We've got a dream for April: It's Web 2.0 meets 1970s support group, with a hint of poetry slam. The goal is for a merry band of Challenge Participants -- hopefully including you -- to have a very healthy month. We want you glowier than you've been in years, i.e. the strong, patient sort who doesn't snap at cab drivers.
The forces working against our dream are powerful: The second martini, work, family obligations, a glocal economic recession, your NetFlix queue. We can take them.
We'll hold you accountable, virtual-like, for eating healthier, and getting exercise. We'll cheer you on, and give you cover to go home a bit earlier. If necessary, we'll yell at you. And we hope you'll do the same for us. It's a group thing, see? Us against inertia, armed with some simple blogging tools. The rewards will be self evident, but in case you need an extra boost we've lined up fabulous cash-money-prizes, and we plan to hold a phat party at the end in New York. Join us!
Commit!
To work out 26 times in April. That's six days a week -- so you get one day off for rest.
Work It!
You may be into yoga, early morning runs, kickboxing, treadmilling, or long walks. We're not here to prescribe the routine. Paths are many, truth is one.
Blog It!
Keep track of your progress -- and to allow us to do the same -- by blogging your daily workout on SocialWorkout.com. It's as simple as clicking a button and typing an email. For detailed instructions on how to post, and examples of posts, both minimal and liteary, see here.
Win It!
Everyone's a winner. But, thanks to our sponsors, we've got some prizes to give to the most winningest. See box at right. To take home the loot, you need to show both self discipline, and at least some flair for self expression. Did you overcome adversity? We want to feel it. Did you see something hilarious at the gym? Tell us. Did you do 200 pushups while watching 30 Rock? Right.
What Else?
Your posts will appear below, on your user profile page, and on the TalkAmongstYourselves page. Judging will be done both by popular acclaim and our panel of celebrity judges. We'll be updating this page as we go along, but, if you have questions, post them to the site, or email us. That's it!
Track Your Progress
The challenge is underway! (Sorry, no more sign ups.) To see everyone's record to date, check out the official Attendance Sheet!
Shockingly Good Prizes
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Grand Prize - General Heroism
- One Full Year of Free Membership at Crunch! OMG. Crunch in the house! That's well over $1,000 value, and they've got locations in New York, Los Angeles, Miami, Chicago, Atlanta, and San Francisco.
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Rebootie Prize - Best Workouts
- Voltaic Backpack Solar Charger from Voltaic Systems! So cool it's on display at MoMA. The smartest, best looking backpack in the world. Retails for $250.
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Reykjavik Prize - Hot Blogging
- One Month Supply of siggi's skry. "Skyr" is the yogurt of Iceland, where they take these things very seriously. siggi makes the best skyr in the world. Think "Orange & Ginger" or "Pomegranate & Passion Fruit." Rather delicious.
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MindBelly Prize - Smart Eating
- Dinner for Two at Rouge Tomate. Where you go when you want to spoil yourself, without spoiling the planet. Local. Seasonal. Fully sustainable. Totally delicious.
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Gymsanity Prize* - Big Heart
- Two sessions with NYC super-trainer Brian Schneider. The man's got 15 years of personal training experience at New York's top gyms, and, more important for you, he's an actor/comedian who will keep you laughing and sweating. (*Formerly the Slacker Prize.)
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20 You Rock Runners Up!
- Each gets one pair of the Original Yoga-Paws! It's genius: Slip the Yoga Paws on hands and feet, do yoga anywhere, sans sticky mat!
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Who Can Play and Other Stuff
- The Challenge is open to anyone of reasonable age, regardless of race, creed, sexual orientation, physical handicap, or geography. If you plan to win, however, it would be nice to live in a town where Crunch has gyms!
- Want to sponsor our next challenge? Talk to us!
- How do we know you're telling the truth? We trust you. Want legalese? Look here.
Latest Challenge Posts
B.O.W.C. Updates
Tee Minus Ten Days, And Counting
Attention dear B.O.W.C.s: You are two thirds of the way home. 20 days down, ten to go (or 240 hours, or 14,400 minutes.) Metaphorically speaking, if the Challenge was a work week, you've made it to Friday evening. Nothing but the weekend in front of you!
More...
From the Editor
B.O.W.C. By the Numbers
Day 14 of B.O.W.C. (and 28 of SocialWorkout.com!) and we thought it time to break down the Challenge numbers to date, answer some questions, and generally offer massive encouragement.
We will refer you to adjacent graph, and make several salient points: Two weeks in, and of the nearly 300 challengees at our virtual start line April 1st, we are left with roughly 100 still in the hunt. The few, the proud, the achey.... Despite malicious rumors to the contrary, we are not yet half way through the Challenge. There are 18 shopping days to go. Thus, if you've logged just eight workouts to date, you're still mathematically in the running to hit the Big 26.
More...
