Fit to Play:: The Fountain of Youth

I don’t think this is news for you but I am 50 years old. Recently, as within the past month, and on separate occasions, individuals have believed me to be 35. That is a great compliment.

Though I formed Fit to Play as a resource for individuals to create the Adult Recess they desire and fill it with fun and giggles, my recess’ fun and giggles come from dancing. I love to swing dance; West Coast Swing, East Coast Swing, Balboa, Shag and Lindy Hop plus many other forms of dance.

One of the creators of the Lindy Hop is Frankie Manning. You can see Frankie on youtube.com. He said in a 1997 interview at the age of 81, “Dancing keeps me young and for anyone out there who’s not dancing, better start.” Frankie is now 92 years old. He still dances and he still teaches the Lindy Hop.

The majority of Lindy Hoppers where I live are in the 20s and 30s and I can keep up with them. I find dancing to be one of the best sources of exercise, a fabulous social outlet and the never ending fountain of youth. No creams, potions or pills to turn back the clock for me – just dancing.

Have I convinced anyone to start dancing if you haven’t already? