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Grow Your Brain (and Biceps) With Screen-Free Week!

Monday, April 22nd, 2013

Screen-Free Week — also called TV Turnoff or Digital Detox – begins on April 29 this year!

Originally the brainchild of a non-profit environmental and anti-consumerist firm in British Columbia, Screen-Free Week later came under the wing of another organization urging people to use electronic screen media responsibly.* The movement has undergone a few name changes to keep up with the changing face of our media, but “screen-free” seems to capture it for the foreseeable future.

In 2010, Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood (CCFC) became the home of Screen-Free Week at the request of the Board of the Center for SCREEN-TIME Awareness (CSTA), which ran the initiative since 1994 (first as TV-Free America). CCFC launched a new website and developed a new Organizer’s Kit, fact sheets, and other materials for Screen-Free Week 2011 and beyond. The Screen-Free Week Organizer’s Kit is available as a free download.*

Over 70 other organizations including the American Academy of Pediatrics, American Heart Association, the American Medical Association and the YMCA, support Screen-Free Week and multiple countries thoughout the world participate annually.* The White House supports limiting screen time via its Task Force on Childhood Obesity and the “Let’s Move” initiative. And the CCFC has a free, handy organizer’s kit.

Now you have the background on it — what will you DO about it?

What are your current boundaries around screen time for yourself and/or your family? Exactly how many screens do you have in your family? Um, YES, smartphones count — as do tvs, readers, tablets, laptops, monitors, and all the rest. If it lights up and shows you a picture, it counts. (Bet the number will surprise you! We have only 1 tv, but a total of SIX screens! Whaaaaat?? That’s nuts, y’all.)

Your brain is still reeling just from counting the number of screens you own.

You need ideas about how to turn them off without losing your mind, and you’ve come to the right place.

Yes, of course I have suggestions — and of course, they involve getting up and moving. You wouldn’t recognize this as my writing if I didn’t throw those in, right?! Try these on for size:

1. Play Spin-Fit instead of sitting on the sofa! It’s springtime, and there’s no more perfect time to be outside!

2. Get the family involved in making dinner. Even moving around the kitchen is still more MOVING than sitting on the couch.

3. Turn the music up and dance it out! Remember the main characters’ “therapy” on Grey’s Anatomy? A good ol’ fashioned dance-off really will cure what ails you.

4. Play charades. Bonus points for depicting ACTIVE scenes! Try Twister, Flippity Frogs, Cat In the Hat’s I Can Do That, or Don’t Scramble The Egg too!

5. Go for a walk. Walk to school. Walk to your after-school stuff. Or just walk around the block. Bonus points for a follow-the-leader “wacky walk” game while you’re out!

6. Take a new class! You can even do it at a discount (in the Atlanta area) if you check out ClickAClass.com!

7. Let your kids be the boss for a change. Let them be “Simon” in Simon Says and see if you can keep up with their crazy antics. They’ll love getting to order you around, and you’ll get a workout without feeling like it. Or, get together and try these dare-you-to-keep-a-straight-face challenges!

8. Head down to the park — and don’t just sit there, play along!

9. Check out some other ideas from my friends at Nourish Interactive.

I could go on, but now it’s YOUR turn! Tell us in the comments below how YOU will approach Screen-Free Week.

Will you participate at all, and if not, why not?

If so, what will you do differently — and do you think it’s sustainable for more than just a week?

*Wikipedia on Screen-Free Week

Note: this post contains some affiliate links from people/products I know personally and trust with complete comfort to recommend to you!

Tags: active, child, children, commercial, couch, digital detox, exercise, family, fitness, free, fun, health, kids, let's move, obese, obesity, play, screen, screen-free, shape, television, turnoff, tv, tv turnoff, walk, week
Posted in Family, Health and Fitness, Workout Routines | No Comments »

“Forever Lazy” – That’s The Problem

Wednesday, January 16th, 2013

I’m all about relaxing and being comfortable y’all, but the commercial I saw recently for a product called “Forever Lazy” really chapped me.

Seriously? We need a special zip-on blanket in order to be “lazy”?

For me, “comfortable” is different from “lazy,” and I think that’s the root of my problem with this thing.

Oh good — it’s called “Asleep on the Job.” How appropriate.

Let’s back up. The “Forever Lazy” is basically grown-up fleece pajamas. (But it has convenient drop-doors where you need them — because heaven knows you don’t want to expend any additional effort by having to pull the thing down in the bathroom.)

It’s a “one piece lie-around, lounge-around, laze-around” piece — “just zip it, and get lazy!”

I suppose there’s nothing wrong with the item itself. Grown-up p.j.’s — okay, I get it. It’s not my deal, but I get that it is for some.

But the whole idea absolutely GLORIFIES laziness. It shows a man asleep on the couch while everyone else is watching tv. It shows people sitting (and sitting….and sitting some more) by the fireside or on the phone. It even shows people wearing this damn blanket out in public, as if to say,

“Don’t bother getting your body in better shape — just HIDE it under this thing!”

