Day 28: We Made It!

Congratulations! We have made it to the end of February. In case you hadn't noticed - especially if you hadn't noticed - this has been an excellent way to pass the month of February. February always seems to me like 28 repeated days of winter. They don't change much, but winter keeps dragging on and on... So, if nothing else, joining in this fitness challenge has had one spin-off benefit of keeping us occupied and making February speed up. Like, seriously, where did it go?

Many of the people I have spoken with have challenged themselves and accomplished their goals. Some didn't completely accomplish the goals, but they did more than they would have if they hadn't bothered at all. So, again, that's a "Win" in my books.

I also hope you have become more aware through this challenge of Parkinson's Disease, and of how exercise (including such things as weight-lifting, dancing, and even boxing) has a very positive impact on quality of life for people dealing with Parkinson's Disease.

I would LOVE to be able to say that activity and exercise could reverse the disease, and maybe one day we will be able to find ways to arrest and reverse neurodegenerative diseases. We're not there yet, but talented people, funded by ordinary people like us, are on the case. I am inspired by their dedication to the cause, and that is why I personally want to support research into Parkinson's Disease.

I am also inspired by people like my Mother who has been dealing with Parkinson's for nearly a decade. I know there is not yet a cure, and the disease itself cannot be reversed, but I can tell you that her simple decision a mere 14 months ago to join a fitness challenge, in a way which suited her abilities, has made a profound positive difference in her quality of life. Profound might not even capture it. She hasn't been recruited for the Canadian Olympic Sprint team, but as you may have read in her own story last week, she is feeling so much better. She has reclaimed a lot of ground which had been lost to inactivity and the accompanying process of seizing up.

Thanks, Mom, for your example.

Thanks, Dave and Kristi, for your enthusiasm.

Thanks, participants in the challenge, for your encouragement and support of the cause.

Thanks, Dr. Rajput (and Dr. Rajput), for your research and for your clinical support to all your Parkinson's patients.

Thanks, sponsors, for your financial support.

We'll see you back here next February. Mark it on your Calendar. And, if you'd like to stay in touch with us, sign up to follow us by email!


It's been fun.

Richard

Day 27: Finish Strong!

Good work, everyone! It's been a long four weeks, but in other ways it seems to have gone quickly. And, on the bright side, February is pretty much in the rear-view mirror! Living in Central Canada, putting February behind you means a lot - we're well on the way toward Spring.

If you think of the four week challenge in the same way as a race, the idea is to not come out so fast at the beginning that you run out of gas before you're done. Instead, you work at a good, steady pace and then finish strong. Even if you're not in a race, there's something compelling and very rewarding about finishing strong. The finish is your last memory of the event, and if that last memory is of a full-out, strong performance, you tend to look back on the event with well-earned satisfaction and pride.

I know that many of us don't see February 28th as the end of fitness activities, but, in my case (thankfully), it will probably be the end of Kettlebells for a good long time! Haha. I encourage you to keep challenging yourself with some new activity challenges, or new and bigger goals. Be sure to take a few days off to recover, and then reset your target and head off toward it. You will be able to tnjoy the lingering memory of a February well-spent if you finish strong!

Day 26: Counting Down. . . Three Days To Go

It's been a busy week and the kettlebells have been swinging. After the distant simultaneity the other day, Dave and I have managed to complete our 10,000 Kettlebells. I finished at about half-way through my usual workout yesterday, so I think I'll finish the rest off this afternoon and then do my last scheduled blast on Tuesday. That one is just icing on the cake.

This year, we haven't joined up with any official Burpee challenges (yet), but I really liked and disliked it as a workout. Two months of high-intensity workouts (during the dead of winter) kill the time and, when March is over, you're in great shape for the summer season.

I can hardly believe there are only three days left in this challenge. Getting started can be such a challenge in and of itself, but by week four, anyone who has been plugging along with their activities/workouts/etc., has probably noticed some real progress (adaptation). You are either faster, or stronger (or both), or you can do more in the same time, or do your activity for longer. It is the progress that really makes the difference. You are probably better at your activity. In all likelihood, you are moving closer to your potential physical health, and this improves your overall wellness (assuming you're not sliding in some other area).

According to the general concept of wellness, there are seven basic dimensions of wellness: physical, social, intellectual, occupational, emotional, environmental, and spiritual health. Getting closer to your potential in any of these seven components will improve your overall health (wellness).

As you get ready to wind down this February's "10,000 Kettlebells for Parkinson's" challenge, think about how you have been able to move closer to your maximum potential physical health. Becoming more active is a great start. It has probably laid the foundation for further improvements, such as sleep, nutrition. I also hope this challenge has increased your motivation to continue improving.

Day 25: Four Days To Go...

(Oops - forgot to hit Publish)

I hope you have been enjoying (in a manner of speaking) the fitness challenge this year. By this time, you are probably nearing your targets, or maybe you have even exceeded them. One of the things I have learned, looking back over the past year, is that the adrenaline and excitement (and sweat!) of a fitness challenge can get you pumped up.  When it's all over, though, you can feel a real sense of let-down. That may seem strange, especially if you were pushing yourself to do something fairly intense. You can have a mix of relief (that it's over) and something almost like disappointment (that it's over). It's strange.

What I have learned, though, is that we seem to go through cycles of activity, as opposed to a steady output. We are now into the final four days, so I'm still challenging you to finish strong, but I recommend that you plan to take a few days off when it's over, even if you don't feel you need it. My reasoning is to encourage you to get used to building recovery periods into your activity lifestyle. Do it in a planful way, so that you achieve your fitness goals, but you also take breaks which both your body and your mind need. You might even surprise yourself to discover (after a recovery period) that you want to get back at it.

If that happens, you will know you have achieved an active lifestyle where activity has become your default, and where rest/recovery periods actually stand out and may even feel a bit weird. I can remember being in training for a triathlon and I would get bent right out of shape if something unexpected interfered with a training workout. It had become my routine, and the disruption was very noticeable. [Don't worry - I got over it].

I'm starting to think about what comes next after this fitness challenge. Last year, we heard about a Burpee challenge and so went into that right after February. I didn't feel the "let-down" until the end of March, and then I really floundered around for a while trying to figure out what to do and feeling a bit guilty and very  aimless, almost like I was just wasting time. In retrospect, I think the break after kettlebells and then burpees was needed. NOW (older and wiser) I see the value of those workout breaks. They are much like summer-fallowing a field every so many years to let it recover and replenish itself.

You're almost finished. Stay tough and finish strong! Then take a break.

Day 24: Distant Simultaneity

Don't worry! This is not a physics article. It's just a report of a strange coincidence. "Distant Simultaneity" relates (nice pun, eh) to the idea of "...whether two spatially separated events occur at the same time."

My brother, Dave, and I are both doing Kettlebells for this challenge. Although we live in the same province, we live over 2000 kilometers apart. We have been keeping in touch approximately with our Kettlebell progress, but there has not been any planning or specific coordinating of schedules.

When I talked to him today, we shared our numbers and I realized that we were both planning to hit 9500 Kettlebells as of today (Friday). I'm thinking it is probably some kind of brotherly coincidence, but it reminded me of that old physics term my dad used to throw around once in awhile: distant simultaneity.

I believe it originally came from Einstein and had to do with synchronizing clocks over large distances, but I think it equally applies to synchronizing brothers over large distances.

With only five more days in the challenge, I want to encourage everyone to keep at it and see what you can accomplish.

Day 23: What's Next... Goal Setting?

Here we are 3/4 of the way into the challenge and I'm feeling good about it. I am finding it a bit easier this year to stay motivated, partially due to using the 7 Minute Workout app. It helps automate the routine a bit and allows for consistency. I'm finding that I can do this plus add in other specific muscle group exercises as time allows and as I am looking for more reps to top up my count for the day. My goal is about 300 to 400 reps per day of various exercises, so I'm on target for the end of the month and feeling good. On top of the 7MW app I have been able to get out on the cross country skis a few times and also played two hockey games last night (moving a little slow today though, I might add!). I have added in an assigned value of reps for these exercises, but after the way I am feeling today, I may have underestimated the intensity of the work out that I got. Age may have something to do with that though.... I'm no spring chicken .... 45 years young!

Overall I am feeling great, seeing results and motivated to set some goals for next month.... I'm learning that if I want results that I need to set some goals.... Such an easy concept but not always easy to put into practice. I will be thinking about that now over the next 9 days, so I'm ready for next month.

Guest Blogger: Ron Parrish

Day 22: Some thoughts on the 10000 kettlebell challenge

Guest Blog

1. Doing something completely different is healthy; it is too easy to get into a rut and to shock ourselves out of it is a good thing. A friend of mine introduced me to this idea a few years ago, and being keen to try new things, I was interested. Last year when we got to about this point I remember feeling a transition from the enormity of the challenge and excitement/anticipation to simply and acceptance that I had the grit to get this far, and that I would be able to get through it. I could almost feel my brain being rewired. Having participated in many other quite challenging events before, I believe that getting uncomfortable and challenging oneself helps to overcome life's challenges. By having the memories and experiences of some hardship and grinding through, it can give confidence in the face of a new challenge - be it physical, a new project at work, a complication in life or something emotional or frustrating. Overcoming challenges builds life confidence.

2. Some comments on swinging a kettlebell. For those that are doing other challenges - that's great, and keep it up. For those doing, or thinking about doing kettlebell training - here are some humble comments that I have experienced in the last 18000 or so swings! Always start with a lighter weight than you think you should. Always use good form and if you don't know that form then ask an expert, research it (lots of good videos on YouTube) - bottom line, don't let your back bow/curve like a hunchback... ever... hinge at the hips, dip a bit (about a 1/4 squat) and then drive your hips forward. Once you get into the groove they are pretty straight forward. What does this simple/weird motion do? It strengthens your posterior chain. that is the complete functional muscle groups that enable you to get out of a chair, steady yourself if you slip, lift something onto a high shelf. It also rehabilitates muscle strains in the back. If you are a planker or squatter or walker I would recommend that you give it a go one of these days. Don't worry about looking silly, just try! You don't need anything fancy. A can of soup, a container of windshield wiper fluid, a dumbbell, or even your cat can be used!

3. The linkage of this event to Parkinson's Awareness is really positive. It is great to exercise, but having an external motivator really helps. Given the research into linkages between exercise and improvements in the quality of life for people stricken with Parkinson's, it just makes sense. I really have to comment those participants who are struggling through this additional burden and really making such significant life improvements - well done!


Thanks for letting me guest blog! We are on the back end of the challenge and I would encourage all to grind hard and even find themselves some extra challenge in these last weeks just to really enhance the experience.

Guest blog by Major David Hill

Day 21: Three Weeks Done!

It is hard to believe, but we have already completed three weeks of the fitness challenge. Three weeks is long enough to get a behaviour change started, but as you keep going, the more time you keep at your new activities, the better they will be established.

