The Fun Project: Easy Ways to Change Lives
By: Stepfanie Romine,
SparkPeople Blogger
2/1/2011 6:02 PM
: 106 comments
: 12,644 Views
Being healthy isn't just about the end result or the big picture. It's about every decision we make in life, every day, all day.
Doughnut or oatmeal?
Happy hour or Spinning class?
Hit the sack or watch TV?
Making small, smart decisions daily--and building on them--is one of the backbones of the SparkPeople philosophy. Our successful members know that the choices they make everywhere--not just at the drive-thru, the dinner table, and the gym--all have an influence on their overall health and well-being. It isn't just at mealtimes and during workouts when we're faced with healthy decisions.
Those decisions don't have to be boring or tedious; quite often, being healthy and improving your life can fun as well. That's what The Fun Project, a site sponsored by Volkswagen is counting on. They say:
"This site is dedicated to the thought that something as simple as fun is the easiest way to change people’s behaviour for the better. Be it for yourself, for the environment, or for something entirely different, the only thing that matters is that it’s change for the better."
Becky, our head dietitian, sent this video to the entire SparkPeople team over the weekend. We wanted to share it with you:
The idea: More people will take the stairs if you make it fun. Do you agree?
I am one who always takes the stairs, especially when I travel and might not have much time to work out during my trip. On Sunday, en route from New York to Ohio via Detroit, I skipped the moving sidewalks and sky tram in Detroit and the escalators at La Guardia so I could get my heart pumping a bit. I am fit and healthy, thus capable of climbing stairs; I try to squeeze in fitness throughout my day; and I don't like standing still!
I really dislike standing on escalators, moving sidewalks, etc., even if I'm carrying heavy luggage. (I consider hauling luggage to be a bonus workout!) Last week, my friend and I stayed on the sixth floor of a guest house in the East Village. We sprinted the stairs every time we returned to our suite to get in some anaerobic fitness minutes! I wouldn't call that "fun" but boy did it give our legs a workout!
Being stationary for no good reason feels like such a waste of time. If you are able to move your legs, why don't you? Standing on an escalator is a serious test of my patience, and I usually smile and politely ask to pass people who are standing--and they usually start walking themselves!
I'm sure some of you would argue that people movers allow you to take pause and enjoy a moment of rest.
Are you one who takes the stairs, or do you prefer people movers?
Doughnut or oatmeal?
Happy hour or Spinning class?
Hit the sack or watch TV?
Making small, smart decisions daily--and building on them--is one of the backbones of the SparkPeople philosophy. Our successful members know that the choices they make everywhere--not just at the drive-thru, the dinner table, and the gym--all have an influence on their overall health and well-being. It isn't just at mealtimes and during workouts when we're faced with healthy decisions.
Those decisions don't have to be boring or tedious; quite often, being healthy and improving your life can fun as well. That's what The Fun Project, a site sponsored by Volkswagen is counting on. They say:
"This site is dedicated to the thought that something as simple as fun is the easiest way to change people’s behaviour for the better. Be it for yourself, for the environment, or for something entirely different, the only thing that matters is that it’s change for the better."
Becky, our head dietitian, sent this video to the entire SparkPeople team over the weekend. We wanted to share it with you:
The idea: More people will take the stairs if you make it fun. Do you agree?
I am one who always takes the stairs, especially when I travel and might not have much time to work out during my trip. On Sunday, en route from New York to Ohio via Detroit, I skipped the moving sidewalks and sky tram in Detroit and the escalators at La Guardia so I could get my heart pumping a bit. I am fit and healthy, thus capable of climbing stairs; I try to squeeze in fitness throughout my day; and I don't like standing still!
I really dislike standing on escalators, moving sidewalks, etc., even if I'm carrying heavy luggage. (I consider hauling luggage to be a bonus workout!) Last week, my friend and I stayed on the sixth floor of a guest house in the East Village. We sprinted the stairs every time we returned to our suite to get in some anaerobic fitness minutes! I wouldn't call that "fun" but boy did it give our legs a workout!
Being stationary for no good reason feels like such a waste of time. If you are able to move your legs, why don't you? Standing on an escalator is a serious test of my patience, and I usually smile and politely ask to pass people who are standing--and they usually start walking themselves!
I'm sure some of you would argue that people movers allow you to take pause and enjoy a moment of rest.
Are you one who takes the stairs, or do you prefer people movers?
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Comments
I generally take the stairs, but not always. sometimes, I'm lazy or in hurry or just do it out of habit. - 2/5/2011 1:45:59 AM
It is amazing how doing something so small would make people change the route they took, maybe these people are unto something?
I take stairs when I don't have to go out of my way to find them, otherwise I will take the elevator. - 2/3/2011 7:23:19 PM
Great to read so many of you take the stairs! I'm very guilty of taking the easy route when available. It's kind of mindless. I promise to make more of an effort to use the stairs. It's such a no-brainer! I'd love to play for awhile on these ones!
Hugs,
Jo - 2/3/2011 7:16:43 PM
I've never needed external motivation to take stairs. I always feel better in motion. - 2/3/2011 9:44:02 AM
When I first lost weight I thought I had to take every healthy opportunity, but taking that particular healthy opportunity was making me miserable. I carry a lot of gear (my workout bag included!) and it was hurting my back, my eyelashes would frost over and stick together, I wouldn't be able to carry a coffee too, I was always paranoid about slipping on the ice and on and on and on. It sounds very whiny, but it just made me too cranky at 7:45am. Sometimes I'll walk back to my car after work in the winter and in the summer I'll walk both ways. I take stairs and walk other places, but that part of my morning commute I finally decided I would rather be a slacker and sit quietly on a warm, safe bus for a couple minutes collecting my thoughts for the day. - 2/2/2011 11:55:12 PM
I live on the 6th floor and my classes are on the 2nd and I always take the stairs (except when I have my "baby stroller" full of laundry/groceries/misc items, although that is maybe once a month at most) - 2/2/2011 5:54:22 PM
I also think stairs are faster. - 2/2/2011 4:17:55 PM
I would love to play on those stairs though! What a riot! - 2/2/2011 2:02:36 PM
although those piano steps do look fun and i think it would make me take the stairs more often:)
- 2/2/2011 1:10:14 PM
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