Not only does it glorify laziness, the marketing goes down the “Supersize Me” road inherent to consumerism.

ANY size is the same price! Call now, and you’ll get two for the price of one! And get the socks, too! Everyone needs more, more, MORE!

This whole thing truly has me thinking that it’s the root of all health and fitness evil in America today. We make such a big deal of living large (so to speak), indulging, relaxing, giving ourselves a break, getting more stuff, and more stuff, and more stuff.

Maybe we should get focused on feeling good — on doing the things that make it comfortable for us to bend down and tie shoes or to run and play with our kids. Where’s the brilliant marketing behind something that keeps us “forever active” or “forever healthy” instead of “forever lazy”? It’s there, but seems not nearly as prominent as the lazy-lovers.

I don’t know — I don’t have the answers here. I just want to know if anyone else had the same reaction I did to this. Am I overreacting? Other viewpoints out there? Let’s hear ‘em!

Tags: active, activity, blanket, commercial, exercise, fitness, forever lazy, health, lounge, move, movement, pajamas, play, run, train, tv, workout
Posted in Admin/Misc, Family, Health and Fitness, Reviews | 10 Comments »

The Playground Workout – aka, Don’t Just Sit There

Tuesday, August 7th, 2012

Ready for a little tough love?

Brace yourself.

I’m often amazed at the numbers of people (let’s just say it: usually moms, like me) sitting on the park bench at my local playground, idly watching their children play while they complain about being out of shape.

I get it — believe me, I get it. I have 2 little ones and 2 businesses and very little spare time. For me, that means I need to make the most of the time I have (rather than complaining about not having enough of it). I have the same number of hours in every day that each Olympic athlete has, after all — and so do you.

So rather than sitting, moaning and groaning about your lack of time, why not use it to get the very thing you want? Put your body where your complaint is.

Here’s the tough love part: “Get off your bum and do something, instead of bitching about it.”

At the park with your kids?

Challenge them to a race across the monkey bars (upper-body benefit).
Get down on all fours, and bear crawl the width of a field with the kids (full-body workout — you’ll see!).
Pushing them on the swings, keep your elbows to the front at shoulder level; on the push, extend hands straight out in front (firms up the “bingo wings”).
See who can hop the longest distance – do it on both legs, then each leg separately (for legs and cardio/plyometrics).
Flip over your bear crawl from above, and crab-walk instead (full-body workout in the rear).
Balance on a swing, holding chains with both hands and lifting your legs straight out to the front while sitting up straight and tall; work toward leaning back and lifting legs to make a V-shape at the hips (abs, abs, and more abs).
Bonus points: get back to the monkey bars for a pull-up or two (upper-body).

….Oh, and in addition to all the body benefits I just mentioned, you’ll also get a giant boost of hugs and kisses from your kids who appreciate that you’ve truly played with them instead of checking emails and all the other stuff you do while sitting on that bench.

Isn’t that so much better than grumbling about your figure? Yup — and sets a better example for the kiddos, too. Feel free to gloat among the other moms, still sitting idle — and you can tell ‘em I said so.

Tags: arms, body, cardio, child, climb, crawl, exercise, family, fat, fitness, fun, health, hop, jump, kid, legs, lose, loss, mom, mother, parent, park, play, playground, plyometric, run, swing, weight, workout
Posted in Family, Health and Fitness | 6 Comments »

5 Ways to Find More Fitness in the Same 24 Hours

Wednesday, February 22nd, 2012

Time for me to get on my soapbox about making fitness work in your life — get ready for some tough love!

You have the same 24 hours everyone else gets each day. The only question is what you’ll pack into your 24 that others may or may not. If you’re serious about your health, you won’t take or make any excuses about being unable to fit in a workout — because, you know what? You don’t need to have a solid hour dedicated to a workout, and you don’t need Bryan the Bronze Bodybuilding Babe to be your personal trainer.

What you need is stealth. Yup, stealth.

You have to sneak in opportunities to MOVE your muscles, whether it’s a workout-with-a-capital-W or not. (Of course, it’s better if you can manage dedicated time for a well-planned workout — but let’s be realistic. There are days that’s simply not going to happen.)

We’ve all heard about parking at the far end of the lot, so that you have to walk further to the door of the store and blahblahblah. So let me offer a few ideas you might not have heard before. One is guaranteed to be brand-new to you.

Stealth Squats

While you’re drying your hair, brushing your teeth, choosing your clothes, or doing anything else that requires you to stand in one place for a couple of minutes — don’t just stand there. Put your feet hip-distance apart and, keeping your chest lifted, bend deeply at the knees and hips to push the hips backward in a squat position. Repeat as many times as you have time for.

Bonus points: reach your arms skyward as you do this, and hold each “down” phase for at least 5 seconds.

Sneaky Leg Lifts

Seated at your desk (or even on the toilet), extend the right leg, straighten the spine, and lean forward about 20 degrees to eliminate the action of the abs. Flex the right foot, keep the knee straight, and pulse the entire leg up and down about 4 inches total. Repeat as many times as possible, then switch to the left leg.