So, if you want to establish a behaviour change (such as becoming more active), keep up the good work! It takes time for a fitness routine to make the shift from an "add-on" activity to one which is "normal" - a regular part of your daily routine.

Week one of a fitness challenge usually starts with high hopes and lots of enthusiasm which tends to drain off as the hard work starts and daily life tries to crowd the new activity out.

Week two of a challenge is perhaps the hardest, from a purely motivational point of view. The fun has often faded and the apparent inconveniences can easily seem to outweigh the benefits (which haven't happened yet, because they take more time).

During week three of a challenge, you probably began to experience some "adaptation", meaning you probably noticed improvements in strength and/or stamina by this time, even if you haven't fully adjusted to the routine yet.

Good luck with the final week of the challenge!

Day 20: Self-Efficacy

We came across a great term the other day in wellness class: "Self-Efficacy". The term was clearly a new one, and the first challenge was actually just how to pronounce it. Basically, self-efficacy is a belief in your ability to successfully perform a task. It is a confidence that you will be able to accomplish something which probably is challenging.

Think about it. If you are considering an activity (like an exercise program or an activity), you are already anticipating what it will be like. If it is something really new - for example, a person who has never done any kind of resistance training is thinking they should try some strength training - you might not know if you can do it or not. And you may not really believe or feel confident that you will be able to do it. If your general view of yourself is that you really aren't much good at doing new things, your "default" belief in your ability to do the task may be that you can't do it. This belief makes it more difficult to try new things, possibly for fear (or expectation) of failure. The trouble is that we can avoid trying the new things and basically get stuck.

If you have been reading along, you probably find yourself among the group of people who are at least willing to try some new things. That is an awesome attitude because taking a shot at some exercise or activity targets has set us in motion, even if we don't hit the targets we had set. I think it is more important for us (especially if we are relatively new to deliberate wellness activities) to try some things and learn from them. We will enjoy some activities and not enjoy others. Or, we may find that we learn to enjoy some activities we formerly were not good at. It is surprising how our satisfaction can improve as our skill improves.

My challenge is that each of us work to develop new skills and accomplish new targets. We need those successes so that we can realistically believe we are able to successfully perform challenging tasks. That is self-efficacy, and it is an important element in our overall wellness.

Day 19: What I Have Learned About Kicking

Strange title, but you may recall that I am a swimmer. Until about a year and a half ago, I was more or less self-taught. Last fall, my daughter and I joined a Cross-Swim class, so we got to mix some high-intensity activities with swimming. The swimming was the "cool-down" between other exercise sets. Sometimes, our swim was a swim-stroke - front-crawl, breast-stroke or back-stroke. And sometimes, it was just kicking. I say "just" kicking because we had the flutter board to hold, so our only propulsion was kicking.

Here's what I learned. I could barely move forward! Totally embarrassing because my daughter was like a torpedo. I had started getting ready for the kettlebell swings in December, so by the time February rolled around, I was swinging quite a few kettlebells around. And here's what I figured was going on: the kettlebell swings were so intense and I was doing so many (tissues out here - boo hoo for me) that my poor legs could not possibly have enough energy left for swimming kick. I thought this was pretty reasonable, even though the Cross-Swim instructor smirked. Well, okay - she laughed out loud. Seriously - I couldn't go all the way down the pool (25m) without my legs feeling totally exhausted.

Fast-forward to this year. Cross-Swim changed to Stroke Improvement in the Fall, so I've been learning to swim (properly) for a few months. And here's what I learned about kicking: with some coaching on proper form, and a systematic program to train for endurance and improve speed, my swim kick has improved. I can actually do it now. AND... we're nearly half-way through the Kettlebell challenge and I can still kick. Don't hear me say I am a torpedo with a flutterboard in the water, but I realized that I couldn't kick because... I couldn't kick. I did not have good technique, and I had not trained the specific muscles which put the strength into the kick.  The Kettlebell swinging was not to blame. My lack of technique and fitness was!

Not everyone is going to be working on improving performance in a sport, but many of us will want to be improving some aspect of our performance by joining in a fitness challenge. I would encourage people to get some coaching, especially if they feel like they are not making progress. You may be pleasantly surprised by what you can do with a little help!

Day 18: Motivation and Self-Discipline

It's been a few weeks, and if you have been keeping to your activities, you may be getting tired or bored of it. And/or sore, if you're doing some more intense activities. How is your motivation?

Like we said last year, around this time into a challenge, motivation begins to fade and other, more negative thoughts and feelings emerge. If you don't have a few encouragers or cheer-leaders, this can be the time when the temptation to quit can start getting to you.

The message here is simple: Do what you set out to do. My challenge is for all of us to become better at doing things we set out to do, regardless of the challenges which come up (one of those can be a lack of motivation). I think this really taps into the idea of self-discipline. Anyone can say they are going to get into a new activity, but what makes an achiever out of a "forecaster" is self-discipline. If you learn the skill of continuing to do what you set out to do even when (or, maybe, especially when) you don't really feel like it, you are demonstrating self-discipline.

My point here is that motivation sounds great at the front end of something. It gets us all pumped up, but it is really only a first-stage rocket. It just blasts us off the launch pad and gets us in motion. Self-discipline is more like the secondary stage rockets which fire just when the previous stage runs out of fuel.

I would say we need both motivation and self-discipline in order to start and continue a behaviour change like starting an activity or exercise program. My experience has been that I personally need more like six weeks at something before I find my motivation and enthusiasm returning, so I have motivation for a week or two at the beginning, and then it fades and I'm running simply on self-discipline. But... I have now learned that my motivation comes back after I get more established in the routine.

