25 Days of Wellness - Day 25

For the final day, here the best idea yet: share some joy by giving service, just as the Savior did. Merry Christmas and God bless us, every one!

25 Days of Wellness - Day 24

Nothing so far has been food based, so here's one: Resist one treat. Even better, add a fruit or veggie in. Nom nom nom.

25 Days of Wellness - Day 23

Have you spent time outside today? It might be late where you are, but the Princess and I spent time watching the rain from inside the garage. It was the fresh air without getting wet, which was lovely...we were barefoot though, so it would have been cold. Sounds fun! Maybe again tomorrow.

25 Days of Wellness - Day 22

Take a walk! Have we already done this one? Well, I'm going to be walking and sitting a lot today, so that's the plan! Wanna join me?

25 Days of Wellness - Day 21

Another Sunday, another Sabbath. In my little part of the world, it is the end of the day, so maybe this can be fore tomorrow, but do you play, sing, hum, whistle? Make some music! Christmas carols work great.

25 Days of Wellness - Day 20

Here's a toughy, and highly applicable to today, for me at least: Let one thing go. It might be something dumb you did or said or that someone else did or said.

When I originally started this, my vision was that most of these would be exercise/activity based. I'm coming to learn that, while moving and physical activity are important, mental well being plays a huge roll in 'wellness.' That's my take.

25 Days of Wellness - Day 19

Tickle your brain today by trying something new. What did I do? Tie dye. Never done it. I hope they are happily received on Christmas morning! Photos will come after Christmas to not spoil the surprise.

25 Days of Wellness - Day 18

Have you tried doing something the hard way lately? Or tried avoiding a modern convenience? Take the stairs, walk and extra bus stop, mop on hands and knees, chopping wood, mowing the lawn, which is still an option here down south if we actually had grass, or scrub the wash...if you happen to own a scrub board. It's kind of refreshing and pretty demanding too, sometimes.

25 Days fo Wellness - Day 17

Need a little time off your feet? Try a self massage or do a give and take with someone else. Wash your feet, or other sore spot, with a warm towel. Dip your fingers in a bit of oil and rub gently. Okay, does anyone actually need a step by step here? End post.

25 Days of Wellness - Day 16

Today is one of those days I question how well this wellness is going, especially as this comes a day later than scheduled. What's it doing for you? At least it gives me one clear goal in mind for some activity in the day.

How are your legs? If they need some attention, try some sumo squats. With feet apart and pointing forward, bend, as if sitting, and return slowly. If you want to raise the challenge, raise your arms as you go down. Need more? Hold weights. Keep breathing and do enough reps to feel you've done something. Then do a second set later. Or a third.

25 Days of Wellness - Day 15

Do you feel the tired that hits at the end of the day, or middle of the day, or somewhere in between? One thing to try is a nap, or staying better hydrated, or cutting out sugar, or having uninterrupted sleep, or becoming immortal. Somehow, if those seem impractical, find a small spot with a clock. When it gets to a new minute, start jogging. Time yourself for a minute or two. Or five. It does wonders. Remember to pump the arms! This can be done any number of times a day. Good shoes are recommended.

What do you do to keep the tired at bay?

25 Days of Wellness - Day 14

Being that it's Sabbath, I like going for less strenuous activities, not that many of the previous ones can be termed strenuous. (Just wait for next week!) Today is time for some mental de-stress: Write in a journal or a letter, or in those Christmas cards that are hoping to be sent. I hope to write about how my daughter made our toilet paper roll her 'bone' yesterday when she was a dog, at least I think that was her motive and to get a few more cards written to someone that I want to remember this year. Let me know what you think!

25 Days of Wellness - Day 13

Who was waiting to see how long it would take for me to miss a day? My hand is up!

Okay, here's one spot that gets a lot of work and not much play: the face. Give it some stretch by raising the eyebrows, gently rolling the eyes, pulling odd faces, puffing the cheeks, or opening the mouth in different directions. Do it with a little person to make it really entertaining.

25 Days of Wellness - Day 12

Pain in the neck? Don't we all at some point? Try moving, gently, from up to down or side to side, by pointing the chin one way or the other. Keep breathing. It may not solve world peace, but hopefully it will give a few restful moments to you.

25 Days of Wellness - Day 11

How often do you raise your arms above the shoulders in a day? IF it happens at all, how often is it out of obligation or under stress? Try some arm circles. I found them rather refreshing after a day of no nap for the Princess and not getting the gifts purchased as I had hoped. Remember both directions. Tip: Keeping the thumbs up will give you greater range of motion, but feel free to move!

Up next: the neck!

