B is for Boredom Busters

Being bored while working out is nothing new, but with the COVID-19 pandemic in full swing around the world, it's likely that you're finding yourself even more bored than usual because of the restrictions you're living under.  So how to combat that?  Let's see if I can help.

Gym closed?  

• You can still get out and walk or run (in most areas), as long as you follow your required social distancing protocols.  

• You can modify your gym routine at home, even without expensive equipment (things like resistance bands, medicine balls, hand weights, jump rope, and of course the devil's sidewalk - the dreadmill).  I've shared some tips on this post of things you might have around the house to use as weights.  Get creative!

Monotony of the treadmill make you nuts?

• Watch TV.  I have my treadmill set up in the garage, and put a TV out there to keep me from going crazy.  I have a Roku device as well as a Hulu subscription, so there's always something to watch, even if I don't have that TV hooked up to cable.  Isn't streaming TV one of the greatest inventions ever?  

• Podcasts are my new friend, and they can be yours too.  I've looked at several different podcast services and the one I found the easiest to maneuver around is Stitcher.  You can search for topics you like and save them as favorites, and never run out of things to listen to.  I listen more when I'm walking/running outside than I do on the treadmill, but if you don't have access to a TV where your treadmill is, it's a great option.

• Listen to audio books.  Reading while on the treadmill can be a bit difficult (although I've done it!), so audio books offer a good alternative that is less likely to trip you up.  There are a number of different apps/subscriptions you can access, and your local library might even offer a good selection for you to take advantage of.  Let your mind wander with a timeless classic, or learn a new language.  The options are limitless.

Same scenery too boring?

• If walking around your neighborhood has become mundane, research what trails you can find within a short drive, or venture further out and make a day of it.  Pack a picnic lunch and tailgate if parks are closed.  Again, be sure to stay within the restrictions imposed in your area.

• It's not always about training for a race or competition, so include the family more often.  Kids can ride their bikes if you're running, or just take a family walk instead.  Make a list of appropriate things you might find where you're walking and have a scavenger hunt.  Bring chalk and leave your mark and share good tidings and encouragement to others who might come along after you.  Even better, make a hopscotch diagram to encourage others to get moving too.

Restrictions suck, but don't use the Corona virus pandemic as an excuse to be lazy.  Being active is even more important for your mental health now.  Get up and get moving!

~ Marie Anne

A is for Achievements, and Achievement!

A large part of today's population has jumped on the fitness-tracker craze in attempt to get healthier, and it seems everyone has something strapped to their wrist that tracks their steps, among other things. Striving to achieve that step goal every day is getting people off the couch and more conscious of how increased activity can have many benefits - weight loss, lowering cholesterol, managing diabetes and high blood pressure among them.  For me, the biggest benefit to walking and running is mental health.

Do you have a Fitbit, Garmin, or other tracking device that counts your daily steps?  Apps like MapMyRun/Walk/Fitness?  MyFitnessPal?  Strava?  Did you know that you can get paid to use them? 

I've been a member of Achievement for a couple of years and have cashed out several times.  It's a no-brainer.  You simply sign up, choose which step tracker you want it to grab data from, and the system does the rest.  You don't have to log in every day to do anything at all, you just sign up and forget about it (unless you want to check your points occasionally, and then of course you have to request to cash out when you have earned enough points to do so).

You get points for your daily steps, and additional points for tracking your exercise.  You even get points if you weigh yourself.  Have you ever been paid to sleep?  If your Fitbit or other device tracks it, you get points for sleeping too!

Achievement isn't going to make you rich.  Even as active as I am, it takes me several months to cash out $10, but it's basically free money.  You honestly don't have to do another thing once you've added your tracking device to sync with Achievement.

Click on any of the links above to get 100 points just for signing up today (I'll get 100 point bonus too), and let me know if you need help setting up your account. 

You're tracking your steps every day anyway; why not let someone hand you some cash to do it?

~ Marie Anne

Knowing When to Give Up

I signed up for the A-Z Blogging Challenge this year with one blog -- this one -- but for all the wrong reasons.  I wanted to be able to say I did it.

While it might be enough for some, I had to stop and analyze whether the effort to blog every day was going to be worth it to me and have decided that it's not. I have several blogs, and even though I did the challenge once with four of them, it didn't do much for me except allow me to display a badge on the sidebar.

Maintaining a successful blog takes time and effort, and doesn't happen overnight.  One of the biggest challenges most bloggers face is to post consistently, and the A-Z challenge can certainly help you build good habits in that regard, but that doesn't work for everyone.  I've never been consistent enough with my blogging to make any money at it, and earning a buck is my goal, not a badge.

I write articles for pay and have a hard enough time focusing on the things that bring revenue, and blogging in the A-Z challenge every day is going to take away from that.  I know my limitations, and also know that if I take on the challenge, I'll want to complete it.  I can't afford to do that.

What I AM doing is a little different spin on the original AtoZ Challenge.  I'm going to write and publish an article every day that corresponds to the letter of the day in the original challenge.  It might be for one of my columns on Examiner (Dogs, Crafts, TV, or Christian Entertainment),  or YCN (about anything at all).  I won't get a shiny badge, but I will earn money, and of course have the satisfaction of completing a goal that makes more sense for me to strive for.

So I'm not dropping out of the big picture of the challenge entirely, but I am taking this blog out of the running in the original AtoZ Challenge and not going to feel guilty about it.   I'm not quitting, I'm readjusting. There's no shame in reevaluating goals to fit what's best for you.

~ Marie Anne

Are You Up to the Challenge?

I am.  Or at least I hope I am.

Photo by HelloStanley

The first time I did the AtoZ Blogging Challenge, I did if with four blogs.  It was a LOT of work, but I made it all the way through. Knowing I'd done it once and proved myself, I had no desire to do that many again, but this year I decided to tackle it with my newest blog ... this one.

Yes, MA and "Gettin' Fit in My Fifties" have jumped on the AtoZ challenge, which means that I'll be posting every day in April (except Sunday), and the daily post will be about a topic that begins with the letter of the day, starting on Monday, April 1 with the letter A.

I'm sure there will be some days where I won't have time for a post with any real meaning and will just throw something meaningless out there just to meet the goal, but I hope to expand the breadth of this blog by sharing not only my day to day chatter about my own goals,  but how to become and stay fit when dealing with health issues and other challenges that face us as we age.

If you're interested in taking up the challenge, click on the AtoZ logo in the right sidebar to sign up.  Then hold on, because you're in for a wild ride!

~  Marie Anne