So my challenge is to not be surprised when motivation (and sometimes enthusiasm) fade after a week or two; expect that fade and be prepared to fire your second-stage rocket of self-displine which focuses down the road on your objective, and not simply on how "awesome" you are not feeling. If you keep going, you stand a much greater chance of reaching your objective.

Day 17: Marilyn's Story - Part 3

... continued from Wednesday

Whenever I worked on a poem or tried to remember the words of a song as I walked, my attention moved away from how tired I was, and focused completely on the intellectual exercise. Success number three! I began feeling energized when I got home and ready to do other activities in a more wholehearted way. Over time I realized that I was not as fatigued in the afternoon and sometimes didn’t need to take my usual nap after lunch. And speaking of lunch, I was always famished when I came home from my fitness class and started eating much more hearty meals. The result of that was that after months and months of trying unsuccessfully, I actually started to gain weight (in the last 2 ½ months I have gained 5 pounds and am now a 95 lb. heavyweight)!

There have been other benefits to my fitness program as well. My endurance has improved. I usually manage 20 laps during my 30 minute walk now. And as soon as the snow and ice are gone, I shall walk outside in the fresh air and add more laps to my virtual Highway walk . My overall fitness has improved considerably. Both my local doctor and my specialist are pleased with my progress and my ability to manage the Parkinson’s symptoms. The Parkinson’s support group that I belong to has grown from 4 to 18 members in the last five years. It is good to be able to share ideas and experiences with others who have the same condition. The benefits of encouragement are endless. I find I am not intimidated by my condition anymore, and regard my tremor merely as an inconvenience to be put up with. I don’t know how much more time I will be given, but I certainly plan to use it wisely, and make good decisions with regards to exercise, diet and sleep. This wellness thing is a lifelong lesson not to be taken lightly.

Day 16: The Wellness Continuum

As my students and I have been learning in the Wellness course, the concept of "Health" is more than meets the eye. In the 1800s (life was shorter and harsher back then), the idea was that you were healthy if you weren't suffering from somelife-threatening disease. Epidemics swept through every so often, and wiped out tens of  thousands of people at a glance. As researchers discovered that microorganisms contaminating the environment, especially the water, advances in sanitation and healthy hygiene practices greatly reduced the prevalance of disease (Donatelle and Kolen-Thompson, 2015).

"Health" began to be seen as more than simply the absence of disease.

In fact, what has developed is more or less a framework within which to understand health and "well-ness" (some may quibble about it, but I think these two terms can be used interchangeably). One way to envision it is the Wellness continuum. Like this (adapted from Donatelle and Kolen-Thompson, 2015):


                                                  Optimum Wellness

                                             Heartiness

                                         Good Health

                                    Average Health

                               Signs of Illness

                          Irreversible Disability

                     Premature Death


It is helpful to see wellness in terms of this continuum, and I think it is instructive to consider where, along the continuum, your personal wellness lies.

Reference:

Donatelle, R. J. & Kolen-Thompson, A. M. (2015).  Health:  The Basics (6th Canadian ed.).  Upper Saddle River, NJ:  Pearson Education, Inc.

Day 15: Marilyn's Story - Part 2

... continued from Monday

Well, after the second class I went downtown and bought some new shoes - good, expensive walking shoes. Now I felt really committed. I couldn’t stop now. I told my friends about the class. Now I had accountability. People would notice if I was, missing. In addition, I felt a sense of pride when people asked me, “How far have you gone now?” or “Have you reached Brandon yet?”

The first sign of success happened the day I was finishing my lap in the hallway when I walked right on past my own door and was well into a second lap before I noticed it! I wasn’t even tired. Gradually I was able to do more laps and kept losing count. The second sign of success was the day when I came home from my class and found myself preparing lunch without having sat down to rest first. In thinking about it I realized that I had not rested the previous day either. In fact, I couldn’t remember when I stopped resting as soon as I arrived home. As time went on I not only wasn’t tired but I felt energized for the rest of the day.

During my walks I started experimenting with my posture, trying to walk without leaning so heavily on the Walker. I invented a silly little poem which I recited over and over to the rhythm of my steps.

Don’t drag, lift your feet as you’re walking down the street

Long strides, nice and long - now you ‘re moving right along

Don’t lean, stand up tall - keep your balance - just don’t fall!

Chest out - shoulders back as you’re walking round the track

Keep your head up nice and high, smile at folks as they pass by.

... continued Friday

Day 14: Happy Valentine's Day!!!

I hope you planned ahead and scheduled yourself a free day today! I'm serious. One of my colleagues mentioned feeling a bit guilty about having a "lazy day" on Superbowl Sunday. My thought was this: call it a "recovery day" and be done with it! Enjoy.

In the final analysis, we are encouraging and challenging people to consider their wellness and do more healthy activities to improve their quality of life. Quality of life includes enjoying a football game (probably with some super-delicious snacks) now and again. Quality of life, I would argue, actually includes planning to do enjoyable activities. We all need to dose ourselves frequently with something fun and meaningful or we start to sour up. In that case, not only do we begin to lose our joie du vivre but we can start sucking the enjoyment out of the people around us.

Don't be a fun-sucker! Do something fun and possibly even romantic today. Keep your enthusiasm set to "MAX", and enjoy yourself.

You get to work out tomorrow!

