I thought.  Okay, so that's a straight-up lie.  What I really thought was more like, "ANYTHING but that, Zazoo."  So, this morning, I signed up and talked two others into joining me - on DAY 29, the very day that our challenge was wrapping up.

Burpees, in the opinion of many people, are both awesome and horrible.  Or maybe "terrible, horrible, awful, really bad, awesome, and horrible".  Ask anyone who has done alot of these - they are generally "appreciated" for how grueling, exhausting, sweat-provoking, grind-you-into-the-floor-ing that they are.  Anyone who likes them probably has only read about them in books, I say.

I chose the word appreciated for a reason, though.  I have said before that discipline is not usually enjoyable - it is unpleasant.  The payoff, though, comes down the road for those who have "been trained by it." Burpees, while we love to hate them, are possibly one of the most complete, best-bang-for-your-buck exercises ever invented.  So, as unpleasant as they might be, they are powerful fitness-inducers.

Personally, I told Dave I'm going to treat this as an experiment.  I'm going to try a variety of formats to see how I can maximize the number of these I can do per day.  So I can't project a number at all. But that's part of the fun. The other part of the fun is that I know my numbers are contributing to a team, so there's some extra incentive.  Stay tuned and we'll share some of our experiences and insight as we learn from this challenge.

What's next - April "Squats" month?  Oh, no!  Did I say that out loud?

A Message from the RUH Foundation

Here is a note we received from the Royal University Hospital Foundation earlier today.  Some of them were also participating in the challenge, too. . .


Well Done Everyone!!! Just think we are all healthier than we were just 29 days ago!! Thank you for all your hard work and dedication. And Thank you for bringing awareness to all the work being done around Parkinson’s, there is always more work to be done. Thank you for your support through donations to Royal University Hospital Foundation for Parkinson’s Research.

You are all very inspiring and it was a great month of working-out with each and every one of you that accepted the challenge.

A Huge THANK YOU to the Hill Family for starting the 10,000 KettleBell Challenge!!! You guys are awesome!

Thank you again!!

DAY 29: T-Minus 1 Day and Counting. . .

Congratulations (times 10,000)!  You made it to the last day of the challenge.  This is the last of the daily posts (for a while), although the current plan is to do them on a weekly basis.  So here are the final thoughts from 2016's 10,000 Kettlebells for Parkinson's Challenge:

1. [Caution:  Shameless opinion coming] This has been AWESOME!!!  Congratulations to everyone who participated for setting fitness goals for yourself and working toward those goals.  I have heard from many people who met (and surpassed) their goals.  And thank you to those who have sponsored the participants.

2. Please learn what you can about Parkinson's Disease and how new research is improving quality of life for those who have it.

3. Don't forget - if you were planning to make a donation to support Parkinson's research, visit the "How to Donate" page on the blog for details on where to send it.

4. Find a fitness buddy who you can work with to keep yourselves active and engaged in a lifelong pursuit of physical fitness.

5. Make a plan for March, then April, then the rest of the year.  Push yourself, but also take solid recovery periods to restore your body (and mind).  Eat sensibly and drink reasonable amounts of water.

6. Check back with us on the blog every so often.  If you want to be kept up-to-date, enter your email address at the top-right panel of the webpage.

7. Stay tuned - maybe we will see you next year!!

Marilyn's Travels

Marilyn has been walking laps of her hallway and accumulating kilometers on her virtual walk east from Moosomin, SK. Toward the end of the summer, she reached Brandon, so we stopped for a photo-op in mid-October. That is an accumulated distance of nearly 150km!

Marilyn with her "road crew" at Brandon, Manitoba (October, 2016)

She has been gracious enough to pause for a photos at some of the milestones she reached in the early part of 2016. . .

Marilyn at Fleming, Saskatchewan
with the Mayor of Fleming.

Next stop: the border.  Leaving Saskatchewan. . .

. . . and arriving in Manitoba!

 

DAY 28: T-Minus 2 Days and Counting. . .

You have worked hard and the finish line is not just in sight, it's looming!  While you enjoy your short final down to the line, take a moment to enjoy the moment.  Reflect on what you have accomplished which, in most cases, is more than you thought you could.  Reflect on how you are feeling, things like your energy level, maybe your flexibility or agility, your stamina.  And reflect on how you caused those to change.  Basically, unless someone physically carried you around and moved your limbs, it was you who made the effort and therefore you who are responsible.

Aside from raising awareness about Parkinson's Disease and the need to support research to find treatments and cures, I really hope that this fitness challenge highlighted your ability to set a goal and go after it.  Goals should be sufficiently challenging if you want to see meaningful accomplishments. They should stretch you to do things you cannot presently do.  Striving for goals forces you to plan and decide (mental effort), and then execute (physical effort).  You have to dig deep, but don't be afraid of effort.  Effort is the currency you invest in yourself;  results are the dividends paid out in increased strength and stamina, better agility, and an improved sense of well-being.

Aim high and finish strong.  Only one day to go!

DAY 27: T-Minus 3 Days and Counting. . .

February is almost done, and so is our fitness challenge in support of Parkinson's research.  Some folks have achieved their targets already, some are really close, and some may have fallen a wee bit short.  Oh, well!  We're not training for the Olympics.  We're recalibrating our lives in the direction of more physical activity and better overall fitness.

If you set a goal and didn't reach it. . . you might be feeling awkward even reading this.  But this is my point (Which I have borrowed from Dr. Ed Neufeld, formerly of the Steinbach area):  Be careful what goals you set, because goals cause you to direct your effort towards them - even if you don't reach the goal. Think about that.  Even if you fell short of your goal, you probably accomplished something, and the process probably moved you in the direction of more physical activity and better overall fitness.  So it ain't a failure - it's a step of progress.  You set a goal and you made progress. You are now primed to do it again, to learn from any mistakes you made (maybe there were none - life may just have thrown you a curve), recalibrate, and go for it again.  To be honest, you should expect at least a few failures and "overambitious, poorly thought-out goals" along the way.  Like, say, New Year's resolutions. . . just sayin'.

Maybe you learned that you need to stay in closer touch with a friend or fitness mentor.  Okay - point taken.  Lesson learned.  Make adjustments and go for it again.  The goals are just the targets we aim for.  They are often kind of arbitrary (if 10,000 Kettlebells in one month is not arbitrary, I don't know what is!).

Maybe you learned that you were able to do more than you thought - by week two, you could do more.  So you have learned about how your body adapts to exercise!  Capitalize on that.  Build improvement into your training plans and targets.  Have fun with it.  Every so often, shock your system by trying to do something much more intense - like a double workout!  Be creative, keep up the variety, and stay in contact with supportive friends so you keep your encouragement up.

There are only three more days to go!  It has been an amazing month.

Day 26: Find a Mentor; Be a Mentor

A lot has been written about the concept of mentors and mentoring.  In my view, a mentor is someone who has more knowledge and experience than you in a particular area AND they share that with you over time.  What is key is that the two of you build a relationship around the sharing, teaching and learning of that knowledge and experience.  And that is basically the process of mentoring. There is a willingness to teach and a willingness to learn.  Knowledge, experience, and wisdom are transferred.

When we are just starting out in some endeavour (like a fitness challenge, for example), we really can benefit from the experience of a mentor - someone who has been there before us.  If you are new to the fitness world, or if you are ramping up your fitness activities to a new level, find a mentor.  Invite them to be your mentor, to purposefully share what they know with you.  Learn from them.  This may last a few weeks, or it could last years.

And once you have gained some knowledge and experience in your activity, you yourself are now farther down the road than a person who is just starting out.  It's your turn now to share what you have learned and are learning on your fitness journey.  You move into a position where you can be a mentor.

From what I have seen, the mentoring process improves the likelihood that a new, inexperienced participant will become established in their area of endeavour.  That is what I think we should be after: leveraging our experience, knowledge, and enthusiasm - our wisdom - with teachable people so they learn, grow and become successful.  At the same time, we continue to learn and grow as we ourselves are mentored.  Mentoring is a win-win situation.

Day 25: Don't Always Listen To Your Own Head

Sometimes, when you move from casual exercise to "training", as in "I'm training for a 5K", or "I'm getting ready for a triathlon", the fun wears off.  Sorry for the understatement, but it had to be said. The issue becomes this:  how do you keep yourself going when you don't feel like it?  I mean seriously don't feel like it.  Here's a thought (ironically):  don't listen to your head.

Strive for a grin-and-bear-it approach.  Once the fun has worn off, it can be hard to even get started. It's like going swimming - how long does it take you to get in?  Grin-and-bear-it goes "splash" and is in and getting down to business.  [Apologies in advance] Watch someone at the pool or lake who is "listening to their head" and it's hilarious how tall they try to stand as they walk in deeper. And how long it takes them!

The grin-and-bear-it approach embraces a concept I aim for in training (and many other aspects of life):  pre-pay your dues.  Work extra hard at the front end.  If you have a target pace, add a small percentage and try to do more than your original plan.  It's harder.  It's way less fun.  And - the extra work each day accumulates to the point where you are able to take a break later on without getting behind or feeling guilty.  If you approach it this way, you will often find yourself ahead of where you had expected to be. Your head was telling you to take the easiest route and just do the bare minimum;  grin-and-bear-it says, "Nope - I'm doing a bit more than I need to.  I'm going to push it a bit harder.  I'm going to give a full effort."

When your training or workouts follow this principle, you eventually get ahead of your initial targets. So, if you find yourself wanting an extra rest day here or there, you have pre-paid it by accumulating those extra workout reps or minutes or kilometers.  So you can take that day off to rest up, or to celebrate, or to just sit around and relax with your family.

Keep up the good work.  We're almost done the challenge!

New Honorary Fitness Mentors

We would like to recognize the commitment of two young participants, McKenna (8) and Casey (6). These young ladies were eager to participate and started (in January) by making a large Bristol Board chart to keep track of their progress.  They have worked hard, doing a whole variety of exercises.  I don't know if you read their comment the other day, but here's what they said:

"We are working hard doing kettlebells with Dad, running at gym, and going up the 19 flights of stairs every day with mom in our Toronto apartment building! Almost done now!!!! We want to raise lots of money for Grandma!"

They are setting a great example to all of us, and I'm sure they are having some influence among their friends and classmates as they talk about what they are doing.

Congratulations, McKenna and Casey!  You can be very proud of yourselves!

Day 24: Less Than One Week - Time to Make A Plan!

We have been at this now for three weeks and three days.  Can you believe it?  My experience is that February has gone really, really quickly.  We may have just discovered a great way to blast through the depths of winter.  But this is not about that.

With less than a week to go in the challenge, the inevitable has happened.  People have started suggesting we do something after this is over.  Deja vu all over - I had two different people (different from each other and different from the last two) say to me yesterday that now we have been rolling with this for a while, we should keep it going.  One suggested doing a "March Challenge", to which I say, AWESOME!

Like I said in the "Transition Game" post, we really should be thinking of how to continue our fitness activities after February 29.  Personally, I need a break from my beloved kettlebells.  But I have enjoyed the activities and the camaraderie, so I won't be stopping altogether.  I'm planning to look at a few new targeted exercises that will (I hope) improve my swim, bike and run times for one or two triathlons this summer.  If you have a physically demanding sport or even a recreational activity like extended hiking - or whatever - think of what muscles you need to strengthen and work on them specifically.  A coach, trainer or Google can identify specific training plans.  If you aren't sure what to target, strengthen your core stability.  Well, even if you are working on something else, don't neglect core training.

The 2016 10,000 Kettlebells for Parkinson's challenge has less than a week left.  There have been some spectacular accomplishments.  For one, there is Marilyn, who has lived with Parkinson's for a decade.  Six months ago, she was slowing down - sitting more, resting and napping during the day.  I bet the farthest thing from her mind was the idea of racking up 20+ kilometers of walking.  She is now able to do five laps of her hallway in a day!  She is re-energized.  So I would like to thank everyone who has encouraged me along the way with this.  We have all played a role in morphing a crazy (sorry, Dave) idea into a challenge which has probably had more impact than any of us could have imagined.

As we approach the finish line, it is time to make your after-February plan. You'll need it to help you maintain the fitness gains you made in February, and to start developing in some new area. You have made it this far. You have the drive and determination to chart a new plan, with new fitness targets.  You can continue living an active, healthy lifestyle. And after the challenge is technically over next Monday, we'll still be here online (well, the posts will be less frequent, but we'll keep floating out our ideas).

Day 23: What Were you Thinking?

Every wonder what people are thinking while they are working out?  It might surprise you. . .

"Get your butt lower!" "How much longer?? I'm dying!" - Planker

"I personally break it down to achievable small goals (sets) that I change as I get tired, I could start at 50 reps then 40 then 30 etc.  I also count down backward that way the number is continually decreasing makes it look smaller, 100, 90, 80 etc." - Kettlebeller

"It's all in the hips." - Kettlebeller

"I’m at 4000 right now and I motivate myself by counting how I am running out of month/time to finish 10,000" - Kettlebeller

"Load - and - POP! - and - load - and - POP! - and . . ." [do this 80 times, switch to KB exercise #2 for 20 more, then repeat 12 times] - Kettlebeller

"Some days I think 'What was I thinking - 20,000 steps in a week?'  Then I just keep counting those lengths at the high school." - Walker

"I can do anything for 10 more seconds…" [Darth Vader theme playing ominously in the background] - Outdoor Enthusiast

"I’m not responsible for any of the obscene words that come out of my mouth while doing burpees." - Cross-fitter

And here's the mantra used by Marilyn ". . .to improve my posture as I walk. . ."  She's had Parkinson's for the past 10 years.

