Posts Tagged ‘August’

Get In Shape Like A Schoolkid With September 2020’s Resolution!

September is the typical back-to-school month for most kids in the US — after a month or three of summer vacation, you are forced to be whipped back into shape. Your gym or P.E. teacher may start off slow, but you can bet things will be ramping up as the weeks go by to prepare you for the yearly fitness tests!

As we announced in our January Resolutions blog, we will be launching monthly Capture Streak Badges centered on a year of being active. Each month’s badge will be dedicated to practicing a different exercise. Similar to how our Super Streak badges operate, you will be awarded a badge if you capture at least one munzee* each day for the entire month. This month’s badge may be tricky to get, but we believe in you!

Each month’s badge will be themed around the particular resolution goal. For September, we’re heading back to basics with sit-ups! Once believed to be the key to getting a flat-stomach or 6-pack, current fitness knowledge has come to the consensus that sit-ups will not help you make significant progress towards either of those goals — rather, diet for the former and core exercises for the latter — but it’s still a good basic ab workout. It’s definitely one that all schoolkids are forced to endure, and whether you were a pro as a kid or struggled to work those muscles, it’s a good exercise to revisit. If you notice your sit-ups aren’t as good as they used to be, slowly increase your repetitions until they are — then, continue that rep count to maintain your strength, or keep increasing to surpass your younger self!

How can I make sure I’m doing sit-ups properly?

It’s not too difficult to get into the right position — everybody knows that they need to start lying on the ground with their knees bent and feet planted. Arms can be straight out like the badge image above, cradling your head, or crossed on your torso, so that you won’t be using them to push off the ground. The main thing to watch out for, according to PureGym.com, is that you should not rely on momentum to lift you either, as your abs won’t get any exercise. This means that you should do sit-ups at a slow, even pace — not like those minute tests you had to do in gym class! If you have a hard time keeping your feet planted you can ask a buddy to hold them in place, or just wedge your feet under the sofa. Just make sure not to use your leg muscles too much now that your feet are being held down!

Before you attempt any exercise, it’s always a good idea to consult your doctor**. Good luck and Munzee on!

* In order to encourage active gameplay we will not count Social Munzees for these capture streaks. If you know you’ll be in an area without munzees, plan ahead! 

** MUNZEE IS NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR ANY EXERCISE-RELATED INJURIES

Keep Cool with August 2020’s Resolution!

Around this time of year in the US, we usually can’t wait until Fall, as scorching temperatures have us wishing for cooler days. Unfortunately, it’s not quite time for Fall yet. But we can make things a bit more comfortable while exercising by preparing a comfortable environment! As we announced in our January Resolutions blog, we will be launching monthly Capture Streak Badges centered on a year of being active. Each month’s badge will be dedicated to practicing a different exercise. Similar to how our Super Streak badges operate, you will be awarded a badge if you capture at least one munzee* each day for the entire month. This month’s badge may be tricky to get, but we believe in you!

Each month’s badge will be themed around the particular resolution goal. For August we are featuring Aquatics! Aquatic exercises are often part of physical therapy programs for injured athletes, and are also a good choice for the elderly, as the water can greatly reduce the impact of exercises normally performed out of the water. According to this article from the American Sports College of Medicine, another benefit to aquatic exercise is that coaches or trainers can more easily see problems with a person’s movements — and thus determine if there are weaknesses that need to be addressed — by having that person perform a movement pattern in the water. This is likely due to the water forcing the body to move a much slower rate.

What are some great aquatic exercises to try?

The same article by the ACSM extols the value of aquatic exercise for ALL, not just the injured and elderly, so it’s worth it to give Aquatics a try! If you’re not sure where to start, here are our favorite suggestions from that article:

• Punch – “For the upper cut, the hand starts from behind the hip and punches to the surface of the water with a torso rotation; the straight shot has the hand begin just beside your chest and drives directly out in front of you, under the water.”
• High Knee – “Like playing hacky sack under water; knees driving up towards your chest, legs moving hard down towards the bottom of the pool and slightly below/behind you.”
• Cross Country – “Move your legs in long strides like running, yet straighter but without locking your knees (this increases your hip ROM) with an opposite arm to leg motion.”

We think you could even put these together into a routine that feels like a fight scene from an action movie in a pool! What other exercises would be fun to do in the water? We’re sure there’s more than just ballet and volleyball!

Before you attempt any exercise, it’s always a good idea to consult your doctor**. Good luck and Munzee on!

* In order to encourage active gameplay we will not count Social Munzees for these capture streaks. If you know you’ll be in an area without munzees, plan ahead! 

** MUNZEE IS NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR ANY EXERCISE-RELATED INJURIES