Happy Valentine's Day

Day 13: Marilyn's Story - Part 1

I think it all started with a phone call from Vanessa. She introduced herself as a newcomer to town, an exercise therapist, who was interested in starting a fitness class for people with chronic diseases, and would I be interested? I’m not sure how she knew about me, but her timing was perfect. Having lived with Parkinson’s disease for over 10 years, I was becoming more and more determined to keep my muscles from getting stiff, and I was trying to do a bit of walking up and down the halls of the senior residence where I live. At 79 years of age I knew that I didn’t have a great deal of time to play around with, so I decided to sign up for her class and see what would happen. I had already started tallying up my laps on my own, , and marking them on a chart to represent a virtual walk along the #1 Highway, and any chance to add to the distance was welcome. When the February Fitness Challenge came along last year, I continued my walking, and at the end of the month decided to continue on to see how far I could get by December 31. (I almost reached Austin, Manitoba.) [Editor's note: that was 210km, FYI].

In September 2016 I went to Vanessa’s first class, along with four others. After 15 minutes of warm-up and stretching exercises, Vanessa said, “Okay. Now it’s walk time. You have 30 minutes.” I was stunned. I was expecting a whole hour of exercises that would perform a miracle on me and my muscles. But as I walked, leaning heavily on my walker, I noticed that Vanessa took turns accompanying us and talking to us individually about our needs, hopes and desires. I think I did about 10 laps that day. When the walk time was over, we had 15 minutes of squats and cooldown exercises, and that was it. I had a little rest when I got home, and decided I’d go back again, just to see if it would be any different the next time. Besides, I really enjoyed the camaraderie of the group.

...continued Wednesday

Day 12: What Do You Know?

I hope that, through this challenge, you will learn more about Parkinson's Disease. An Internet search will yield a lot of information, but unless you know someone living with Parkinson's, that information is pretty academic.

Starting Monday, I'm going to include some posts from guest blogger Marilyn Scutt, who has been living with Parkinson's for about 11 years now. You won't want to miss those. I trust that they will bridge the gap between the facts we can read about and the reality of living with Parkinson's. And, just for curiosity's sake, she dictated them to her computer using voice-recognition software.

Here are two links from the Parkinson Canada website that should raise your awareness about Parkinson's Disease.

1. Link to a fact sheet from Parkinson Canada. Check it out.

View the Parkinson Society Canada Canada Fact Sheet

2. Link to an interactive Parkinson's Quiz.

Test Your Parkinson's IQ.

If you learned something new, please drop me a comment (click "Post A Comment" below) and let me know. I'd love to hear from you.

Day 11: Do the Math

I have kind of been harping about doing activities to improve your fitness, and ramping up the intensity and/or duration as you get fitter; in short, the idea is to find your tolerance for pushing yourself (or being pushed), and always working to go a bit further or faster than before. That approach will usually yield increased performance.

A big part of this challenge - and one of the ideas behind this blog in the first place - is to increase awareness about Parkinson's Disease. So here is a double-whammy.

Marilyn (see the story in the sidebar) has Parkinson's Disease. It is a neurodegenerative disease in which key motor-regulating neural pathways begin to degenerate. This means that it becomes increasingly difficult for Parkinson's sufferers to plan and control movement. One description Marilyn has mentioned and which has also been described in research literature and the media is that movements which used to be virtually automatic now require concerted effort. So, in addition to being physically much more difficult or even impossible, the mental effort required is much greater, and this can be exhausting all-around.

In spite of all this, or maybe even because of it, Marilyn elbowed her way into the fitness challenge last year and announced that she thought she would do some walking in her hallway. She started in January last year at 1 lap of her hallway. This burst of activity was followed by an intense rest on the couch! But she kept at it and, to quote the Monty Python villager who had reportedly been turned into a newt, she got better. And better. And better.

Here's her data from last year, compared with this year:
 
February 2016 - Week 1:
22 laps (8 laps = 1 km) --> 2.75km


February 2017 - Week 1:
56 laps (8 laps = 1 km) --> 7.0 km

Quantitatively, her 2017 Week 1 results are more than 2.5 times farther than her 2016 Week 1 results. Qualitatively, there is almost no comparison, as she feels so much better all-around. I'll let her tell that story, but if you do the math, it is clear that, in spite of this progressive disease, Marilyn has significantly improved her capacity for activity. Along with it, she has reclaimed a massive improvement in quality of life.

If you have Parkinson's Disease, my encouragement and challenge to you is to first talk with your doctor to find out what kinds of activities you can safely do. Then, with whatever support you require, engage in an activity, starting with small, manageable "doses" of activity. Find a physiotherapist or fitness expert who can guide you, and - whatever your abilities allow - GO FOR IT!

If you don't have Parkinson's Disease, my encouragement and challenge is to do whatever things you can to manage your own wellness, and do whatever things you can to support Parkinson's research. You can participate in this annual fitness challenge. You can donate to the Royal University Hospital Foundation (Dr. Rajput Endowment). You can participate in other Parkinson's fundraisers. You can spread the word and even promote this blog by emailing the link to other friends or posting on social media.

When you do the math, you can see that all of us doing what we can definitely adds up.

Day 10: Already

Believe it or not, we are already one third of the way through February, and one third of the way through this fitness challenge. At my workplace, there has been a steady buzz about the wellness activities different people are doing. Surprisingly, it is not me who is bringing it up. My colleagues are really into it.

There are already people who have changed, who have gone from thinking about wellness to doing wellness. They have ratcheted up their wellness lifestyle and, it seems, those changes are becoming their new normal.