Left right, left right

Don't shuffle, left right

Lift your feet, left right

Don't lean (on your walker)

Walk tall, left right

Shoulders back, left right

Chest out, left right

Head up, left right

Chin in, left right

SMILE!                   By which time I'm shuffling again, so I have to start it over again!"

So there - now you know.

Day 22: Parkinson's Disease and Exercise

So no surprise - all other things being equal, exercise is generally considered good for people. That holds true for people with Parkinson's disease as well.  Having said that, consult your doctor if you are new to exercise or have any questions about how much activity you can safely do.

I did a bit of research to see what the "experts" are saying about exercise for people with Parkinson's disease.  Not only is there an existing body of research, it supports the view that exercise yields positive benefits, both neurologically and in terms of quality of life.  See for yourself:

1. Does vigorous exercise have a neuroprotective effect in Parkinson disease?

          Ahlskog, J. E. (2011). Does vigorous exercise have a neuroprotective effect in Parkinson disease? Neurology, 77(3), 288–294. http://doi.org/10.1212/WNL.0b013e318225ab66

2. Effects of physical activity in Parkinson's disease: A new tool for rehabilitation
          Borrione, P., Tranchita, E., Sansone, P., & Parisi, A. (2014). Effects of physical activity in Parkinson’s disease: A new tool for rehabilitation. World Journal of Methodology, 4(3), 133–143. http://doi.org/10.5662/wjm.v4.i3.133

3. Abstracts supporting the benefits of exercise for Parkinson’s symptoms

          Information from Parkinson Canada

4. Handy Resource:  Physical Activity and Parkinson's Disease

          A great resource from Parkinson Canada to help you get active

5. The latest on research into Parkinson's and exercise

          Information from the National Parkinson Foundation (US)

6. Exercise Benefits People with Parkinson's Disease
          Information from WebMD

Day 21. What is Parkinson's Disease?

Since one aspect of the Kettlebell Challenge is about promoting awareness of Parkinson's Disease, it is only appropriate for me to actually provide some information about Parkinson's Disease.  And one of the lessons I learned as a noobie teacher was this:  "Don't recreate resources!!"  Seriously - it actually has two exclamation marks.

So, rather than recreate an informational resource for you, I'm going to steer you directly to Parkinson Canada, and highlight a few articles on their website:

1. Parkinson Canada - Home page of Parkinson Canada

2. Parkinson Canada - "What Is Parkinson's?".  This article gives a brief description of Parkinson's Disease and some of the symptoms

3. Parkinson Canada - "Living With Parkinson's".  This article outlines how Parkinson Canada supports those living with Parkinson's through local support groups (it is one of these groups that Mom helped get started in Moosomin, Saskatchewan).

Once you get to their site, poke around and see what these folks are up to.  I am just starting to learn about some of the current research being done, and I'd like to do a blog post about research into the effects of exercise on Parkinson's Disease.  [Spoiler Alert:  exercise has been shown to have a number of positive benefits - more on that later, also].

Thanks to Parkinson Canada for their permission to link back to their website.

Day 20: The Power of ONE. (Guest Article Series)

I have recently learned the power of one. One push up. One step up. One lap in the pool. One pull up. One step. The list is endless. There used to be a commercial about potato chips that claimed you couldn't eat just one. Well, the same goes for one...?.... you fill in the blank. I teach water fitness in the pool and have seen many people who lack confidence in their abilities and"just try one" whatever it is. Well, one leads to two and pretty soon it becomes way more than one. With that reality of accomplishment I've seen glowing faces, taller stances and a renewed sense of "I CAN do it". The ripple effects are also evident as people start to encourage one another.

We only have one body and, unfortunately, the Body Shops around here don't stock any body parts we would like to replace. The only thing for us to do then is to take care of the body we do have. Fuel it properly and keep it moving. You will be surprised at how much mileage you will get out of your body if you treat it right.

Contributed by Debbie Fretz, Water Fitness Instructor

DAY 19: The Transition Game

Now that we’ve been chugging away through nearly three weeks of the fitness challenge, I was suddenly struck by a thought: “What do I do when this is over?” It caught me a bit off-guard. On some level I knew that the challenge month would end, but now that we’re beginning the final approach, reality is starting to sink in... It’s going to be over soon.

I felt a pang of disappointment, kind of a let-down feeling. I thought about the things I’d miss: the sweat in my eyes, the sore hamstrings, the crazy self-talk I sometimes have to do just to get started. Okay – I won’t miss those things much. But I realized that, if just quit all this, I WILL miss it. And that was a powerful revelation. I don’t want to miss it. I have enjoyed [most] aspects of the challenge. For me, though, the most enjoyable of all has been interacting with other participants. I get emails about big and little victories people have experienced. I have heard their stories of how they face up to lack of motivation, or how they talk their way through a workout (my favorite story so far had the Darth Vader theme in the background!).

So this is the perfect time to capitalize on the momentum we’ve built up. At nearly three weeks in, we are well into habit-forming territory. Now, we need to create a transition plan to carry us beyond the last day of our challenge. So, here are some suggestions:

1. Identify a target activity – this could be an exercise, activity or sport you would like to learn or improve on. If it is a seasonal activity, consider when you will need to be “in shape” for it. Don’t think you can sit around for months, then go and run around the baseball diamond without pulling something! Well, you might be able to get away with it if you are under eighteen.  Remember: “Injury-Prevention”.

2. Be body-specific.  Figure out what muscle groups you will need to strengthen and the range of motion you may need to improve for optimum performance. Believe it:  stronger core and stabilizer muscles let your body support itself and move more efficiently and safely.  Remember:  "Injury-Prevention."

3. Use your experience in this February fitness challenge to write down a basic workout plan. Include:

• Workout days and rest days each week
• One or two specific goals you want to achieve and when you want to achieve them by (I’ll talk more about this in a later post)
• Specific skills you will need to learn or fine-tune, and
• Any lifestyle changes you want to make – for example, eating more healthy foods in more healthy amounts, incorporating activities into your daily schedule, cutting back on unhealthy habits, etc.).

