Make the Most of the 3-Day Social Stars

If you haven’t joined our 3-Day Social Stars yet, we are here to make your decision a lot easier! The Social Stars are our social community’s family who share, chat with us, and qualify to earn amazing prizes to boot! Whether you’re new to the online scene, or are a social media maven, it’s easy to become a Social Star and make the most of all the 3-Day platforms.

Just how can you earn points and start working your way to prizes? It’s simple!

Register for the 3-Day

This one is a no brainer, and just visiting The3Day.org gets you 10 points per day. If you then also visit the Registration page, you can earn another 10 points per day, and get started on your 2017 3-Day journey! If you haven’t signed up yet, now is the time! We are less than two months away from our first 3-Day of this year, so it’s the perfect time to get your training and fundraising going. Check out our 3-Day blog for helpful tips and inspiring stories too, because you can earn 10 points for each daily visit.

Link all your social platforms

Whenever you sign up, you will have to link either your Twitter or Facebook, so it’s easier for you to chat and share with us throughout your 3-Day journey. However, for every extra social media account you link, including Instagram, you can earn 50 points.

Share with your followers (and with us!)

Once you’re connected, we hope you will share your 3-Day love! By using the hashtags #3DaySocialStars #SocialStars and #Sponsored we will be able to track and re-share all your tweets, posts, photos and more. We love seeing your training routes, fundraising goals and more! Each time you share, you can earn a variety of different point amounts.

Set up automatic posting

If you don’t do a ton of posting on your own, we still have you covered! We will be creating weekly posts about fun topics like our 20-Mile walk, registration promotions and more. You can receive these posts via emails, and share them with the click of a button. Or, when you sign up, set your account to automatically share these posts onto your Twitter feed. No fuss, no muss, all the points.

Enter our Picture Challenge

One of our favorite parts of the social media world is getting to see all your pretty faces! If you use the hashtags we listed above in your Instagram posts, we have a special monthly prize for our top photo.

Follow us to see if you’ve won!

Make sure to follow us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter, where we will be announcing the winners (with their permission) each month. The point tally starts anew after each winner is chosen, so you have plenty of opportunities to get your 3-Day swag on.

If you haven’t joined the 3-Day Social Stars yet, there’s still time! We will be picking new winners each month, so sign up now and start earning points!

Meet Ian Glenn, Twin Cities Route Safety Captain

All photos via Ian Glenn

With Father’s Day coming up this weekend, we wanted to make sure to recognize all the men, whether they are fathers or not, who make up our 3-Day family. One such amazing guy is Ian Glenn, Twin Cities Route Safety Captain, husband, father and all-around super 3-Dayer.

When Ian began dating his now-wife Missy in 2005, she was already a 3-Day walker, and she brought him into the 3-Day family. Year by year, Ian became even more involved.

“After a few years of being the Day 1 chauffeur, I joked with Missy that the only way I’d seriously consider participating was if I could ride my motorcycle on the event as a crew member. She didn’t miss a beat when she told me that the safety crew had bicycles and motorcycles on it. I knew that she was always excited leading up to the event, and had nothing but good things to say about it after, so I had no choice but to try to get on the route safety crew.”

After Ian joined the safety crew, the whole family started getting involved, beginning with their oldest son Gaven and now including their daughter Alex, both of whom are in the Youth Corps.

“I think it’s fantastic that the event is accessible to all ages, and we can include our kids in something that is bigger than us, and bigger than our family. It has been a good lesson for them that working for the greater good, and giving of themselves in service to others, is incredibly rewarding. I think too, that it has gone a long way for us to have something shared amongst our family, something that will continue to bring us together year after year, no matter how old the kids get.”

Whether they are walking or volunteering or crewing, Ian and his family know the true value of the 3-Day crew, and want others to join them this year!

“As a longtime crew member, I can say that volunteering your time on the crew is vital to the success and atmosphere of the event. Having crew members smiling, and cheering, and being there to support the walkers when they’re tired, and their feet hurt, and they’re hot, it just makes their day. We’re there to support the walkers on their journey and let them know that they’re appreciated, and we support what they’re doing. The can-do attitude of the crew makes the hard work not so hard, and even fun.”

If you want to walk those 60 miles though, the Glenn family won’t be the only ones cheering you on. Ian says that no one should be nervous about starting their 3-Day walking journey.