I have had contact recently with some new folks in new circles. And when I mentioned the idea of challenging people with wellness activities and promoting awareness about Parkinson's Disease, there was already an immediate connection because they too have close family members or friends with Parkinson's. They were happy to spread the word about this challenge with a view to supporting research that, ultimately, will provide more effective treatments. Hopefully, soon, a cure.

In the meantime, however, we do what we already can to help. In my situation, I like fitness stuff, I have friends and relatives who challenge me to keep fit (I return the favor), I enjoy writing, and I really enjoy challenging and encouraging people to move from where they are now toward a place of greater wellness.

So I'm all ready to do these things to point people in the direction of greater wellness AND to remind all of us that Parkinson's Disease steals quality of life from people - people who many of us know personally. And here's what you can do:

1. Learn some new things about Parkinson's Disease (Parkinson's Canada)

2. Find a group of colleagues, friends, or family to "do wellness" together with

3. Support Parkinson's research that is finding newer and better treatments, and improving quality of life for people living with it

4. Be all ready to do what you can

Day 9: I'd like An Explanation

During Week One of the challenge, I managed to schedule a kettlebell workout and a swim workout on the same day! It was early going, so I was still working up my kettlebell numbers. And - no easy way around this - I was sore. I was quite stiff going into the kettlebell workout, and I was pretty sure I would be completely toast when I hit the pool. In fact, my intention was basically to just float around.

Surprise number one was the fact that I still felt like going to the pool after the kettlebells. I had a snack, grabbed my pool stuff, and headed over. Last year, during the KB challenge, my pool kick was terrible. I expected about the same this time.

Surprise number two was the fact that I completely forgot I had just done the kettlebells. It was swimming as usual. Not only that, but I ended up doing a number of kick sets (50m or 100m), and felt great. When class ended, I still felt pretty good, but began thinking of how awful I would feel tomorrow: sore muscles times two.

Surprise number three was the fact that, by the next day, I did not feel sore. Nothing. I actually felt quite good. But the mystery remained: WHY WAS I NOT SORE?

It remains unsolved. I don't know, and I can't explain it based on what I know about tough workouts and micro-tears and lactic acid. My only theory (and it is weak on evidence) is that, somehow, all that kicking massaged and worked out out any built-up lactic acid (I said it was weak).

So if you have any explanation about why a swim workout could possibly have negated the sore muscles from a heavy leg workout, I would LOVE to hear it. Please email me. If you only have webmail, the email link won't work - send me a comment!

Day 8: Behaviour Change

Welcome to Week Two of the fitness challenge. I think a healthy and appropriate message for all of us is, simply, "Good work." No exclamation mark. No parade. Affirmation, I think, is what we are after. We should be acknowledged for what we are doing, but we don't need too much airtime on that or we could possibly become attached to (and dependent upon) that attention. [Blatant opinion alert] I think it is possible for us to, inadvertently, train people to expect inordinate amounts of praise by heaping inordinate amounts of praise on them when they have accomplished only ordinary things. Recognition should match effort, not exceed it.

I teach a Wellness course these days, and we are currently looking at the concept of behaviour change. There are actually theories which describe and attempt to explain how you can change your behaviour (to become more healthy). The bottom line is that behaviour is, well, behaviour. Even if you are not a pure behaviourist, you would probably agree that behaviours are goal-directed, meaning that we DO things in order to achieve some desired end state. Changing behaviours requires, at some level, a restructuring of goals.

Most people participating in this challenge have moved beyond the Transtheoretical model's "Preparation" stage (people here are close to taking action) to the "Action" stage (people here have made a change). And that, I say, is AWESOME! It reflects not only behaviour change, but attitude change. Believe it or not, there were many folks last January who were already at the "Contemplation" stage (recognizing the need to change and thinking about it) when this crazy 10,000 Kettlebells idea floated out to them. That [extreme] activity is probably not an appropriate starter activity, so when the "pick your own activity" message landed in their court - it was a great fit.

If I personally have an over-arching fitness or wellness goal, it would be basically to challenge people, wherever they are on the continuum of wellness behaviours, to move toward a life of improved wellness. Even taking one step in that direction is progress, but my hope would be that people who take that one step toward greater wellness would follow it up by taking another, and another... and keep doing it.
 
So I'm not going to pamper you with excessive praise, but I would acknowledge your effort and thank you for participating. You are demonstrating to yourself that you are learning how to change behaviour.

Day 7: Seven Days Strong

If you have made it this far, you are over the first hurdle. You have completed one week of deliberate, planned, intentional activity. Don't size yourself up for the medal yet, or organize the parade, but... well done thus far.

So what's beyond the first hurdle? Well, it's pretty much more of the same. An actual hurdle race is a stretch of running track with a number of evenly spaced, identical hurdles. A clever ad laid an audio track over the video of a hurdler charging down the track to show what they were thinking. Here's what they said [very quickly]. . .

One-two-three-four-five-six-seven-eight-nine-ten-eleven-twelve-KICK!!

Ten times. . .

At the end of the clip, the camera did a close up of the athlete, who asked into the camera, "What the heck did you think I was thinking?"

It should be no a surprise that the "journey" to fitness, even on the scale of a one-month challenge, is really just a series of smaller, discrete steps. Or even sub-steps. Tracking smaller component parts of a larger whole can make it easier to pace yourself. For example, I swim. I can't always tell my exact speed in the water, but keeping an eye on each 25m interval helps me make sure I'm working roughly at the pace I intended.