4. Connect and stay connected with one or two like-minded friends. Commit to encourage and motivate one another going forward. Anticipate times when you will lose steam (call it a week or month off!), and consider how you will recalibrate yourself and get back in the swing of it. You are probably not training for the Olympics, so if you want to take a month off, go for it. Give your body a rest. I hope you will begin to miss the way you feel right now and will naturally want to get going again.

5. Stay tuned for next February!!

DAY 18: PBs

You are no longer a noobie when you know what a PB is (in a fitness context, anyway).  It stands for "Personal Best." PBs are a great way to benchmark your development as an athlete.  A PB is a record of your best, fastest, or farthest performance after you went [insert sport clichés here] all out and gave your maximum effort.  So, how long can you hold that plank?  Come on - was that your absolute best?  Or how may reps total you can do before you just pooch out or fall over.  This limit is often called TMF, or total muscle failure.  My advice is to only do the TMF exercises when you are fairly well-conditioned to that exercise.  True story:  My brother got me doing some cross-fit with him about 10 years ago.  It included chin-ups to TMF.  Seemed like a good idea at the time.  I couldn't either fully straighten or fully bend my arms for nearly TWO WEEKS!  So, you want to have some level of conditioning before trying something that intense!

Another variation of a PB is repetition-based.  How many of the exercise reps can you do within a given time?  For example, how many kettlebell swings (using good form!) can you do in 3 minutes?   Consider the activity and your skill/experience level when you determine the time limit.  Don't make it too easy - it should be a challenging time.  If you pooch out before the time, that's still data. Next time, try to do more before you pooch out.  You could also use a distance, such as running 5km or swimming 100m, and then recording how long it takes you (in these examples, lower time is better).

Plan to try for PBs at regular intervals.  That way, you will be able to gauge your rate of progress too. For this challenge, you might take Saturdays as your day to aim for a PB.  I know a planker who is trying that.  She is evaluating whether it would be better to aim for the PB after a rest day or not. That's a great issue to try to sort out.  Sometimes, you just have to figure out what works best for you. Try something.  See how it works.  Try something else.  See how that works.  Compare. Think. Figure.  Evaluate.  Decide what you want to use and go for it.  You might stick with it or you might modify it.  I personally see my exercise program as one great big experiment with lots of moving parts.  It's always getting tweaked somewhere.  Adjust as you need, but have a basic plan.

If you graph the results and you like data analysis (like me!) you can predict realistic training targets which will push you just hard enough to see some fairly quick development.  You can use the information to develop training that meets your personal goals.  You decide what works for you.

Keep track of your PBs.  Celebrate with your training buddy every time you establish a new PB.  Feel free to email us here and we'll celebrate with you!  Smashing PBs is a great way to honestly and realistically boost your self-esteem.

DAY 17: If you are new to fitness challenges. . .

. . . then THIS post is for YOU.  Here are a few thoughts about getting started and staying encouraged.

1. Don't be surprised if your technique is not great at first.  Get a friend or coach to watch you and give you feedback.  Or get someone to video your exercise from the side, front and back - then compare your form with videos of people using good form on that exercise.  Be constantly on the lookout to improve your technique and efficiency.

2. Expect to find some under-utilized muscles - the ones you didn't know you had!  They will adapt, but you need to respect them and not overwork them at first.

3. If you're doing a weight-bearing or resistance exercise, learn the form with no weight or minimal weight first.  You want to learn GOOD FORM, then develop muscle memory, flexibility and a wide range of motion before you load up the weight.

4. Be teachable and learn everything you can about proper form and injury prevention.  Talk to coaches and athletes skilled in your exercise area.  Do internet research (use credible sites and check several to make sure you're not getting misguided advice).

5. Don't be intimidated by the experienced "regulars" you will run into at the gym.  Remember that they started out somewhere and were inexperienced noobies who made mistakes and did things wrong. But, through perseverance, they established good form and developed strength and stamina.  When you see them, you should be inspired.  They didn't get there for free:  they had to work at it.  You can do it too.

6. Rather than spend a lot of time evaluating your "performance" or how unskilled you might be, consider the bigger picture.  Let your primary focus be learning to implement exercise as a regular part of your daily routine.  See the fact that you have started as a huge step toward a fitter future. Have a sense of humour.  Relax a bit and enjoy your activity.  You will refine technique and develop strength as you go, but if you try to watch for the progress it can be hard to see.  One day, you will just notice that you can do more, or you can do something that you could not do before.

 By the way, there are just two weeks to go!

DAY 16: It's Called WORKOUT for a Reason!

Keep up your good work, everyone.  We're pushing through a tough slog - week 3.  You're probably a bit tired and maybe a bit bored.  The shine on DAY 1 is all sweat-drenched and you're now into some good old hard work.  That puts you right on track.  It is called a workout for a reason:  there is work involved.  Work causes something to move or happen.  And that requires effort and determination.

One of the ways a challenge like this helps is that it gives you some clear targets to accomplish.  You can track your progress and evaluate not only your effort but also your performance.  I don't mean that in a super-competitive way, but the reality is that by monitoring your progress honestly, you can learn a lot about the quality of your effort AND about your limits.  I believe (and I'm not alone) that our limits usually lie significantly beyond where we think they are. You can test this theory by having a friend or workout buddy watch/time you the next time you're trying for a PB.  Their presence and encouragement (or smack-talk) strengthens your own determination.  Having that buddy there somehow allows you to listen less to the voice in your head that tells you you can't go any farther. Just see how much farther you can go beyond the point where you would have given up if you were on your own.

In addition to targets and tracking progress, a second, related, way this kind of challenge can help is by surrounding you with a virtual group of like-minded folks who encourage by their example and also, sometimes, by the way they share encouragement, tips, suggestions and even links to related resources.  I have had several different people share kettlebell tips with me and that helped me develop better form.  I have passed those along to others.  But I have also seen how the challenge has become almost a virtual gathering place for participants.

As we go forward, I really want to hear from you about your experiences - challenges, obstacles, tips and tricks, PBs, victories, and ways you've surprised yourself throughout this challenge.  You might be surprised how your comment might be just the right thing to encourage someone else. You have worked hard and deserve a good pat on the back.  We still have a few weeks to go, but we're on the downhill slope now.

Special News Bulletin! Grandma Reaches the Border!

At 5:50pm this afternoon, two of the cellphones at our house chimed.  It was an email from Marilyn, our former Honorary Fitness Mentor (she has been doing a virtual walk the length of the hallway in her residence in Moosomin).  Here's what she said:

Hi, Everyone, I just wanted to let everybody know that I have "arrived" in Manitoba! I crossed the border at 4.30 p.m. this afternoon. Yahoo!  So now for the next few weeks I'll be trudging along the #1 highway on my way to Elkhorn....This is much more fun than kettlebells. Love, Mom

By my reckoning, that is almost 20km!  Interesting sidebar:  this weekend, she told me that she felt good enough after her "lap" that she went and did another half-lap on top of it!  She is feeling significantly better and plans to do 1 1/2 laps each time out now.

