Celebrate National Selfie Day with Coach Jennifer

Did you know that today (June 21) is National Selfie Day? Considering it’s also the first day of summer, that means it’s the perfect time of year to head outside and take some fun, candid photos with your favorite people. We certainly hope that group includes some 3-Day pals!

Selfies are commonplace on the 3-Day. We use them to grab a team photo, capture the excitement of the Opening Ceremony, snap a candid moment along the route, show off the beauty of our host cities and as a way to remember a truly special weekend.

But do you have your selfie game up to snuff? If not, we’re here to help.

The best way to hold your phone for a horizontal selfie, in the opinion of all our 3-Day coaches, is to hold the phone with your pinkie on the bottom, your pointer finger on top, and the middle two fingers behind the phone for stability. If you position yourself on one of the edges of the selfie group (not in the middle), you’ll be able to capture tons of people or a cool background. Just click the shutter button with your thumb and…ta da! Perfect selfie!

If you really want to know what it takes to get the perfect 3-Day selfie though, ask Coach Jennifer from Michigan! She’s been a 3-Day walker as well as coach, and she always gets the best pictures on event.

Here are her top tips:

Always hold the camera up and look up into the camera for the most flattering selfie, or hold the camera slightly above your head, pointing down. Don’t take a selfie from below. No one wants purposeful double chins!

Try to take the selfie in shade – if that’s not possible, face into the sun to eliminate shadows.
Take off the sunglasses! (Even facing into the sun!)
Check your camera settings to see if there is a timer option. My Samsung phone has a timer feature that gives you about a 5 second countdown which makes it super easy to get a great selfie. Make sure you can see everyone in the photo before starting the timer.

Smile! Yes, a genuine smile. Forget the silly duck face, most people can’t pull this off anyway.
It doesn’t have to be perfect. Candid shots are sometimes some of the best pictures. ?
Use a filter to make it more fun.
Speaking of fun: Have fun with it! Some of my favorite selfies are the ones where there are a lot of friends trying to cram into the phone, laughing and simply having fun!

Need more inspiration? Here are some more great selfies from more of our 3-Day coaches!

Share your best 3-Day selfie with us in the comments! We love seeing your smiles!

Top 3-Day Training Songs, According to YOU!

Let’s get moving and grooving, 3-Dayers! Music is a large part of our 3-Day experience, from the inspiring tunes you walk out to after the Opening Ceremony, to a playlist of upbeat classics welcoming you to camp every night to our all-event dance party at the end of the Closing Ceremony. We love a good tune!

Music can be a great training partner, too. That’s why we tapped our 3-Day community for their favorite songs to walk to. Let these recommendations fuel your next training walk, or just get you dancing today!

Jen L. from Facebook loves “Cupid’s Shuffle, The Wobble, and We are Family” when she needs to get moving.

@HeflinBelinda from Twitter recommends Carrie Underwood’s “The Champion” and Rascal Flatts “Yours If You Want It.”

Karen S. prefers “Geronimo,” “Honey I’m Good,” “I Gotta Feeling,” and “Fire and Flood.” She says, “I would dance (as much as I dance) to any of these. ?”

Coach Liz trains to old time funky 70’s stuff or Motown!

Laura G. from Facebook likes happy tunes like “Walking on Sunshine” and “Wake Me Up Before You Go Go!”

Linda Z. fittingly says “I Would Walk 500 Miles” is one of her favorites, plus anything by Meghan Trainor!

Debbie S. says, “I don’t necessarily have favorite tunes, but I have an iPod with thousands of songs. Plus, singing and walking go hand in hand! I love 70’s music! But then again, I’m 61 years old so that makes sense! ?”

Coach Jennifer loves anything from the 80’s like anything from The Go Gos, “Girls Just Wanna Have Fun” and “I Got You” by Split Enz

What are your favorite training songs? Tell us in the comments!

Also, be sure to follow along with the 3-Day on Spotify! We have playlists from our walks, plus walking playlists you’re sure to love.

Top 3-Day Training Tips…From Walkers Themselves!

Our 3-Day participants always give the best advice for first-time walkers. They have experienced every step of the journey and know all the best insider tips and tricks. This is especially true for training, because no two people train exactly the same. So, all advice is good advice! Because you might not know the tip that helps you the most until you hear it.

To get to the bottom of the truly best 3-Day training advice, we went straight to the source: our walkers! We tapped our social media community, and our coaches who have also walked, to find out just what we need to know to maximize our training as our 2018 3-Days draw closer.

They had some great ideas!

Belinda H. on Facebook

Set new weekly goals for yourself to find a new path while increasing your mileage. I’ve increased 2 miles weekly by doing this.
Create an ongoing photo journal of nature from your walks. This will help you to relax with nature instead of counting miles. My friends are always excited to see where my walk took me that day.
Use an app like Map My Walk to share your progress with pictures from your walk.

Deborah K. on Twitter

I’m signing up for as many 5K’s scheduled in this area. And I plan on doing at least one 20-mile walk near home this summer.

Allie A. on Facebook

Do long training walks multiple days in a row! It’s Days 2 and 3 on the walk that are the hardest.

Coach Liz, Programs and Local Events Coach, Seattle and Dallas/Fort Worth

You don’t have to follow the training walk schedule exactly but DEFINTELY train. Get in at least two back to back longer walks each week.

Get fitted for a good pair of shoes, and make sure they’re a full size bigger than you usually wear. Your feet WILL swell, I promise. Invest in good socks, too!

Also, train in what you plan on wearing on the 3-Day. Skort, shorts, capris, whatever it is…train in that. And, figure out ahead of time if you prefer to use a two-bottle backpack or a bag with a built-in hydration system. Once you try them on, you’ll be able to feel which is your preference.

Melissa M. on Facebook

Hill train! Add an incline on the treadmill if training indoors or during bad weather when you can’t get out for a walk. Also train in what you may want to wear on the 3-Day, including underwear. The best way to find out what is comfortable and what works is to try it out during training.

Rachel C. on Facebook

If you are prone to blisters, learn how to wrap your feet! Train in the rain; the last two years (maybe 3?) we have had some rain. Get in the habit of stretching a lot. Find some walking buddy to walk with even if they can only join you for 1/2 of your walk. And, train with all the gear you plan to use.

Coach Gayla, Programs and Local Events Coach, Seattle and Dallas/Fort Worth

Don’t train alone. That’s B-O-R-I-N-G! Join a training walk from the Training Walk Calendar (The3Day.org/TrainingWalks). Don’t see any posted in your area? Drive to another one or become a training walk leader and lead your own walks.

Invite neighbors or create a walking group in your community. The time and miles fly when you have someone to talk to.

Brooke K. on Facebook

Definitely train! Walking 60 miles is much harder than it seems. Get some bigger back-to-back walks in during training because it mimics how you might feel in the morning on Days 2 and day 3! Try out some outfits including socks and shoes to make sure they will feel good during the event. Of course, train with friends to pass the time ?

What are your best 3-Day training tips? Tell us in the comments!