In the same way, a week-long (seven day) interval gives us an idea of our overall pace.  Am I working too hard (yeah, right!)? Overdoing it can lead to injury and discomfort, so we don't want to overdo it. But, in order to see an effect (such as improved stamina, strength or agility), we have to at least stress our system a bit. Remember, especially if you are new to this, some of the initial changes taking place may not exactly be VISIBLE at first. Keep that in mind, because if you focus too much on "progress" early on, you will probably discourage yourself. Progress for you may, in fact, initially be stopping doing some (not-so-good) things before you can get on to doing other (good) things.

This week is now in the rear-view mirror. It's time for lessons learned. Did I have a plan? Did I follow my plan? How did it work? Should I do some things differently (more, less, or just differently)? Draw your lessons from this past week, make any necessary course corrections, and head into Week Two with a renewed focus and enthusiasm.

Stay Strong!!

Day 6: It Gets Real

We're almost done the first week. By now, the shine is probably wearing off a bit. The "fun" factor is probably fading. But that is to be expected. This is especially true if you are just starting out on a fitness challenge. So the reality is that around week one (and even more in week two), you are likely to experience a host of inconveniences, disruptions, sacrifices, and perhaps even some sore muscles. All of these go along with ramping up the level (or the intensity) of our physical activity.

So how should we cope with that? Honestly, it's enough to make many people quit. As I suggested last year, we need to expect the excitement and enthusiasm to fade a bit and even be replaced by some thoughts of boredom, discouragement or even futility. And that is why you can pick up a sweet deal on exercise equipment at the landfill in January. Sometimes you can still smell the smoke of burning New Year's resolutions lingering in the air...

People can get into "fitness" with totally the wrong mindset, focusing first on all the benefits and mental selfies of their buff, fit new body. When it hasn't happened in the first week, disillusionment can set in and, unless you have iron fortitude, you are likely to give up. Not only that, you will probably give up with a really bad taste for "fitness" in your mind. That is an unfortunate misunderstanding: it wasn't so much the end results we were dreaming about that were unrealistic, but rather their timing. The results don't happen before the process has taken place.

Change generally occurs in small, incremental steps. When you think about it, the "change" we are talking about, i.e., physical change, simply reflects our body's adaptations to physical stress. Exercise can be  exactly that kind of physical stress, depending on the level of intensity, but our body experiences it and then adapts to it. We can experience the "adaptation" period as stiff muscles and fatigue. But that is the reality of it. I'm not saying you MUST be stiff and sore (that is often intensity-related), but the adaptation period often feels less than pleasant.

So, we need to get real. We need to have realistic expectations. If you talk with anyone who started out last February and chugged away all through the challenge, I'll bet they will tell you how the first few weeks were difficult in many ways (that's the reality). However, I'll bet they will also tell you that they started experiencing the real progress and positive changes toward the end of the four week challenge. So, to be real about it, don't expect a euphoric buzz in the first few weeks of this or any fitness challenge. You are adapting to a higher activity level and you have to pay the piper, as it were.

Above all, try to simply experience this experience; keep on working on your fitness goals and remember there are lots of us chugging along with you. Transitioning from week one to week two is where it gets real!

Day 5: Progress is. . . Blurry.

You may have noticed that I like to cite definitions of things to make a point. In particular, I enjoy reflecting on the ideas which make up words. So here's today's word: progress.

Someone might ask how your "fitness thing" is going, and you might respond with, "It's okay - I'm making progress." At some level, the impression is that progress is a good thing. The point I want to make here is that the idea of "progress" embodies movement toward an objective. Random or haphazard movement is not "progress"; progress is headed somewhere.

We have talked before about developing a vision of yourself, establishing goals, and then striking out toward those goals. By definition, if you are moving toward a goal, you are making progress.

Each day's activity in a challenge like this may seem inconsequential. But if you regard your daily activities that way, you are missing the metaphorical forest for the trees. Add each day's activity to the activity of the day before, and the day after. After a few days, what you end up with is a steadily-emerging trend. If you are doing things which move you closer to your goal, you are making progress.

I hope I can encourage you to actually see the broader picture which is not, in fact, a static picture as much as it is a dynamic video; it is in motion. Actually, you are in motion, moving toward your objective of improved wellness. Progress can't really be captured by a picture. I think that is a logical impossibility: pictures (i.e., still images) represent a single point in time, and progress involves motion. So a picture that would represent progress really ought to be blurry.

Try not to just see your activities simply as workout after workout, like single images. That can be discouraging, because you can easily miss the larger context of where you were and where you are going. You need to put the whole deck of activity "pictures" together and flip through them to get the true sense of your progress, of how you are moving toward your goal. When you learn how to sense your own progress, you are well on your way to maintaining an active lifestyle.

Day 4: Gaining Traction

Last year, the “first annual” February fitness swung, walked, planked, crunched and circuited its way into history. Sometimes, ideas pop up and fade. Other times, they evolve into new ideas, which spread from person to person, and something comes of it.

I think something has come of the hybrid idea of a fitness challenge which supports Parkinson’s research. My suspicion is that both of ideas resonate with people. Most of us, at some level, want to be more fit. And most of us, at some level, like to do things which benefit others.

As individuals doing our fitness challenge, and as a larger group of people supporting both wellness and Parkinson’s Disease awareness, we are gaining traction. It takes energy to start moving toward something. It takes effort to change lifestyle habits, especially when there is physical work involved and even - perish the thought! - sore muscles.

When we pay the price (the inconvenience, the sore muscles, etc.) to make these changes I think we become more “efficient” in our wellness lifestyle, and our efforts, in fact, become more effective. We gain traction, as it were in managing our life and our wellness.

