March is almost here, and we’re on a roll! We kicked of 2023 with the Firm It Up Challenge. Now we’re in the final days of the 28 for 28 Challenge. I figured we should keep the challenges rolling with the March 2023 Flexibility Challenge.
Why Focus on Flexibility?
One of my first Weekly Wednesday Weigh-In posts was about 3 HUGE Benefits of Stretching. I wish I could say that I’ve been an effective and faithful “stretcher” since then, but I haven’t. I just don’t make the time.
Even so, I know that there are TONS of great benefits to stretching, so that’s why I’m challenging myself – and you – to incorporate more flexibility into life.
This is just another attempt at building good habits..
The Details
The March 2023 Flexibility Challenge is simple. The goal: stretch for at least 15 minutes every day. You can come up with your own stretch routine or do your track stretches from back in the day.
You could start with the lower body routine that I posted on my first YouTube Channel several years ago.
Or you could join me for a FREE Livestream every night from 8:30 pm to 9:00 pm Central Standard Time.
Why Does It Start So Late?
When I was a kid, I had to be in bed by 9:00 pm. I that that was SO early. When my bedtime was changed to 9:30 pm, I was grateful for the extra time, but I still thought that it was way too early. I had important things to do.
As an adult, I’m usually fast asleep by 9:30 pm, so I can understand the push-back on the time for our Stretch and Roll session.
Stretching is actually a really good way to winddown and prepare for a good night’s sleep. The rational behind having such a “late” start time is this: when we’re done stretching, it’ll be time to hop directly into bed.
Registration links will be posted daily on both Facebook and Instagram. This month, every Stretch and Roll session is free because I want as many people to join me in this challenge. Just be sure to use the student code that will be provided. The code is the same for the whole month.
Post Your Progress
If you accept the challenge, I’d love to see how it’s going! Please head over to Facebook or Instagram and post your progress using #getfitwithcharityflexibility
I can’t wait to see our flexibility levels increase.
How One Healthy Decision Creates Three Amazing Outcomes
If you haven’t been here long, you may not know that I believe that life is all about choices. The decisions we make are a direct result of those choices. And our lives are a reflection of those choices. I recently discovered how one healthy decision creates three amazing outcomes.
I’ll explain what I mean when I say “healthy decision” because those words could mean different things to different people. I’m pretty sure that all of us know what it means to make a decision However, it’s the word “healthy” that may be a bit confusing or ambiguous.
In short, when I use the word “healthy”, I’m referring to anything that has to do with your personal health. It could be financial health, mental health, physical health or nutritional health.
So when I say “healthy decision”, I mean an intentional choice to do something that will positively impact your health. However, it could also be an intentional choice to stop doing something that negatively impacts your health.
The Background
In October of 2022, I made a decision to drink more water. At the time, I had a half gallon jug that I carried pretty much everywhere. Unfortunately, at the end of the day, I hadn’t consumed much water. I felt like such a hypocrite. I was ALWAYS talking about drinking more water. But I wasn’t doing what I told others to do.
I won’t get too deep into the steps I took, but I figured it out. I can’t say that I drink half a gallon of water every day, but I do drink way more water than I did last fall.
That one healthy decision – to drink more water – has created three outcomes that I didn’t expect. First, I’ll tell you what I looked like for me. Then I’ll explain how it could look for you.
Fitness background with bottle of water, apple, dumbbells, nuts, and tape measure on pink table
More Movement
Initially, the idea of drinking half a gallon of water each day was intimidating, but now it’s extremely attainable. Since I met that goal, I looked for more ways to challenge myself. I decided on a movement goal: 45 minutes of personal exercise each day.
I’m a fitness instructor who teaches six to eight classes, but when I’m teaching I’m not exercising. That’s not my time.
Finding time to get my personal workout done is impossible. I have to MAKE the time, to wake up early or move things around in my schedule to get it done. There are times when it doesn’t happen, but most of the time, it does.
More Rest
When I decided to get more exercise, I realized that would only happen if I woke up earlier eat day. That meant I would have to go to bed a little earlier, so I could wake and exercise at the beginning of the day.
Sleeping in means I won’t have time to work out early. If I don’t make time in the morning, I can almost guarantee that it won’t happen for me later in the day.
Because I know what time I need to get up in order to get to the gym in time for my swim or get out the door for my run, I know that I have to be in bed by a certain time in order for me to get the amount of sleep that I need. So I’m actually getting more rest than I did this time a year ago, even a few months ago.
Better Food Choices
Since I’m exercising more, I’m actually a lot hungrier than I have been, and that makes sense. I’m burning more calories, so my body needs more fuel to sustain itself. I find that I’m gravitating toward foods that are rich in fiber, anti-inflammatory and full of nutrients.
I want foods that are going to stick with me not bring my energy levels up way high before sending them crashing down. I’m not saying that I never eat junk food, but I’m more interested in the good stuff nowadays.
Will It Work For You?
If you had sat me down a few back in November and told me that I come mid-February, I’d be experiencing a snowball effect healthy outcomes based on my decision to drink more water, I wouldn’t have believed you. I think it will work for you to.
Please don’t misunderstand me. I’m not saying that if you decide to drink more water, you will have the exact same three positive outcomes that I have.
I am saying that positive healthy choices propel you forward and provide stepping stones that snowball into other things.
For example, suppose your healthy decision is to spend one less hour scrolling through social media each night. Maybe you use the extra time to pick up a hobby that you put down . That could lead to a clearer mind and better self-awareness.
The outcomes aren’t the focus; it’s the healthy decision that starts the ball rolling.
So figure it out. What’s that one healthy decision you’ve been putting off? Take care of that. Focus on that decision and only that decision. Before long, you’ll find yourself surrounded by more positive outcomes than you can count.
As always, I’m here to help if you need me.
Hopping on the Scale! Don’t forget to hop on the scale and see where you are this week. Remember: if you were able to maintain and not gain, that’s success!
I was always that if you eat after 8:00 pm, you’ll gain weight. Your body simply won’t have time to burn off the calories before you go to sleep.
As a result, I went to bed without eating quite often. However, I’d wake up between 11 pm and 2 pm, ravenously hungry. Then head to the kitchen to get something to eat, not caring where the calories went. I should note that eating after 8:00 pm didn’t cause me to gain weight.
Who Placed Deadlines on Daily Meals?
I’m not sure who came up with the magical time of 8:00 pm for evening meals to cease. I’m guessing it was a dietician or doctor who conducted a study. I would bet that the findings were for a specific group of people. It probably also had something to do with when people went to bed.
Someone probably took those results and applied them to the general population. Because the statement was backed by science, people assumed it had to be true for all people. But I would counter that.
As I’ve mentioned before, every exercise isn’t for everybody. In like manner, every bit of nutrition advice isn’t for every one either.
Why Am I So Hungry At Night?
Before we go any further, let’s discuss a few reasons that you may be hungry when you’re winding down for the day. There are two many reasons.
You’re actually thirsty.
I think I’ve mentioned this before, but the body doesn’t have a clear signal to let you know that you’re thirsty. Sometimes your stomach growls when you’re in need of liquids, but you think you’re hungry.
If it’s later in the evening and you feel hungry, drink 12 to 16 ounces of water and then wait 20 minutes. If the hunger returns, follow the guidelines listed later in this post. If if doesn’t, head to bed. You were just thirsty.
You’re under your calorie count for the day.
If you count your calories, then you know precisely how much you can eat at any point in the day. However, if you’re not a calorie counter, you may be surprised that you’re hungry at an odd time.
If you’re significantly under your calorie consumption for the day, your body will let you know. But you shouldn’t just eat anything.
Balance is the Key
I think everyone knows that they key to a healthy lifestyle is balance. Whether we’re discussing your work/life balance, a balanced diet or making time for both friends and family. Too much of one thing – good or bad – simply isn’t healthy.
If you’re wondering, “Can I eat after 8:00 pm?” The answer is, “Yes.”
If your next question is, “Won’t that make me gain weight?” The answer is, “It depends?”
What you choose to eat after 8:00 pm is just as important as what you chose to eat at 1:30 pm.
When choosing something to eat later at night, consider the foods that you’ve eaten through out the day. You may also opt for something healthy, like fruits or nuts.
Choosing What to Eat After 8:00 pm
If you’ve determined that you need to eat something after 8:00 pm, choose wisely.
If you have left over chicken fried rice or lobster ravioli, those might be a little too heavy if you’re going straight to bed. However, if that’s what you have a taste for, perhaps you could take a couple of bites and drink 8 ounces of water.
The best options for eating later at night are fresh fruits and vegetables along with some thing light.
Gaining weight if you eat after 8:00 pm doesn’t have to happen. If you make healthy eating choices for those late night cravings, you’ll be just fine!