Bonus points: repeat the same drill standing at another point during the day; try to balance without support to engage the abs.

Undercover Arms

You can do this drill anytime you’re gripping something – a steering wheel, a shopping cart, a stroller, the edge of your desk, etc. You can even do it without another object by clasping your two hands together. It’s an isometric exercise, meaning that you flex the muscles without moving the joint. In this example, we’ll just use hands clasped together, but you can easily transfer the same motion to whatever object you’re holding. For each, hold 2 seconds and release; repeat at least 10 times or more if time allows.

Clasp your hands together in front of your chest, below your chin. Push together (remember Judy Blume’s “Are You There, God? It’s Me, Margaret” and her bust-boosting exercise?).
Next, clasp hands at the level of your navel. Face the left palm up first, and the right palm down; hug the elbows in to the ribs. Press the palms against each other. Reverse the hands in the next round, facing the right palm up and the left down.
Make a fist with the right hand, and grip the right wrist with your left hand. Point the elbows out to the sides, at shoulder-level. Pull apart. Switch to hit the other side.
Repeat the last drill, but with hands held overhead and elbows out to the side at ear-level.

Clandestine Carrying

Mainly for the biceps and shoulders, you can do this anytime you’re carrying bags (not too heavy) or playing with younger kids. Hug the elbows tight to the ribs, and lift the weight by bending the elbows up and down to your maximum range of motion. Repeat as time and strength allow. (I do this one every time I unload groceries – I can get at least 5 reps between the car and the kitchen, which adds up to about 20 reps if I make 4 trips. Not bad, for spending ZERO extra time!)

Latent Legs

This is best done with kids (unless your coworkers are willing to play along!). Challenge them to some races in a different style each round. Set out your start and finish lines, then try to cross them with:

Giant, 2-leg “frog” leaps – Start with feet hip-width or wider. Bend deeply and push off, landing on both bent legs.
Smaller, 2-leg “bunny” hops – Feet are close together with bent knees. Make smaller hops all the way across.
One-leg hops – You know this one. Make sure you do both sides.
“Dinosaur” steps – Take long, lunging steps toward your line, being careful to keep the leading knee behind its ankle. Each time, try to extend the back leg, then push strongly through the front heel to return to standing. Alternate legs and repeat. Then do it backwards.

That’s it! Before you know it, you’ve squeezed in a miniature workout for your major muscle groups. See, that wasn’t so bad, was it?

Time to ‘fess up now: which was the one I guaranteed you’d never heard before?

Tags: body, busy, exercise, family, fitness, health, kids, play, schedule, time, workout
Posted in Health and Fitness | 8 Comments »

Play at work; work at play.

Tuesday, January 24th, 2012

Ever noticed the gusto of a preschooler?

Young kids go after everything with a great sense of gleeful purpose. If my 4-year old sits down to write his name, he’s going to write it BIG and small and round-and-round and up-and-down and purple and green and anything else he can imagine. When my 3-year old wants to play with me, it means she wants to copy everything I’m doing (often, it’s housework or business phone calls).

Maria Montessori may have said it best: a child’s work is play. They work at play; their play is what we call “work.”

For them, the lines between work and play blur. I’ve wondered why, and I believe it all comes down to their mindset. Their pretty little brains haven’t yet been told that sweeping the floor is a chore — something to carry the labels “work,” “drudgery,” “chore.” For them, it can still be fun because those labels don’t exist.

In a short time, undoubtedly, the jadedness of the world will rub off on them and they’ll begin to divide their own worlds into “fun” and “not fun.”

What if we could stop some of that devolution? What if we could even reverse it in ourselves, so that “work” felt more like “play”? How great would that be? And who was that wise person who said, “change your mind, and you change your life”? What great changes could we see in the world if everyone shifted just a little more toward play even in the midst of work?

Think about your work (paid or unpaid), and your attitude toward it. Are you seeing and feeling the labels attached? Did you put them there? And where did you learn those labels?

Can you unlearn them? (Yeah, it will take some — um — work.)

And think about whatever you do for exercise. (You DO have some form of exercise, right? If not, please read this post and then let’s talk: http://www.clickaclass.com/blog/2011/02/18/how-much-does-obesity-cost/). Is your workout feeling like Work-with-a-capital-W?

So here’s my challenge — to you and to myself: TODAY, change a label. Pick just one thing, and switch one of your “work” tags on it to a “play” tag instead. That’s what I’m doing with this post, by the way. Something new for me — just writing, stream-of-consciousness with a commitment to click “publish” when I’m done. No edits, no reorganization, no trashing it and starting over because it didn’t sound right. I’m just playing here! Adopt the kind of happy verve that you see in kids, and notice what changes for you and around you.

So, talk back. What do you think?

Tags: attitude, change, exercise, fun, happiness, kids, mindset, play, purpose, work, workout
Posted in Admin/Misc | 6 Comments »