Tag Archives: training

Ways to Get Walkin’ at Work

Preparing your body to walk 60 miles in the Susan G. Komen 3-Day® takes a lot of time and effort. If you have a full-time job, it may be a little more difficult to find time to devote exclusively to your Komen 3-Day training. There are certainly plenty of jobs out there that require folks to be on their feet anyway (we salute YOU, mail carriers, teachers, servers, retail salespeople, medical professionals and many more), but if your job is one that has you stationed at a desk, don’t worry: with some creative thinking, you can easily work some walking into your work day. Here are some ways to supplement your steps while putting in your 9 to 5.susan g. komen 3-Day breast cancer walk blog training

Park Productively – Sometimes getting that extra bit of walking in is as simple as parking your car a little farther from the door. Don’t drive to work? Think about getting off the train or bus one stop earlier than normal and walking the rest of the way.

Go Out of Your Way for Face Time – No, not the FaceTime app. Just the opposite, in fact. If you need to chat with a co-worker in another office or cubicle, get up and go directly to them instead of calling or emailing.

Take the Stairs – Not much more to say about that one!

Start a Workplace Walking Group – Recruit some of your co-workers to join you for walking breaks. They don’t have to be long; even just a 10-15 minute mid-morning or post-lunch stroll will help get you moving. Having other people who count on you to join them will keep you motivated to keep moving.susan g. komen 3-Day breast cancer walk blog training

Put it in the Books – Most working professionals keep a detailed calendar or datebook with all of their appointments, meetings and conference calls. Use that time-management tool to schedule some walking time too. If it’s slated on the calendar, you’ll be less likely to get caught in the “just couldn’t make time for it today” rut.

Walk and Talk – If you can make conference calls or join virtual meetings from your mobile phone, think about taking a walk while you’re on the call. This practice can have the dual benefits of getting some walking into your day, and also help you stay focused on the conversation when you’re not distracted by everything at your desk.

Work-from-home? – Good news! The options may be even more plentiful for you in the work-at-home community. In most cases, you can easily take a stroll around your neighborhood during break times (once you’ve put it in your calendar, or course). If you’re like me and want to stay in your pajamas as you work from home, think about making it a priority to get yourself dressed every morning; you’ll be more inclined to actually step out of the house if you’re wearing actual clothes.susan g. komen 3-Day breast cancer walk blog training

What other ways can you get creative about walking during the work day? Post your ideas in the comments below.

Keep Moving When You’re Not Officially Training

January. A time for new beginnings and new opportunities. But for those of you whose 2015 plans include participating in the Susan G. Komen 3-Day®, January may not seem like an ideal time to be thinking about training just yet. Hopefully, you’re using the early part of the year to focus on getting registered, starting your fundraising and recruiting teammates to walk with you (and for many of you, you’re also just trying to keep from freezing). But that doesn’t mean that your physical activity has to be neglected, even if you’re not “officially” training for the Komen 3-Day yet. Here are a few ways that you can keep active before you dive into your 3-Day® training in the next few months.susan g. komen 3-Day breast cancer walk blog training

Get Online – So you’re stuck at home, not able to get out and walk. Cross-training (adding a variety of physical activities, besides walking, to your training plan), while enjoyable in the great outdoors, can just as easily be accomplished inside a home, gym or even your office, especially with the help of the internet. There is no shortage of fitness websites and YouTube videos that will guide you through a heart-pumping work-out, no matter how much or how little time you have to do it. Not interested in the constraints of a structured work-out? Just fire up you favorite music and treat yourself to a 10-minute dance party. Goodness knows there’s lots of dancing on the 3-Day, so it really is a form of training that will benefit you directly when your event rolls around.

Snow Fun – Much of the country has been hit with some pretty intense snowfall this month, so if you’re stuck in one of these winter wonderlands, the snow can be a great source of physical activity options. Nordic sports like cross-country skiing and snowshoeing are outstanding cross-training possibilities, or even snow-play like sledding or building a snowman will get the heartrate up. And though no one likes the chores associated with the snowy months, think about how many muscles you use shoveling the walk!

Walk! – Okay, so even if you’re not following the 3-Day training schedule yet, walking is still an outstanding way to keep yourself moving any day of the year.

 

How do you like to work in some physical activity when you’re not officially training for the 3-Day?