Hopping on the Scale! Don’t forget to hop on the scale and see where you are this week. Remember: if you were able to maintain and not gain, that’s success!
January is quickly coming to a close. If you’re anything like 75% of Americans, you made a resolution this year. It probably had something to do with leading a healthy lifestyle.
We’re 28 days into the new year. It’s possible that you haven’t been as successful as you hoped you would be. That’s why I’m here to tell you about the 28 for 28 Challenge.
Habits Rather Than Resolutions
Three years ago, I posted an article about why we should create habits rather than make resolutions. However, people have made resolutions for generations. It seems like what we’re supposed to do at the end of the year.
If you’re still going strong with your resolution(s), then the 28 for 28 Challenge isn’t for you. But maybe you’re still struggling to gain traction.
If you really want to make positive changes in your life; this challenge was created just for you. It’s all about building good habits.
How to Form a Habit
It’s been said that it takes 28 days to form a habit. That may seem like a long time, but in the overall scheme of things, it’s not. Twenty-eight days out of a lifetime is like a raindrop in the ocean. It’s a tiny increment that’s part of a much larger thing.
There are all sorts of habits that we’ve created without every thinking about them. Having a daily cup of coffee. Watching the nightly news. Checking our social media accounts during lunch. We automatically do tons of other things, too.
The 28 for 28 Challenge is a concrete way for us to be intentional about creating an exercise habit.
The 28 for 28 Challenge helps you create new habits!
The Challenge in a Nutshell
The 28 for 28 Challenge is simple. For each of the 28 days in the month of February do 28 minutes of movement. What you do is up do you.
Maybe your resolution was to walk more. Take a look at your schedule. Then plan a 28 minute walk after dinner or during your lunch for 28 days.
Suppose you wanted to become more flexible. Well, you could do 28 minutes of stretching before bed for 28 days.
I want to develop a habit of swimming. I plan to get in the pool and swim for 28 minutes ever day in February.
28 Minutes Seems Long
If you’re anything like me, you’re thinking, “28 minutes?!?! That’s almost half an hour. That’s too hard!”
My response is you’re right, but you’re wrong. Twenty-eight minutes is nearly half an hour, but it’s not too hard. If it were easy, it wouldn’t be a challenge.
If the idea of doing some form of physical activity for 28 consecutive minutes is impossible for you, you can break it up. Try two 14 minute sessions. Or three sessions of 9 minutes and 33 seconds. The goal is for you to complete 28 minutes each day…it doesn’t have to be all at once.
Post Your Progress
If you accept the challenge, I’d love to see how it’s going! Please head over to Facebook or Instagram and post your progress using #getfitwithcharity28for28.
I sense the quizzical looks and imagining that you’re trying to figure out what that means. You have way too many things to accomplish to be trying to change one thing at a time. You’re a masterful multi-tasker like me, right?
Just hang tight! I promise that you will see how important it is to change one thing at a time very soon.
Road-Trip Reading
I read a ton…like a lot. Admittedly, my day job as a librarian at an elementary school is one of the reasons I’m such an avid reader. However, I fell in love with the written word LONG before I became a library media specialist.
Because I always have an incredibly long list of books to read, there are times when I opt for an audiobook rather than books with pages.
Just so we’re clear: listening to an audiobook still counts as reading a physical book. I haven’t quite figure out how it’s possible, but whenever I finish a book – whether digital or physical – I have the same smack your lips, {{deep-sigh}}, -that was SO good feeling.
In December of 2022, I finished my road-trip book. I’m not sure why I only read (or listened to) it when I drove out of town, but I did. The book was Girl, Stop Apologizing, by Rachel Hollis.
Embracing and Achieving Your Goals
I’d been reading that book for over a year, but I’d honestly forgotten about it. It’s not that I didn’t take and road trips during that time. It simply slipped my mind. Until this Christmas. i didn’t realize it at the time, but that book was the perfect way for me to end the year.
For a ton of people, including me, the month of December is rather reflective. We celebrate about our successes. We consider missed opportunities. We contemplate our next big steps. We beat ourselves up about our failures. And we start planning our next moves. We make goals or resolutions for the new year and promise ourselves that things will be much better.
That’s what I did the whole time I read/listened to that book. I was actually a bit overwhelmed by everything I wanted to do…until Rachel said three words, “Change one thing.” In short, you can’t do everything at once, so change one thing now. Let that be your focus. When you’ve mastered that thing or you’re ready for more, just add the next thing.
Change One Thing
Those three words breathed life into me, and they made me think about you.