DAY 15: Trends

Welcome to the second half of the journey!  I have heard from lots of participants so far, and I have noticed a few interesting trends.  In no particular order they are:

1. Spontaneously upping workouts.  More than one person has told me that they are not so tired after their original amount of exercise, so they have been adding more.  That's cool.  A friend doing a fitness circuit in his basement had this to say:  "I am noticing a difference in my stamina and also as my daily increase in total reps is happening.... I am pushing myself harder. Feeling really good about it."  That was awesome to hear.  Even my Mom got into the act.  After a few weeks of walking up and down her hallway, she told me the other day she felt "so good" after that day's lap the she decided to add an additional half-lap. That is the adaptation I was talking about earlier.  In action!

2. Experimenting with variety.  Some folks, especially ones doing repetitive things (like, say, kettlebell swings!), have started looking for more variety.  I personally have done some research into kettlebell exercises and have decided to implement one or two new ones into my routine.  It is just getting too routine.  A person doing plank decided to take one of their weekly workouts and go for a PB (personal best) on that day and see how long could they hold the plank position!  Not only did they do a PB (of 4:30), but they also smashed their previous PB by over a minute!  Now they have a new high bar to try to shoot for.  And, as I have said many times before, you have to respect plankers!  One spinoff of shooting for a PB every so often is you find out what you really can do.

3. Talking more about fitness activities and wellness.  I have picked this up from different people, but have noticed even at my workplace that there is a lot of chatter about fitness activities and even wellness in general.  I frequently have co-workers stop and update me on their progress, or what their kids have been doing.  One person even told me they are thinking ahead to their summer holiday and would like to incorporate a cycling excursion into it.  Another workplace had a Kettlebell presentation at their Health & Safety meeting.  Knowing that others are being active and challenging themselves seems to encourage others to get involved or stay involved.

4. Increasing enthusiasm.  Related to point #3 is this:  the level of enthusiasm seems to be rising.  I don't know for sure, but I suspect that we are seeing the cumulative effect of a couple weeks' worth of exercise:  people have survived the first week's shock and have persevered through the second week by simple, plain hard work.  Now, starting week three, the adaptation is starting to be felt - people don't hurt as much, they feel less tired during their workout, and many are realizing they can do more and more in each workout.  I am pretty confident that we are now getting into the phase of the fitness challenge where the benefits will start outweighing the costs.  And as we hear the stories of other participants, the reality is starting to settle in:  we are changing our lifestyle and becoming more fit.

DAY 14: The Great Protein Powder Experiment

Happy Valentine's Day, everyone!  Today at Noon you will have crossed the official half-way point of the fitness challenge.  Can you believe it?  My quads sure can today.  Thank goodness tomorrow is a rest day.

Attention:  The following blog post contains 29.9 calories, 3.4g of fat, 20.7g of carbohydrates (including 3.1g of sugar), 3.8g of protein and 11.8mg of sodium.  I think.  The science may have been a bit shaky.  But I trust my math.  So I stand by these results.

Whaaaaat?

It started with the thought that maybe I should grab some protein powder.  You know, to supplement my diet and make it easier to build up all that muscle I've been - hmm, hmm - working so hard.  Did you know that protein powder it's quite expensive?  A 10lb container of the "good" stuff will set you back $65. You already know where this is going, don't you?  And you're right. . .

How hard can it be to make protein powder?  Well, the first but maybe not most obvious question is this:  where do you find the, uh, protein?  You'll never guess.  Beans.  Brown rice.  Lentils.  Oats. Other stuff, too, but these were already in my house.  And so began the great experiment.  Could we actually make protein powder which:  a) had protein in it (ha) and b) was palatable?

Left:  Here's a shot of the beans, oatmeal, brown rice and coconut in the Ninja.  It beat the stuff up pretty good, but was still fairly coarse.  So, we got out the sieve to strain the big bits out for "reprocessing."

Right:  a shot of the counter after we got out the sieve, a smoothie blender, a nut grinder and finally the coffee mill.  By this time, there was a fair bit of powder and bits of beans on the counter.  But that's okay - it was an experiment, right?  Well, here's what we learned.  Smoothie Blender - don't bother.  RPMs too low. Nut Grinder - not bad, but not great.  Ninja Blender - Dramatic!  It was loud and stuff flew around in there like a snowstorm.  It knocked everything down to tiny, hard chunks. But not powder.  Coffee Mill - now THIS was the ticket!  This created POWDER, and since it contained protein, we are confident that we created our very own Protein Powder.

Left:  our Protein Powder.  It looks coarse here, but that was just some minor clumping of the powder.  Interestingly, it smelled like. . . beans, and tasted sort of like garden peas.

Right:  We mixed it up in the now properly utilized smoothie blender with some yogurt, milk and a banana.  And awaited the moment of truth:  would it be palatable?

Surprisingly enough, the smoothie tasted more like banana than anything else. There was no overpowering bean flavor at all. It tasted pretty fair.



And, at the end of the day, you can compare the data. Hey - I didn't say we were making diet powder. We were pretty close on the protein and it tastes pretty mild. So. . . proof of concept, I'd say. We'll keep playing around with the ingredients and let you know if we get anything lower-carb.

BTW, here's what we used: 1/2 cup 9 bean soup mix, 1/2 cup brown rice, 1/2 cup quick rolled oats, 3 Tbsp of shredded coconut.

Disclaimer:  This blog post describes a homemade experiment conducted under less than precise conditions.  It does not purport to convey ANY medical or nutritional advice.  We are fairly confident that none of the above ingredients are toxic under normal conditions.  Rinse the beans and rice off first, and let them dry before grinding them.  If you choose to attempt this at home, you do so at your own risk.  It's been six and a half hours since I drank the smoothie, and I'm still here, typing this blog. Just sayin'.

The Challenge! (Guest Article Series)

The Challenge! Two words that seem to evoke a feeling of empowerment that perhaps ignites the competitiveness in me. It has been several days since the beginning of the month and I continue in my quest to "conquer" the challenge I set for myself which is to complete 2,100 squats. This exercise gives me plenty of thinking time and I realized that this challenge as an adult is no different than all the other challenges that I have been doing since I learned to walk. We all have something built within us that makes us want to do something just a little better. This doesn't even have to be anything athletic as it spills over into our daily living activities. I remember being told by my grandmother "Anything worth doing is worth doing right. Not for anyone else's benefit but for the pride in giving your all." I believe the key word here is YOUR. I used to compare myself to other super athletes so I wouldn't even try some things. I wanted to run but knew I couldn't run a marathon so I didn't even try. I was challenged to just do 10% more. That sounded easy. So each time I ran I tried to do just a little more and was amazed at how the 10 percents added up. Several years later I ran a half marathon then the full. What a feeling of accomplishment. My point is if you can walk only 10 steps, try 11; only 1 push up, try 2 etc. The only one to compare yourself with is you. Just get moving. 