25 Days of Wellness - Day 10

How was your sleep last night? It's a work in progress at our house.

So, let's try something to relieve some stress: Do you like shoulder shrugs? Try some with deep breathing to go with it. Try both directions. May it make you feel a little more perky.

25 Days of Wellness - Day 9

Have you had a 'well' day? Mine was a little lacking in that department, so here's what I'm planning: Go do bed as early as humanly possible. Let me know how it goes for you!

25 Days of Wellness - Day 8

My teeth probably don't thank me for brushing lefty yesterday, but I'll work on it.

What's next? Let's stretch a bit today. Monday is a good day for that. Here are some ideas:

Back: Rest your hands on the edge of a table and back up, so you are bending in half. It feels great on the shoulder blades and spine.

Hips: Hold the table still and cross one ankle over the opposite knee. Lower down as if you were sitting. Do both sides.

Hold these for a few seconds each and breath deeply. What's your favorite stretch?

Also, some of you may wonder why I'm doing this or what qualifications I have. I'm a certified Health Coach through ACE. It used to be called Lifestyle and Weight Management Coach, but I like the name change. Here's a bit about it. This is my way of encouraging others, and myself, in a healthy lifestyle. 

25 Days of Wellness - Day 7

Did the back hold up with good posture yesterday? Mine spent 6 hours in a car, so it was a tough one. But here's a fun one for the Sabbath: Use your non-dominant hand or foot for some task, like eating an apple, stepping down a step, or brushing your teeth. I recommend not trying this activity with knives. Let me know how it goes!

25 Days of Wellness - Day 6

How's that back? It gets a lot of use! To give the back a little love, here is an all day challenge: Try to have good posture all day today, be it sitting, standing, or walking. One quick way to realign is to keep the shoulder blades drawn together. It's hard to slouch with square shoulders.

25 Days of Wellness - Day 5

The moves this month have been somewhat joint-centric, so let's keep going. Today is the hips. You may want to do this out of view of others or you might be one to just let the world know. Your choice. Find a recording of Jingle Bell Rock, audible or in your head, and let your hips get some Christmas Spirit.

Recap:
Day 1
Day 2
Day 3
Day 4

25 Days of Wellness - Day 4

It's a new day! Time for something different. This is a total body work-out. Find a toddler. Tail them for a bit. That will get the heart and muscles going. If one is not available, try a pigeon or a duck. If none of those are available, take a walk around your office area, living room, or the block, weather permitting. At the very least, the "up, down, touch the ground" Winnie-the-Pooh demonstrated make for some good wiggling.

Merry Christmas!

25 Days of Wellness - Day 3

How's the month? The link below totally changed my perspective on some things, like what I wrote the past two days and how to do more functional exercises. No, I'm not compensated for linking to it and the suggested exercises probably won't work at your desk or in line at the store, but it gives some good food for thought!

http://www.acefitness.org/blog/5151/top-exercises-for-pain-free-knees/

Merry Christmas!

25 Days of Wellness - Day 2

Any soreness from yesterday? While it was not the most difficult exercise, I had a 25 pound weight sitting on my toes some of the time. On to today:

Weak in the knees

This one is fairly easy to do, but after seeing patients of degenerative diseases struggle, might as well keep up what you have. Me too, of course.

Use a chair or wall for support, if needed. Bend at the knee until the calf is parallel with the floor and return. This focuses on the knee joint, so no other joints should move. Add a little more challenge by adding weights to the ankles or don't use support in order to challenge your balance. Then try it with your eyes closed while the other leg is on tip toe. Maybe that's a stretch. Do this enough times at a slow and even rate on each leg to feel like you've done something.


If you want to make things really fun, add yesterday's exercise too.
Day 1

25 Days of Wellness, Day 1

Merry Christmas, World!

During that time of year when every day is packed with music, gifts, food, and little time in between, it's easy to push fitness time aside. Every day until Christmas, I plan to post little exercises to fit in the day. These exercises are meant to be done for a minute or two when you need a break from your desk, the kitchen, the line at the store, or anywhere else. The body is such a great gift! Follow along, if you like!

(I probably will steal ideas from other sources. If there are links to other sites, I'm not receiving any compensation from it. Thought you should know.)

Let's start from the bottom and work our way up. How are those ankles feeling? Try a few calf raises by lifting up onto the toes and lowering down again at a slow rate. Exhale as you go up and inhale coming down. This can be done on both legs or one at a time. Feel free to use a chair or the wall for support. To add even more interest, roll back onto the heel and lift the toes after coming down each time. Keep the knees straight and avoid rotating the feet.

Enjoy this little gift to the ankles today!