We are only four days into this challenge, but by now you have probably experienced at least a small degree of inconvenience, disruption, and possibly even some sore muscles. . . These are sometimes the price of admission to change. The challenge we all face is whether we feel like paying that price. My encouragement is to keep at it, stay in touch with your friends and personal cheer-leaders. If you don’t have any, find some!

Keep up the good work. Let’s talk it up and let others know what we’re up to with this fitness challenge. If you haven’t already let us know what you’re up to, visit our REGISTRATION page or CLICK HERE to email your registration.

Day 3: I GET to Work Out

I am excited that February 1st has arrived and we are day one into the challenge. Actually the challenge started for me at the beginning of January when my wife showed me the 7 Minute Workout Challenge App that she was going to use. I tried it out and was instantly sold on it and I didn't even have to pay for it. It has kept me motivated for the last month in helping me prepare for the February 10,000 Challenge. The cool thing about the app is that it walks you through the workout and you are done in 7 minutes... Anyone can commit to that and begin a new workout habit.

For this months 10,000 challenge, I am cracking out my Excel tracker spreadsheet with some slight modifications from last year. What I am planning is to do a classic 7 minute workout and a Basic 7 minute workout .... That's right 14 minutes total which gives me about 350 reps of several basic strength training exercises. Today I added in a basic bicep workout that my son Kai told me about....7,7,7,7 bicep curls. The arms were burning and felt fantastic after I finished.

I mentioned several variations of things above for the simple reason that I have been motivated this past few months by friends and family. Richard and I started talking about Exercise goals in the Fall, but I lacked consistency. Richard, my wife and my son have been great encouragers to get me motivated and for that I'm thankful. Best thing is to keep it simple, get started and enjoy it. Best way to look at it when your mind wants to say, "I have to work out", is to re-state it as "I get to work out"

I look forward to hearing from others and how they got to their starting point!

Guest Blogger:  Ron Parrish

Day 2: Enthusiasm

I've heard back from a number of participants and the trend was - success! People are getting busy and doing their activities. I was even a bit surprised (maybe I shouldn't have been) when someone at my workplace asked the group what everyone was doing for the challenge. . . and they started answering enthusiastically!

If you asked me for my impressions of the fitness challenge from all the people I have spoken with, the word would be enthusiasm. What particularly impresses me about this is the enthusiasm I can hear when I talk with people who did the challenge last year. Enthusiasm, the Cambridge Dictionary says, is, "a feeling of energetic interest in a particular subject or activity and an eagerness to be involved in it." I think it's worth underlining energetic interest, and eager involvement. I can hear the energy in peoples' descriptions of how they are going to do such-and-such on day one, then add so much to that each day. . . and so on. And I still marvel and the eagerness of a few participants who have had to scale back their activities due to injury, yet they were talking about the challenge even before it started up again.

Enthusiasm cannot really be imposed on someone else; when you see it, it is coming from within the person. Well, it is probably gushing out of them. My encouragement, as you go through the challenge, is to purposefully take as much interest as you can in whatever fitness activities you are doing. And try to get involved, even if it is not always "eagerly" at first. If being active is a change for you (or if you have ramped up your usual activity - that itself is a change), it will be a challenge to keep at it. I'm confident of that. But challenges allow us to test ourselves, to work and get better at things, even to risk failing. If we band together, such as in a fitness challenge like this one, we encourage one another and collectively stand better chance of reaching our goals.

DAY 1: It's GO Time!

The 2nd Annual 10,000 Kettlebells for Parkinson's fitness challenge is finally under way! We've already had folks signing up and are starting to get some organization-wide support, which is FANTASTIC! If you are new to the challenge, I invite you to read about how this fitness challenge got started.

The fitness challenge last year raised several thousand dollars for Parkinson's research through donations to the Royal University Hospital Foundation in Saskatoon. I would like to pass along the appreciation of the RUHF, Dr. Rajput, and my own family, including my mother who has struggled with Parkinson's for a number of years now.

I will say more about this next "story" throughout the month, but I can tell you that our family has seen a dramatic change in our mom's fitness and well-being. She still has Parkinson's, but Parkinson's does not have her any more.

I also plan to share stories from some of last year's participants. Talk about encouraging! The whole fitness challenge is really about just that: encouraging and challenging one another to better wellness. We had ups and downs through the month, but we hung in there. I learned that I can hang in there when I need to.

And I'll need a bit of that tenacity today. . . I very cleverly scheduled February 1st to fall on a Wednesday (swimming day) this year, so I get to mash a big batch of Kettlebell swings after work with my swimming stroke improvement class right afterward. I predict I will sleep well tonight!

This year, I'm also encouraging people to leave a few comments on the blog - comment on the blog posts, share a victory, encourage a buddy. If you want to share a picture from the fitness challenge, just click the email link and attach the image. Hearing from you folks really makes my day!

If you are new, or would like to re-live last year's fitness challenge, you can find the blog posts in the archive. Here are the instructions:

• On the right side of the blog pages, scroll down to find the "Blog Archive"
• If you can't see the year, 2016, click the down-triangle beside 2017 to collapse that list
• Click the right-triangle symbol beside 2016 (it will change to a down-triangle, and show the months of 2016)
• Scroll down until you can see February, and click the right-triangle symbol beside February
• Scroll down until you get to the blog entry from DAY 1. Clicking the individual blogs will allow you to read through last year's blog posts. Enjoy!