The Active April Challenge

It's 6:00 PM, my husband and I have just finished dinner and we start talking about our plans for the evening. "What do you want to do?" "I dunno, what do you want to do?" is our usual conversation. We end up taking so long to decide, that we just settle for watching some television or a movie. 

Sound familiar? Whether it's when the day is over or during the weekends, this is a regular occurrence at my house.  Don't get me wrong, I love a good movie - and I will binge watch a television show as well as anyone I know - but when the day is over and I am heading to bed, I like to know that I'm living an active lifestyle.

What do I mean by active lifestyle?
Well, let me tell you what I DON'T mean. I don't just mean exercise (in my book, exercise is defined as a regular, planned-out event that is done in order to improve or maintain an aspect of physical fitness). Exercising is important, and essential to heath, but it is a relatively short amount of time. A 30 minute session of yoga or a 5-mile run doesn't really encompass an entire lifestyle. It's still beneficial, but not what I am talking about.

Living an active lifestyle means that you are NOT sedentary - that throughout your day, and during your recreational time, you make it a point to move. To me, an active lifestyle is moving well and moving often.

Easier said than done, right? Well I am right there with you. After a long day of work, or when I finally get to the weekend, all I want to do is to reacquaint myself with my couch, grab a bowl of popcorn, and forget my worries by watching someone else's on my T.V.  It's so easy to procrastinate and justify our couch-potato mentality. Well, I've decided to make a change, and I want to invite all of you - whoever you are - to make the change with me.

Welcome to The Active April Challenge. 

The Purpose: To begin working towards an active lifestyle by first moving well, then moving often.

• Physical activity can help improve mood, family relations, outlook on life, sleeping patterns, self-image, and physical appearance, just to name a few. 

The Rules: During the month of April, try to do at least one active event EVERY SINGLE DAY following the guidelines below:

• Try to plan ahead if you find that, like me, you tend to take too long deciding what to do. 
• Look ahead for weather and upcoming events and plan accordingly.
• Mix things up and try new activities each week, you might just find a new favorite hobby.
• Invite others to join you in your challenge, especially your immediate family members and close friends.
• The activity does not have to make you sweat - it can, it just doesn't have to.
• The main idea is to do something that gets you off your tooshie and awakens your muscles. 
• There is no specific time requirement on said activity as long as you are pushing yourself to do more than you would normally do.
• For some this will mean 5 minutes, others 1 hour, some an entire day at times. Basically, find what fits your individual circumstance and make it work.
• The activity can take place indoors or outside.
• Take a picture of your event and post to your social media of choice and/or my Facebook page to get others excited and to find support.
• I will update my Facebook page and Instagram (@food4life_withnora) with my own daily activities - follow me for ideas and motivation.
• Have fun!

We all are in different situations and circumstances, so each version of the challenge will look different, but my hope is that this challenge will help push us to turn off the T.V., get off the couch, and enjoy the spring weather that April brings. So join with me in the Active April challenge and let's find joy in actively LIVING!