Workout
Mellow Hike
A nice 90-120 minute hike with two girlfriends, a crochety 50+ year old man, and two 10 year olds. I love hiking with kids, because they take all the competitive athleticism out of it--they're way too interested in the bug that's crossing the trail, or the 1-foot tall waterfall, or the flowers or the....you get the picture.
Workout
3 workouts in 1! Buy this blog now!!!
Hi!
So, I still haven't blogged about my workout with Brian Schneider! And I'm not going to now because it's a lot of long awesomeness! Now on to the blog!!!
Punk Workout the Third - Skateboard Squats!!!
This one's easy:
1. Put your board against a wall you don't particularly like.
2. Put your back against the board.
3. Keep even preasure against the board, making sure your back is flat, and bend your knees slowly until your quads are parallel to the floor.
Workout
BBQ, Fight Quest, White Jeans... Oh yea and I worked out too...
A few things:
I'm going to this Saturday, then going to play baseball at Central Park. Everyone's invited.
Workout
Have I graduated from the boxing class?
Not that I wouldn't ever go to the boxing class again, as it's an effing awesome workout. But, I dunno, since I've taken to sparring with my roommate and am practicing all my kicks, I'm not sure the cardio-intense Everlast class is my thing. How does one "go to the next level" if they feel like they've mastered a class??
Anyway, yesterday's workout:
Core work:
100 bike crunches
Punk Workout the Second - Side Plank on a Skateboard
Round two of my punkalicious new routine. Suggestions/criticisms/questions always welcome.
The Side Plank on a Skateboard:
1. Place a towel on your skateboard as cushioning.
2. With your board perpindicular to your body, place your forearm on the board and extend your torso and legs away from the board.
More...Workout
Summer Sick and Soccer
So, of course, the one time I play soccer and it DOESN'T rain, I leave the game feel awful and itchy in the throat area. LAME. Woke up this morning and it felt worse: hard to swallow, bit of a head ache... you know, all the symptons of a common cold.
Workout
Punk Workout the First - the Skate Board Push Up
I developed this following my great workout with Brian Friday (more blog later, about to go to a meeting).
1. Pull your skateboard out from under the bed/the closet/the attic/your child's paws/your neighbor's child's paws/etc.
2. Position it beneath your sternum, so the board is perpendicular to the length of your body.
3. Grab the ends of the board and get in a push-up position.
Brian Schneider Time
So, I'm collecting the first half of my April challenge award, and meeting Mr. BS for the first of two training sessions.
I'm kinda stoked. I've never had a personal trainer before, so I don't know what to expect, except things I haven't done before and pain. Which is kind of like a relationship, innit?
More...Workout
Soccer Games, No Germany for You
Gr.
Had my 2nd-to-last game of soccer for my company's team last night. As per usual, it was raining and miserable and we lost. Team rules say you have to have 2 girls on the field, and only one showed up, so we played a man down the ENTIRE game for an 0-3 score... you really need women if you wanna win in all life things, yah?
Workout
Skinny Jeans, Hitting Things
So I have to do a ninja post as the big boss is roaming the office again. Did a half hour of intense boxing yesterday at the super-crowded Crunch, but not before stalling with a little tax-return capitalism.
Mohawk's Top 10 Things about Social Workout
Well well well...
Since we're at the end of another challenge, and last time I blogged about the awards party top-ten style (are we doing that awards fiesta again btw?), I figure I'd pen down my favorite things from this month's blog-o-sphere for your viewing pleasure, Letterman style:
10. bodyelectric doesn't sleep, she waits (and all derivations of b.e.=Chuck Norris)
More...sounds like peer, SD
I have newfound respect for people who sit on their butts all day. Hands down, my bum hurts more now than during any and all workouts, and it's due to spending all day driving.
More...Other Places
Workout
Oh Snap It's June and a Mohawk Can't Even Count
Congrats to everyone who finished the May challenge! And to those of you who tried!
But not to me, since due to an overload of weekend debauchery and being inundated with trabajo, I'm not sure if I hit my 26 or not. I certainly didn't do all 26 blogs though, so I guess I'm a failure at being a sweaty literati this month. <;-(
Workout
Goals for Further Progress
I've really enjoyed my accelerated workout schedule for April and May. It's helped me make regular workouts a habit. It's taken me two months to get here, but I'm now more clear about my fitness goals moving forward.
Workout
Effigy Mounds National Monument, IA
4 mile circuit hike to limestone cliffs over the Mississippi and ancient (circa Roman) Rorschach schmears for burial mounds. "Does that really look like a bear to you?"
Workout
Pheasant Branch Conservancy, WI
Trod with the locals around 4.5 mile loop plus got lost on one too many spur trails leading up Erdman Hill overlook to Madison. Ate last Mutsu apple from NY farmers market; good-bye, NY!
Workout
Post-Assessment Workout
I took some of the lessons from yesterday's fitness assessment and applied them in Club Strength Class this morning. Since my right arm is a lot stronger than my left arm, I used individual hand weights instead of a barbell to make sure both arms got a good workout. I felt a little bit goofy being the only person not using a barbell but I got over the awkwardness.
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