Contributed by Debbie Fretz, Water Fitness Instructor

DAY 13: Silk Purses and Sow's Ears

If that's not the weirdest blog title, it must be close.  I am guessing that some of you (maybe many of you) are not old enough to have heard this idiomatic expression.  It goes sort of like this:  "You can't make a silk purse out of a sow's ear."  And I think the gist of it is that you can't manufacture some fancy, refined quality item out of ordinary, everyday cheap materials.  For the most part, I would agree with this.  But I don`t think it ALWAYS holds true.  I believe that, sometimes, you CAN make a silk purse out of a sow's ear, figuratively speaking, of course.  Here's what I'm driving at.

Yesterday, I had conversations with two different people who, independently of one another, told me that they had "discovered" a way to use time that would otherwise be wasted.  In one case, it was waiting for the photocopier to do its thing.  In the other case - well, I don't want to go into details, but let's say it involved someone who was zealously hydrating. . .  They both discovered that you can use this time to do squats.  The silk purse here is the fitness benefit of doing squats.  They will be stronger and more agile.  And the sow's ear, I guess, is unavoidable wait time.

The best part of this whole story, to me, is that I see people looking around and finding opportunities to make wasted time into productive time that benefits their own wellness.  I think it reflects a positive fitness attitude that can pull an exercise opportunity right out of thin air.  Like when my brother made improvised kettlebells out of washer fluid bottles:  4Kg with handles!  Free!

So keep your eyes peeled for sow's ears.  You might be able to make your own silk purse.

DAY 12: Starting to Adapt

You've been at it for nearly two weeks already.  By now you may have noticed that you get less tired after a workout.  Or, you are able to do more of the workout exercise than before.  This just means that your body is adapting to the work.  That is one thing that our bodies are quite good at:  adapting. So the exercise stresses our system (actually causes micro damage to the muscles involved) and our body adapts - by rebuilding itself stronger than before.  The new, stronger you can do more exercise work now, and it takes less out of you, so you recover more quickly and feel better sooner.

At just under two weeks into the challenge, you might still feel inconvenienced because your schedule has not fully adjusted yet, but the effects of your exercise are probably starting to show up. Pay attention to how you are feeling throughout your day now.  You probably have a pleasant, relaxed feeling after you have cooled down from your workout.  Pay attention to your energy level. Or how you are sleeping - have you naturally been getting more sleep?  Are you drinking enough water?  Eating a nutritious, balanced diet.

All of these things are signals that your body is changing, and this will likely bring about some changes to your daily routines.  To put it all in perspective, you took on a challenge which has been physically stressing your body, and as it adapts, you become more fit.  As the challenge goes on, look for the workout routines to become more "routine", and expect at least some of the inconvenience to fade.  And take some encouragement from the fact that you have found one of the principles of well-being:  you have the ability to make lifestyle changes which will improve your fitness.

Day 11: New Honorary Fitness Mentor

Credit where credit is due.  I had a call from Mom (Marilyn) a few days ago.  Aside from some great news from her part of the country - stay tuned - she passed along a really inspiring story.  She sent this in as a comment, but I thought it deserved more prominence, so here it is again.

With all due respect, I would like to stand down from my position as Honorary Fitness Mentor. No, I'm not giving up! No way! But I have a dear friend who has decided to join the challenge. Her aim is to try to walk from her room to the front desk of her Seniors' Home once every day. She uses knee braces and a walker - oh, and did I mention that she is 99 years old? I think she, Mary Osborne, deserves to be honored just for even thinking about it!  - Marilyn 

Mary had read the article in last week's Moosomin World Spectator.  Thank you, World Spectator!

So, we are pleased to celebrate the efforts being made by Mary Osborne, of Brandon Manitoba - our new Honorary Fitness Mentor!

I'm Feelin' it Today.

Okay - I'm feeling it now.  I made it to 4440 kettlebells, but I definootly need more sleep.  Mental note: get more sleep.  I have noticed quite a change in my appetite, too.  I crave donuts, chocolate bars, and deep-fried things with gravy.  NOT!  Well, I did eat a couple of chocolate bars yesterday. . .

The cravings I was talking about are for specific kinds of food.  I think I generally ate fairly healthy stuff before, but since embarking on this Kettlebell challenge, it feels like my BODY is hungry, rather than my stomach.  And my body is calling for protein and vegetables, and more milk.  My after-workout routine is to eat a "powerball" (not the lottery ticket - a peanut-butter, oatmeal, nuts and honey ball) and drink a glass of chocolate milk.  When I eat, I want to eat beaucoup de broccoli (man, I even had a spinach craving on Monday).  And along with that, my body wants chicken or pork. Occasionally, beef.

I'm not a dietitian, but I know just enough science and biology to be dangerous.  Rather than try to explain the details, I'll just say I think the workouts are activating something in my muscles, and I think they are getting hungry for food that contains building block materials.

I forgot what I started out to say, which is that I'm tired.  I'll guess that some of you might also be feeling tired.  So let's all do ourselves a favor and build more sleep into our "new" fitness routine.

DAY 10: Boredom Busters

Can you believe we're 10 days in already?  That means you might have just sailed into the doldrums. In nautical terms, the doldrums are areas of calm.  This is great if you want to float gently about, but not so great if you are in a sailing ship.  Calm winds mean little or no progress.  This middle phase of our 29 day challenge could feel like you've entered the doldrums and you're not getting anywhere.

So what do you do?  First of all, don't be surprised.  You're still on track.  Second, become a master of mixing it up.  If you usually do your routine in a particular order, try reversing the order.  Another cool trick if you are doing an exercise circuit is this:  write your exercises on a popsicle sticks (one per stick) and put the sticks in a cup.  Randomly draw out a stick to find out what you're going to do next.  This is fun with a buddy - take turns drawing the exercise.  This is even more fun with a group. When someone draws the "20 Burpees" stick, the whole group gives them the gears!

If you usually do 3 sets of 12, try 2 sets of 18, or see if you can knock out one whole set of 36, just to see if you can.  If you're doing a pool workout, try to use less strokes to cover the same distance in the same time.  In other words, you'll be trying to improve your stroke efficiency.

