Today's guest post is from Just Kelly of Choosing Losing. Besides working on losing unwanted pounds Kelly also blogs about losing things like unhealthy attitudes, hang-ups, excuses, and negative self-image. Recently, she wrote this great post about setting up her home environment to help her be more successful in her weight loss efforts. Awesome tips!
Kelly has a fabulous outlook, and today I am very honored that she has chosen the topic of getting fit while helping others, a subject very dear to my heart. You will LOVE this post like I did, and if you have any other ideas related to this topic, please share.
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Balance is essential for a happy and fulfilling life. Individuals caught up in dieting and exercising can seem... well... self-absorbed at times. Counting calories, hours in the gym taking the latest hybrid classes (yogalates-hula-kickboxing anyone?), planning out meals days in advance, monitoring the scale with a vigilance usually reserved to U.S. Coast Guard members- losing weight, keeping it off, and becoming a healthier person can become an all consuming quest.
While carving
out time to nurture and take care of your body is important, sometimes it seems
people forget one of the benefits of being healthier: you have the energy and
ability to help other people or causes you believe in! Better yet, there
are many types of community service that you can partake in that can double as
a decent workout!
So are you ready to gain some balance in life, develop a new skill, be a part of your community, boost your career options, and meeting a diverse range of people while burning calories? Here are 5 ways you can shape up while serving others:
picture credit: Flickr user foreversouls
- Volunteering for the Special Olympics
If you are ready to dedicate yourself to a regular commitment you can become a Special Olympics coach. Special Olympics coaches have a unique opportunity to work with athletes with developmental disabilities in competitive situations and assist in their training for sports and, more importantly, for life.
There is a plethora of sports to choose from: aquatics, judo, snow-shoeing, power-lifting, and speed skating are just a few of the 30 Olympic-type individual and team sports that provide meaningful training and competition opportunities for persons with intellectual disabilities.
I am a Certified Coach for Special Olympics and coached aquatics this summer. Every Tuesday for 3 months we met at a local pool to practice form, breathing techniques, and swim laps. To work in a little work out for myself while coaching, I would pace the athletes, swimming besides them and giving them a visual cue to keep going as well as correcting their form.
According to HealthStatus, Swimming for 1.5 hours at a moderate intensity burns 662 Calories! To get involved with Special Olympics as a coach, contact your local program using their Program Locator.
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Build a house (Habitat for Humanity)
Today 95 million people, one third of the nation, have housing problems. Habitat for Humanity is dedicated to providing decent, affordable homes for those in need. You can change this by joining Habitat for Humanity as a volunteer.
Habitat is always looking for enthusiastic people to donate their expertise to various projects. No experience? No problem! Habitat provides training for you. They even have a special program for the ladies that sounds amazing: Women Build! Women Build is a Habitat for Humanity International program that trains women to make a difference by building homes and communities.
Thousands of houses have been built by female crews around the world – by the end of 2008, more than 1,400 homes since Women Build’s official creation in 1998. Some of the events have fun mottos like “I’d rather build it than clean it" (amen sister!). Doing construction for three hours can burn a whooping 633 calories! To get involved, you can find information on your closest Habitat for Humanity affiliates plus Habitat news and events in your area by searching their website.
picture credit: Flickr user FabalaTD
Volunteering to walk homeless dogs at your local shelter
Everyone love dogs! Right? Ok, if you don't, just skip down to the next bullet. I want to tell you all about an awesome opportunity to get your fur fix and burn calories. Volunteering as a dog walker at your local animal shelter or humane society is a meaningful way to make a difference in the lives of homeless dogs in your community.
Dogs in animal shelters are typically confined to cages. That isolation and restricted activity can cause health and behavior problems that affect the dogs' quality of life and chances for adoption. Volunteer dog walkers provide the daily exercise, affection and socialization that confined dogs need to stay healthy, happy and adoptable. In addition, dog walking is usually a pretty flexible volunteer opportunity! Most shelters allow volunteer dog walkers, who have completed an orientation, to simply drop-in during regular business hours to walk and play with the dogs.
If you are an animal lover interested in brightening the day of a lonely dog that needs a little attention and exercise -- and if you need maximum flexibility with your volunteering -- walking dogs may be for you! Walking a dog at a moderate pace (3 mph) for 30 minutes burns 158 calories! You can search for a shelter or animal rescue near you at petfinder.com.
- Volunteer work on trails
State and national parks often have volunteer programs. If you love being outdoors and experiencing nature, search for and contact your closest State or National Park and inquire about volunteer opportunities available. Park volunteers can do many things: conduct tours, help rangers remove exotic plants or maintain the natural beauty of a beach, waterway or trail by participating in clean-up activities. If you have a group of friends or want a cool family volunteer opportunity, groups can adopt trails, portions of a park or even an entire park. Hiking for one hour can burn up to 431 calories.
- Playing with children
Ever notice how being around children makes you feel younger? Something about their energy is infectious and being around them can have you running around (for better or for worse!). Fortunately you can put their energy to good use, get in a good workout, and help shape and mold the lives of today's youth.
Just one or two hours each week can make a real difference in a young person’s life! Many Boy & Girls Clubs are in constant need of coaches and referees for their physical education programs. Coaching not your thing? Boys and Girls Clubs also have opportunities available in the areas of arts and crafts, martial arts, drama, dance, music, leadership development, fundraising, special events, chaperoning, computer literacy training, clerical support and more!
There are also usually other children-focused non-profits in each community that would love to utilize your energy and skills. You can search for your local Boys & Girls Club here and can find opportunities at a variety of local nonprofits at VolunteerMatch by searching using your zip code and the keyword "children".
In addition to the emotional benefits of living a balanced
life while burning calories, volunteering can be beneficial to your health.
According to the Corporation for National and Community Service there is a growing
body of research that indicates volunteering provides individual health
benefits in addition to social benefits. This research has established a strong
relationship between volunteering and health: those who volunteer have lower
mortality rates, greater functional ability, and lower rates of depression
later in life than those who do not volunteer.
So why not try something new?
Get out there and volunteer for your health and sanity! If you have any
other great ideas for shaping up while serving others, please share.