Nearly every day, I talk to someone who isn’t happy with their life the way it is. I’m not saying that everyone is down in the dumps, but I don’t know very many people are 100% okay with thing they way that they are right.
We’re already half way through the first month of the new year, and I would bet all the money in my bank account right now that someone reading this has spoken to someone who vowed to do at least one of the following in 2023:
Lose weight
Exercise more
Eat healthier
Improve relationships
Get more rest
Read more
Binge less shows
Drink more water
Can You Relate?
Did you see yourself on that list? If so, you’re not alone.
I know what it’s like to have so many goals and plans that you have no clue how to pull off.
That’s why I’m here. And I’ll tell you what Rachel told me, “Change one thing.”
What’s Your Thing?
So what are you going to change this month? It doesn’t have to be huge, but it should help you move closer to meeting your goal or resolution.
Did you resolve to get more rest? Then get to bed five minutes earlier each night for the next month.
Do you want to drink more water? Place a glass or bottle of water close to your alarm, so you drink 16 ounces as soon as you wake up in the morning.
Are you trying to fit more exercise into your day? You could split your lunch break in half: eat for the first half and walk either indoor or outdoors for the second half.
I can’t prove it, but I think that if you change one thing at a time, it will give you the push you need to have the best year possible.
Hopping on the Scale! Don’t forget to hop on the scale and see where you are this week. Remember: if you were able to maintain and not gain, that’s success!
On Sunday, August 29, 2021, I completed my twelfth triathlon. A short time later, I found myself wondering, “Do you know the true definition of success?”
You might think that I was overcome with joy when I crossed the finish line. You’d be wrong, though. I was discouraged and completely disappointed in myself. In fact, I cried – not once…not twice…but three times within 90 minutes of completing the race. I felt like a total failure.
I know that sounds weird. I’m sure it’s hard to understand how someone who swam a mile, rode a bike 26 miles and ran a 10K could feel like a complete failure. So I’ll try to explain as best as I can.
A Little Bit of Background Info
I’d trained for that race for several months. For me, the hardest part of the race is the swim, so that was the main focus of my training. I wanted to be comfortable in the water. Like so comfortable that nothing would faze me. The week before the race, I felt really confident. Two days before the race, I had my final swim, and I felt pretty comfortable. I set a goal. I just KNEW that I was going to have the best swim of my life, that my bike ride would be consistent, and that I would own the run. But none of that actually happened.
Long story short, I had the worst swim and the slowest run out of all my previous triathlons. I didn’t come anywhere close to reaching my goal, so I felt like a failure. However, when people asked how it went and how I felt, they seemed surprised by my response. They all said something like, “What are you talking about?! You did great! You finished the race!”
That made me look inside myself and ask, “Do you know the true definition of success?”
What is the Definition of Success?
If you were to walk up to four different people and say, “Do you know the true definition of success?”, it’s highly likely that each of them would give a totally different definition that makes perfect sense. For our discussion, we’ll head over to Google since it’s very simple.
The first thing that comes up when you Google “definition of success” is, “the accomplishment of an aim or purpose”.
That’s it. It’s just that simple. To accomplish (or complete) something is the very definition of success.
If it’s that simple, why in the world have I been feeling so badly about my performance?
Can You Relate?
I’m sure that someone can relate to feeling like a failure while everyone else celebrates your success.
Maybe you intended to wake up early enough to get to the 5:30 am class at the YMCA Monday, Wednesday and Friday, but you were only able to make it on Wednesday. The instructor was super excited to see you when you came, but you’re embarrassed that you only made it once after saying you’d be there all week.
Perhaps you have a five pound weight loss goal, but you didn’t lose anything at all. Your personal trainer is excited because you were able to maintain your weight for an entire week, but you’re extremely disappointed because the numbers didn’t go down.
It’s possible that your challenge has nothing to do with health and fitness, but there’s some area in your life that your friends and loved ones celebrate, while you’re tempted to give up because things are just that bad in your eyes.
Keep It In Perspective
If you’re with me on any of that, my words to you are precisely what I’ve been telling myself for the past few days: success is success. Each small victory is a stepping stone to a larger victory. Every single success should be celebrated rather than placed on a scale that measures its importance.
I can’t prove it, but I think that truly embracing that all success is success would lead us to have more fulfilled lives.
Hopping on the Scale! Don’t forget to hop on the scale and see where you are this week. Remember: if you were able to maintain and not gain, that’s success!
