Challenges, Week 2, 4/13/14-4/19/14

Quasita

Hey Everyone!

How'd week 1 go? How about them 7 minutes? I was happy and proud to see a couple of you actually make the entry on your exercise logs!

With taxes coming due, it's led me to think about the variety of ways we can save money, both throughout the year and at tax time. Since healthcare is such a hot topic, I don't want to incite any debates here... But I do want to encourage all your RAWR members to look into things that are available for you.
Did you know that many employers have arrangements with fitness facilities, so to provide their employees access to discounted rates? In turn, participating in fitness programs and routinely going to the gym can lend itself to discounts to health premiums, not to mention a healthier body and (hopefully) fewer trips to the doctor, fewer prescriptions and other medical expenses.
These types of discounts are not only available to employees. Some facilities, such as the YMCA, provide reduced costs to members with disabilities, low income families, and more. If you have a chronic condition like myself, you can even gain access to working out in a rehabilitation facility. Rehab facility may make you think "But I'm not injured!" However, most just ask that your attendance and need for assistance is deemed medically advisable (this is often qualified for obesity, as well as other things like post-injury pain, arthritis, chronic illness, diabetes, etc.) You may be able to have you gym membership covered by your medical insurance in this case!

This being said, the first challenge this week is for everyone to take some time and explore program options and facility availability in your area. Yes, I know that not everyone is ready for this, or even really wants these things, but in light of how much money we spend to do accomplish our fitness goals, it definitely doesn't hurt to know what your options are. Even if you're not ready or you can't afford it, knowing what programs you can possibly tap into can give you a new goal to achieve.

Second challenge is going to be a move the frustration challenge. Stress is a part of our daily lives and can be overwhelming. Often, it will trigger us to choose poor habits as a means of comfort. Make the promise to yourself that you will start the habit of facing frustration/stress with body movement rather than things like turning to food or alcohol.

That's it for now. There will be a mid-week prompt as well. Of course, you can make challenges for yourself as well. So, what are your goals for this week? What are you hoping to accomplish?

April is halfway over, and I hope you all are happily and successfully participating in your month competition!!

deksgrl

Loved week 1!! It really helped get me back on track after stagnating for a couple of months. I feel great and have also added some vitamins into my daily routine that have really made me feel better as well. I was attributing fatigue to other known issues, but a few days of Vit. D and B complex have really helped me. I didn't specifically do the 7 minute challenge every day, but just having it in mind I think has helped me increase daily activity. For example, I used to try to consolidate all my trips to the other side of the building at work so I would just have to go once, I'd wait until later in the day until I had all the stuff I needed to take there. But this past week I was going as needed, so it may have been 2 or 3 or 4 trips instead. I didn't time them but I suppose some of that added up to 7 min.

cmbrown32

I have it on my agenda to look into joining the YMCA to do the water aerobic classes. Thanks for the idea of using a rehab facility. How do you go about doing that? I have chronic health conditions which should allow me to do this but is there a cost or how do you get your insurance to pay for it?

Thanks.

Cynthia

Quasita

I have it on my agenda to look into joining the YMCA to do the water aerobic classes. Thanks for the idea of using a rehab facility. How do you go about doing that? I have chronic health conditions which should allow me to do this but is there a cost or how do you get your insurance to pay for it?

Thanks.

Cynthia

Hey! I personally utilize the rehab pool of a local hospital. They actually offer the classes to the public, and admittedly, most of the students in the lower fitness levels are elderly, but there are definitely benefits to doing it in a rehab pool as opposed to the Y. One of the big things being that the water is usually WARM. It feels amazing!

I had never thought of it either until an old coworker of mine suggested it. All I had to do was call the facility, and they emailed me the forms I needed to get their physician discount. If you have insurance, I'd call and see if they cover aquatic therapy. If they don't though, call the facility anyway. My place costs about $30 a month and you can take a class every day. It's pretty awesome

btsinmd

I've been enjoying the offerings at my work since January. Unfortunately there's nothing available to me right now. There was a Fit & Tone class every Monday at noon starting in mid-January. It went for 8 weeks. Then there was a 4 week, twice a week, RunSmart class that I LOVED, but it ended last week. Right now, the only offering is a 1.1 mile group walk during lunch on Tuesdays. I'm eagerly looking forward to what they will offer in May.

This week I'm definitely going to make a point of doing some exercise whenever I get stressed or frustrated!

deksgrl

My employer offers a lot in the way of health and fitness. The problem is, it is inconvenient in times and locations and parking, etc. I am most interested in lifting weights, but I like doing that in the privacy of my own home instead of going to a gym. In addition to feeling awkward (which might or might not pass after awhile), it doesn't seem like it would be time effective to have to be waiting for other people to use equipment in addition to the additional time it would take getting there. They also offer all kinds of classes like Zumba and Yoga, etc, but they fill up ridiculously fast (large employer) and the times don't work with my schedule either. As long as I can keep making progress working out on my own, I will keep doing that. It would be something to reconsider though if I came to a place where I needed to do something different.

Quasita

My employer offers a lot in the way of health and fitness. The problem is, it is inconvenient in times and locations and parking, etc. I am most interested in lifting weights, but I like doing that in the privacy of my own home instead of going to a gym. In addition to feeling awkward (which might or might not pass after awhile), it doesn't seem like it would be time effective to have to be waiting for other people to use equipment in addition to the additional time it would take getting there. They also offer all kinds of classes like Zumba and Yoga, etc, but they fill up ridiculously fast (large employer) and the times don't work with my schedule either. As long as I can keep making progress working out on my own, I will keep doing that. It would be something to reconsider though if I came to a place where I needed to do something different.

That's great that you have a routine for yourself at home. I just wanted to encourage people to look at their employee benefits programs, because many do not, and they are missing out on some great possibilities. For example, my old employer, they had an on-site gym and fitness classes, but they also sponsored a discount at the YMCA, as well as discounts on equipment/apparel from a variety of retailers online.