Philly Fashionistas: Fun 3-Day Costumes and Fashion

One of the joys of the Susan G. Komen 3-Day is admiring the scenery – the peaks of mountains rising around you, a beautifully wooded trail, the reflection of a serene lake in the early morning. You’ll also admire the fashion choices of your fellow participants; from the lunch Crew decked out in 50’s diner garb, to the walkers in front of you with blinking foam tubes on their heads. Everywhere you go on the 3-Day, there’s something to see. We caught up with a few fashionistas in Philadelphia this year and asked them to tell us about their stylish 3-Day attire. In the spirit of Halloween and dressing up, we hope their creativity and flair for costumes and fashion is as fun for you as it is for us.

foam hat 3-day crew susan g komen breast cancer walk

 

Alaine, of the Philly Camp Services Crew, caught our attention with her sparkly wings, pink camo pants, star glasses, and multi layered tutu. Alaine said she found most of the pieces of her costume at Party City, and her inspiration started thanks to a Camp Services theme. “Except for the t-shirt (which I had), our theme for Camp Services was Fairy Tale Princesses, so I picked Tinkerbell. Tinkerbell wears green – so I chose to be Pinkerbell, but Pinkerbell is a tomboy, so that explains my pink cargo camo shorts.” We think Pinkerbell is a great look for you, Alaine! Alaine says she will be at the 3-Day every year until we find a cure.

Alaine, or Pinkerbell

Alaine, or Pinkerbell

If you’ve been at the 3-Day this year, you’ll probably recognize William from Seattle. William wears a walking kilt and long, knee high boots. William’s boots, from the Westco Shoe company, are known as a Highliner boot. “The key on wearing these for such a long walk is the socks, which make a big difference.” The kilt is Seattle–made and called a utilikilt. “On the 3-Day walk I wear three different styles of kilts, because it’s incredibly comfortable for walking in. I couldn’t see wearing sneakers with the kilt so I got the boots to go with the kilt.” While William is German, he graduated from a Scottish school.  Other than looking awesome, William credits his walking style as being a great fundraising tool when he trains in his outfit. “This outfit actually raises a lot more awareness. People come up to me and start chatting with me about what I’m wearing, and I have a card that I hand out to people. On one side it has the reason why I’m walking, and the other side has links to my fundraising pages.”

William rocks the Utilikilt and Highlander Boots

William rocks the Utilikilt and Highlander Boots

Some people find inspiration for their outfits from their kids. The Washington D.C.-based Lady Jugs found their fashion inspiration through their children’s swim team, the Lady Bugs. “We had to be red and black,” they laughed. The Lady Jugs bought their tutus, made their own shirts and hats, and purchased black stickers to add spots to all of their ensembles. The stickers were originally felt dots, but were re-evaluated after “one got eaten by my dog,” notes a member of the team. The Lady Jugs wear different outfits every day, and even decorate their tents with lady bug dots. What’s one advantage of wearing red and black in a sea of pink? “We can find each other! We stand out and people remember us.”

Lookin' great, Lady Jugs!

Lookin’ great, Lady Jugs!

We have to say hats off to the team Power of Pink from Havertown, whose feathery contraptions lit up the balmy gray skies in Philly. It initially took 45 minutes to craft the first iteration, and then once they had a prototype, they said creating the feathered hats was fast. “We made a little template, glued feathers to it, and then started sticking feathers through the hats. We wanted to go big this year! This is our take on the fascinators from England. Duchess Kate was our inspiration,” a team member said. Do they have any advice for those DIYing their own fashion for the 3-Day? “Make sure it’s comfortable! You can’t have anything poking you or else it will be a long 60 miles.” Like the Lady Jugs, the Power of Pink team also loves that a unique look sets you apart from the crowd. “We had no problem finding anybody anywhere. We can see the hat, even if there are hundreds of people at the pit stop!”

The power of pink!

The power of pink!

Another team that caught our eye were the Jersey Shoe Breast Friends. While their shell bras were purchased, they hand-crafted their tee-shirts, clipping off little sections and adding beads for a delightful fringe. They also glued starfish and shells to their pink caps, and like the Lady Jugs, they also had a different outfit for each day.

Breast Friends

Breast Friends

No matter your fashion choice for the 3-Day, we always recommend that you spend some time training and moving in your outfit. While a frilly, feathered frock may look amazing, you’ll want to make sure you’ll feel amazing, too, as you boldly take on an incredible 60-mile journey. We love seeing the fun looks of our 3-Day family, but we know that no matter what, they’ll always look great to us; because courage,  kindness, and hope are always in style.