Archive for Daily Goals
Cool off with a Slip and Slide
Posted by: | Comments
I don’t know about where you are, but in Connecticut it has been very hot and humid all week. Try and cool off today by taking a few runs down a slip and slide. You may remember such an activity from your childhood. It was often store bought and may have ended with a small pool or an inflatable alligator head to cruise into. Those were always fun, but the biggest downside to them was how short they were. If you found one that was longer than 20 feet, then you my friend were the king of the neighborhood.
On the flip side you could very easily find a hill and buy a 100 foot roll of plastic from your local hardware store. Add water and presto, you will be sliding in no time. I have done this in the past and have some recommendations for improved fun and safety:
- Always make sure to check for rocks before laying down the plastic, they hurt.
- Be weary of stakes holding it down, they hurt more than rocks.
- Adding a padded surface under the plastic at the top of the run will greatly cushion the impact of the take off, unless of course you dive completely over it.
- Baby shampoo provides extra speed to your runs. Coat the plastic first and yourself as well for added speed. Make sure you buy the ‘No More Tears’ variety of shampoo. You will thank me for that later.
I leave you with some final videos of things I would not recommend building for your slip and slide…
Workout Wednesday: Row 500 Meters
Posted by: | Comments
Today, go and get some cardio by giving rowing a chance. You don’t necessarily need a boat to do this. Many gyms these days have rowing machines similar to the one above. In fact, you may find a pretty decent model for your home for a surprisingly low cost.
Many people are unaware of the benefits rowing can bring. Just to name a few:
- Rowing machines work every major muscle group
- They use a very fluid motion and are therefore very low impact on your joints
- Since it is an aerobic activity, it can very effectively work the heart and lungs
- It’s another way to stay healthy while having fun
There are many options when it comes for the duration of your row. I suggest giving 500 meters a try first. As you begin to develop as a rower you could go for a set time, a set distance or mix in an interval set. You have the flexability to change it up and keep it interesting.
That’s it for today. Ready, Set, Row!
Try It Tuesday: Learn the Thriller Dance
Posted by: | CommentsThis may surprise some of you, but a few weeks ago a well named star named Michael Jackson passed. If this happens to be the first you have heard of it, my job is complete and I have notified the last person on the planet that was not aware. I decided to pass on doing any kind of tribute at that time as that’s what all the cool kids were doing. I figured what better time to beat a dead horse than just far enough away that you may have actually had a change to almost forget about it.
So your Goal For Today, if you choose to accept it, is to try out the Thriller dance in MJ’s honor. Here’s a video on how to do it if you need instruction:
And for those of you that are already familiar with the dance, why don’t you grab 1500 of your closest inmate friends and give this one a shot (You didn’t actually think I would actually write a post about Thriller without putting this video in somewhere did you?)
Media Monday: Remove a scratch from a DVD
Posted by: | CommentsEveryone has at least one. You know what I’m talking about. That CD or DVD to lent out to a friend and it looks like they dragged it for a few laps over a crushed stone walkway. Today’s goal provides a remedy to this situation. Hopefully you will find this video from Household Hacker as useful as I have.
Note: Starting this week, I have decided to rename Movie Monday into Media Monday. This will allow me to expand the topic past movies into music, television, video games and other types of media.
Workout Wednesday: Run or walk a mile
Posted by: | CommentsI have decided going forward that every Wednesday on Goal For Today, I am going to provide goals related to fitness. This being the first of many to come, I have kept it to the pretty simple task of running or walking a mile.
Many people underestimate the value of running. Whether your goal is to lose weight, improve your cardiovascular health or slow the effects of aging, running can help. For more information on the benefits of running, check out this article from the Runner’s Guide.
So today start that running journey. Find a track, a piece of road or nice open field and give it a go.