“I think making the leap as a walker is scary, but incredibly rewarding. There are lots of resources in your participant center on training, and packing, and general help. If you reach out on social media, you won’t find a more caring, supportive group of people to meet and go on training walks, or fundraising tips, or even shoe recommendations.”

That support and community have extended beyond the online community and into their lives.

“Many of our longtime friends we’ve met on the 3-Day and continue to have contact with them all the time. It’s a physical and mental challenge, there’s no doubt, but with the right support, a new walker can do it, and have a great time too.”

It’s more than just fun and family for Ian. Though his three days and many miles of service are an investment, he does them gladly, to make a difference for his family and beyond.

“It’s a satisfied feeling that is hard to put into words. After the long weekend, and the work is over, I find myself renewed every year, and I am reminded that despite everything that is going on in the world, there are lots of great people who care about big causes, and have committed to support them any way they can.

The walkers and other crew give me way more every year than I feel I give back, but I think the feeling is mutual, and that’s why I keep coming back.”

Don’t count the Glenn family out of their involvement anytime soon either! There are more Glenns to come as 3-Day volunteers and walkers.

“Our almost 9-year-old is practically counting the days until he can apply for Youth Corps. It’s rewarding to see that enthusiasm from all our kids for something that doesn’t directly benefit them.”

Fit a Workout into Your Busy Day

Photo via Autumn Goodman

We are all busy people, thanks to work, side hustles, family and even a little fun now and then! However, if you’re going to join us on the 3-Day, you need to train in order to walk those 60 miles. If you have a busy schedule ahead, use some of these tips to squeeze in a workout whenever you have a few spare minutes.

Every minute, every step, and every dollar counts in the fight against breast cancer. So, every training you do for the 3-Day will make a huge difference! Walk on!

Photo via Drazen Biljak

Start your day off right!

If you have trouble getting up early for a walk, wear your workout clothes to bed and get your sweat on as soon as you wake up. This also gives you an extra five minutes of sleep in the morning.
If you don’t have time for a full training walk, do 10 push-ups every morning as soon as you wake up. Or choose jumping-jacks, running in place or crunches! This is a small enough commitment for each day, but still a regular enough activity to make a difference. Over time, you can add more reps or more time.
Do squats while you brush your teeth or your hair.
While you’re doing your makeup, skin care regime or other morning bathroom routine, pause between each step and do a few repetitions of some dumbbell exercises. You can even keep a set of free weights in your bathroom so you don’t forget.

Photo via Damian Zaleski

Make the office your gym

Start your day by sitting on astability ball instead of your usual desk chair to strengthen your core. You don’t have to sit on it all day, but even a few hours will make a difference!
Keepdumbbells by your desk so you can squeeze in 12 to 15 reps of exercises like dumbbell curls and overhead presses throughout the day. You might just inspire your co-workers to do the same!
If you eat out on your lunch hour, or usually grab a mid-afternoon coffee, walk to the restaurant on a route that takes you a little bit out of your way.

Photo via Bench Accounting

Do your own filing, copying, package pick-up or coffee-grabbing. Having an assistant or helpful co-workers is great, but they secretly derive the physical benefit of doing your busy work while you spend more time sitting still. Take any chance you can to get up and move from your desk!
Take calls standing up! If you spend a lot of time on the phone at work, use that time to get up and stretch your legs, or do some squats and lunges.

Photo via Brooke Cagle

Get moving in the evening

If you have children who have a practice or lesson, walk around the block or the practice field during their appointment. You’ll save time driving to and from to pick them up, and get extra steps in at the same time.
If you must run errands like grocery shopping, you can still do lunges, toe raises, and squats at the checkout line. People might look at you like you’re silly, but who cares?
Dance like crazy! Loosen up after a long day at work by giving yourself 10 minutes of dance time when you get home. Grab the family, or your roommates, and put on your favorite tunes.
Cooking dinner? Do standing push-ups while you wait for a pot to boil or the oven to preheat. Stand about an arm’s length from the kitchen counter, and push your arms against the counter. Push in and out to get toned arms and shoulders.
Or, get out of the house and go on a fitness date! Set up a workout date with your significant other or invite your friends to try a new workout instead of hitting happy hour.
If you are catching up on your favorite shows, during commercials, jog in place or do jumping jacks. Make some space between the couch and the TV so you don’t miss anything while breaking a sweat.