And what about you plankers?  Try mixing up your stance.  You could try one set with feet close together and the next with feet wider apart.  Or hands closer together or farther apart.  And, for goodness' sake, brag about how you're doing to anyone who will listen.  Plank deserves respect.

If you are walking, try reversing your route, taking a different route, or doing your walk with a friend.

I didn't mention TV yet, but I need something to watch when I'm on the elliptical machine.  I make myself warmup for a whole batch of commercials (yuck).  But it keeps me doing the activity when I would otherwise have a hard time sticking at it.  And if there's nothing good on TV, I blast out some energetic tunes.

If you have found some helpful tricks, leave them in a comment.  See the "Comment Help" page if you have trouble leaving a comment.

We'll be in this phase for a while, so the more tricks you have to bust the boredom, the better.  Good luck!

DAY 9: Newton's First Law of Motion

I love the irony of Newton's First Law of Motion as it relates to our fitness challenge:

Newton's First Law of Motion states that a body at rest will remain at rest unless an outside force acts on it, and a body in motion at a constant velocity will remain in motion in a straight line unless acted upon by an outside force.  (Source:  NASA).

[Caution:  Physics Alert]

Not to put too fine a point on this, but my amateur reading of Newton's First Law suggests that we will remain parked on the couch unless an outside force "acts" on us.  There's more, but that's good for starters.  We will assume that parked on the couch means zero movement in any direction, and that means no momentum.

Momentum is important if, say, you want your mass to be moving.  Momentum is more or less the quantity of motion that a body (you) has.

[Caution:  Attempt to make a physics analogy]

If you have never done a fitness challenge, and this is a new experience, you could think of yourself as Newton's metaphorical "body at rest", having little or no motion in the fitness direction.  Along comes an outside force, aka the 10,000 Kettlebell Challenge.  Through a friend, or a colleague, or a fitness mentor, the fitness challenge acts on you, and you are no longer a body at rest.  You start moving.  Physics would talk about energy being invested into your system. . . but let's just go with you gaining motion.  And because you have mass, now moving at some velocity, you will have momentum.

If you're still reading this, I will guess that you are curious about how this story ends.  Well, all we have established is that you are 9 days into a new fitness challenge.  You are bound to have gained some momentum, and this will carry you at least a little way, even if you were to stop putting effort into becoming more fit.  I am really excited by what I have heard from participants, because people are gaining momentum in terms of their fitness.  If the trend continues, by the end of week 4 when this challenge crosses the finish line, people should have gained enough momentum to keep on going indefinitely, with minimal support. THAT is my vision for every person participating.

But how does the story end?  The truth is that I don't know.  You write your own ending to this.  But I can tell you that I think the next part of Newton's Law still applies:  the body in motion. . . will remain in motion. . . unless acted on by an outside force.  Once you have gained some fitness momentum, it will take some kind of force acting on you to get you to stop.

For some reason, I want to eat an apple. . .

It was a Typical Week 2 Day.

Today was a typical week 2 day.  I planned to do a workout.  I scheduled to do the workout.  I got home and then - and then I didn't feel so much like doing the workout.  I was tired.  And I had decided to ramp up my reps today.  And I was planning to go strictly with a heavier kettlebell.  So I dragged myself downstairs, dawdled to get ready, dawdled to find a TV station, and did a fair bit of sitting around between reps.  And I don't know if this happens to you, but I also spent a lot of time getting my feet into just the right "spot" to do the KB swings.

I lost count a few times and had to redo a few 20-rep sets (I think).  But I managed to chug through everything.  At one point, my workout buddy showed up and did her thing.  And then, I was done. Finished the whole workout, heavier bell and all, and more reps.  What is up with that?  Week 2 is a head game.  Don't expect congrats yet - just get to your gym and do what you planned to do.  This is about to get interesting!

DAY 8: One Week Down - Three to Go!

CONGRATULATIONS, EVERYONE!!!  You have survived the first and most difficult week of the fitness challenge!  This week forced you to make a big adjustment to your schedule, and probably messed up your routines.  You probably also experienced physical discomfort, whether it was sore muscles, blisters, fatigue.  I am feeling it in my hamstrings as I write this.

Have you also started fighting your own thoughts yet?  These head-games can take you out of the play if you let them.  You get conveniently-timed "excuses" why you should skip a planned workout. Or you hear yourself recounting the "reasons" why today isn't the best day to exercise.  Of course I'm not talking about bronchitis - there are certainly valid reasons (illness being one) to not push yourself unreasonably.  But part of accomplishing a long-term goal like this fitness challenge is working through the minor excuses and obstacles that you land in your way.

Remember, you had a routine before.  It probably didn't include regular exercise.  Your poor old routine is just trying to re-establish itself - to get you back to "The Way We Were", to quote Barbra Streisand.  One of your fitness goals, I suggest, is to create AND ESTABLISH new routines.  The creating is fairly easy.  You just come up with a plan, and maybe even write it down.  The establishing part takes time and a concerted effort because you literally have to change what you do on a daily basis.  You probably change when you wake up and when you go to bed.  You probably change what you eat.  You for sure have to stop doing the something that you were doing in the time you now use to exercise.

Now that you are a week in, you've made your plan and started to execute it.  You should be smack dab in the middle of the chaos and confusion of changing your routine.  Don't be shocked.  You are right on track.  The chaos will fade, and the new and improved you is starting to emerge.

Day 7: Interesting Phenomenon

I have talked to LOTS of people in the past few months about this fitness challenge.  What has struck me most is this:  I haven't had to "convince" anyone to do this.  It probably would not have worked anyway.  What I have realized now is that almost everyone seemed to already want to do something to improve their fitness.  Most of them had some idea or plan for an activity they wanted to do, but they just hadn't taken that final step to execute the plan.

The fitness challenge appears to have tapped into something that was already there:  most of us want to be fit.  To get started, though, most of us know we need some encouragement and support, and maybe a reasonable plan.   I think this is where we had the good fortune to pop into their picture:  we harnessed the encouragement and support of a larger group, and in some cases, also helped people come up with an idea or plan that would work for them.  That's all they needed.

So again - thank you to everyone for your enthusiasm.  Look what you can do!

DAY 6: A Few Observations

Here are some things I have observed since we started the fitness challenge:

• It seems like a lot of people have just needed a bit of encouragement to do the challenge
• A number of participants have already noticed that they are able to do more than they thought
• People can do a lot more than they thought
• I'm feeling more tired, more thirsty, more hungry and I can feel my metabolism revved up
• I have heard from a number of people that they are enjoying the challenge
• A few folks with pre-existing injuries or other health problems are jumping in with both feet
• A number of kids are participating enthusiastically
• I am very pleased by all the participation
• I love hearing from people about their activities and the goals they set for themselves

Onward!

DAY 5: Gut Check Time!

You've been at this challenge nearly a week now.  That should be enough time for the novelty to have worn off.  You have realized that the first part of workout is "work".  You may be feeling some discomfort - sore muscles, blisters (they'll toughen up), fatigue.  Maybe you disrupted your normal routine and it's causing inconvenience.  You might even be starting to question why you thought this was a good idea in the first place.

Especially if a fitness routine is new to you, this is just about exactly where you are likely to find yourself less than a week in.  Tired, a bit sore, maybe even discouraged.  And the voice in your head hinting that it would be easier to stop might even be getting louder.

Of course it would be easier to stop!  But today maybe you need a gut check.  You are doing this for your own wellness.  You are challenging yourself to improve, and it takes effort and work (and any discomfort and inconvenience that goes along with that).  You signed on to a 29-day challenge.  If you are getting discouraged, you're looking too close to your own hood - look farther down the road, like to February 29.  Go to the "Who's Doing What" page and look at the list again.

See yourself chugging across your finish line feeling tougher, maybe a bit stronger, and proud of yourself.  You will have earned that, because your accomplishment is the direct result of your own effort.

News Flash!

Marilyn has reached her first objective - a virtual walk of 13 km to the next town!  So what?  If you don't know who Marilyn is, this just seems like an ordinary "Congratulations!"  If you know her, though, you'll know that she has seven grandchildren and she has been dealing with Parkinson's disease now for about ten years.  She has a walker to help her get around, and she lives most days with stiff and sore muscles.

So here's what:  We are totally proud of her and of the example she is setting.  She is inspiration in action.  Hey - that would make a great T-Shirt!

By the way, after celebrating her accomplishment with a glass of orange juice, she starts tomorrow on her trek to the next town, a distance of 24 km.

Congratulations!

DAY 4: Tired?

Okay, so is anyone else feeling the burn today?  I felt a bit of stiffness and sore legs yesterday, and today my body was feeling tired.  Once I got started on the workout, though, the tiredness faded at least a bit.  I had to concentrate a harder and even then I managed to lose count a few times.  My rule is that if I lose count, I have to go back to the last number I KNOW I completed and start from there. Today, I paid a bit for the tiredness, but in the scheme of things, I suppose a few extra Kettlebell lifts won't hurt.

For some reason, my brain can usually keep track of exercise moves up to about 20, so after that, I really lose focus on the counting.  My solution is to count groups of 20 reps. 1, 2, 3. . . 20;  2, 2, 3. . . 20;  3, 2, 3. . . 20, etc.  This helps, but there are times when the TV is on that I forget if I'm doing the 2nd set of 20 or the 3rd, so I get to redo!  If you find yourself getting lost, try this trick or modify it.

To help your body recover:

• get lots of rest
• stay well-hydrated (drink lots of water)
• eat reasonable amounts of nutritious food
• be sure to give yourself a treat now and again

If you're on a rest day today, rest well.  If you're on a workout day, make it count!

Interest is Growing

I was really pleased that both the Moosomin World Spectator and Northwestern Ontario's Northern Sun News ran articles about the 10,000 Kettlebells for Parkinson's fitness challenge this week.  Both have helped with our vision of raising awareness about Parkinson's disease.

Thank you to both newspapers for your support!

DAY 3: Fitness

Regardless of why we joined up for this challenge, it is obvious that there is a buzz going on.  People where I work have been talking about their challenge activities, and some have even been considering fitness goals and activities well beyond February.  That is a significant effect!

We're early into this challenge, but the people involved seem to be pumped up.  I've even heard from more than one that they can already see that they need to revise their original goal - upward.

When you exercise, you stress your body.  As your body recovers from the workout, it responds by adapting - by rebuilding itself stronger than before to handle the increased physical stress of the exercise.  What that means is that your body will be able to sustain that original level of intensity for a longer time, or it will be able to sustain a more intense workout in the same amount of time.

Doing this challenge for a month, you will probably notice that you get less tired doing the same amount of exercise.  That means your body is adapting to the exercise.  You may also notice that you can actually do the same work faster over time.  My suggestion is that you continue increasing your amount of effort and/or your time/number of reps in gradual upward steps, which will keep challenging your body to physically adapt to more and more effort.

If you like to keep a log or diary of your exercise activity you will be able to see this effect in action. Record things like number of repetitions, how many minutes it takes you to do a certain task, how many minutes you can hold a position like plank, how fast you run, what weights you are lifting, etc. You'll  probably amaze yourself.

A good fitness challenge should push your limits in a reasonable way, and it should basically showcase your body's ability to adapt to physical exercise.  The net result, over a month, should be a noticeable increase in your ability to do physical tasks.  That means you will become increasingly better-suited to do physically active tasks, and that is what is known as "fitness".

Keep challenging your limits, and strive to improve your overall fitness.  Send me some stories of your experiences as you take charge of improving your personal fitness.

DAY 2: Only 28 Days to go.

Congratulations to everyone who started the challenge yesterday.  That excitement will probably last for a few days, but don't be surprised if it fades and you lose enthusiasm.  But you're not in it for the shiny track suit (I hope)!  You want to improve your fitness, and that requires planning, work and discipline.  This month, though, you are not alone.  There is a growing group of people working along with you.  Keep focused on accomplishing your goal, one month away.

Miles have been walked.  Planks have been held, a variety of exercise circuits have been performed, and I personally know of over 1440 Kettlebells that have been swung!  If you think about it, every day's workout is a small goal accomplished along the way to a bigger goal.

Here are a few tips to keep you tracking toward your February fitness goal:

1. Challenge yourself by pushing your limits (be reasonable)
2. Stay well-hydrated.
3. Eat nutritious food in sensible amounts.  Remember - if you're working harder than usual, you'll need more food than usual.  But be sensible.
4. Get a good night sleep as often as you can.
5. Stay in touch with others doing the challenge to keep your encouragement tank full.

DAY 1. Let the Challenge Begin!

Welcome to Day 1 of the 10,000 Kettlebells for Parkinson's Challenge.  We are very excited about how the project has been gaining momentum.  It is all about doing things that push you beyond your current abilities.  It is a commitment to invest in your own wellness and fitness level.  It is an opportunity to do something a bit (or a lot) out of your comfort zone in order to make a statement.

As you invest in yourself, you are also supporting research which ultimately improves the lives of people suffering with progressive movement disorders.

Let us know how you're doing as we go through the challenge this month.  Hearing from you through your comments or by email means a lot.  And if you need some encouragement - just ask!

Richard