The World According to Tim: May Challenge – 30 on 30 of 30 for 30! (30 Minutes of Exercise on 30 Days of the Month with 30 Different Activities for 30 Years of Cancer Survivorship)!
As some of our readers may recall from last May, to commemorate my 29-year “Cancer-versary”, I set a goal of exercising 29-minutes or more on 29 days of the month with 29 different activities for 29 years of survivorship! It was an interesting and enjoyable challenge! It forced me to look for new ways to move my and and ways I typically don’t move!
Here are a few comments taken from that summary of that challenge (which can be found here: https://scccf.org/post?s=the-world-according-to-tim-update-29-days-of-29-minutes-or-more-of-29-different-activities-2021-06-30)
Jump Rope: I doubted I would be able to jump rope continuously for 29-minutes or more, so I found a video featuring the Jump Rope Dudes that combined jumping rope with various body weight exercises (jumping jacks, squats, burpees, push-ups, etc.). I have since ordered a weighted jump rope and may consider this as a future ST&BF activity!
Step Counting: On the day of SCCCF’s “Flowers for the Fund” Spring Flower Sale, I knew I would be at the clinic from sunrise to sunset and on my feet more than usual, with no time for a workout. So, I chose to wear a step-counter for the day and accumulated about 25,000 steps, consciously adding steps whenever possible.
Juggling: Yep! Juggling! Another evening I was feeling exhausted... so I thought juggling might be an easy activity. However, it was more strenuous than I had expected, especially considering all of the time I spent chasing the tennis balls I had dropped and constantly bending over to pick them up! One of the benefits of juggling is improved coordination which becomes more important as we age.
Skipping a Workout: On the day of one of our June visits to the Christopher Farm & Gardens I decided to “skip” my workout! In other words, I literally skipped for more than 29-minutes through the gardens (not continuously... but cumulatively). I did mention what I was doing to the survivors and co-survivors that attended (so they didn’t think I was losing my mind)... but I’m not sure what the CF&G staff thought as I skipped around the property!?! But we shouldn’t worry what other people think!
Kite Flying: With a few days left in the month, I (rather foolishly) took my new Prism Tantrum 220 two-line power kite out for the first time in 25-30 mph winds. It was a blast... and I don’t regret it... but it resulted in a calf injury that severely limited and hampered my activities over the final days. But, as they say, “Where there’s a will, there’s a way!” The last few days included a Surrey (4-wheel) bike ride with fellow survivor “Bob the Builder”, an “arms only” indoor rowing workout (that was much harder than I thought it would be), and I ended the month with a paddle down the Sheboygan River in my kayak!
Injury is always a risk of an active lifestyle, especially when you are trying something new and unfamiliar or when you want to push yourself. Care and caution are always encouraged, but measured risks are often necessary if we are to improve and succeed.
As I approach my 30th “Cancer-versary” this year, I plan to repeat the challenge, and I invite you to join me!
Either set a goal that coincides with the number of months or years of your survivorship... or simply see how many different activities you can participate in (for 30-minutes or more) throughout the month of May!
To record your activities, just use the ST&BF Active Survivors of Sheboygan (A.S.S.) Log Sheet for the month of May (attached) and submit it to me by June 15th. I’ve added a column in which you can place a “ü” for each different activity! Once you’ve filled out youre A.S.S. log for May... keep doing so in the months ahead and earn a spot on the A.S.S. Team (see detaild below)!
I hope to compile a list of the many activities that area cancer patients/surviovrs participate in throughout the month of May! I’ll be curious to see what some of the more common or popular activities are as well as what the more unique and unusual activities might be!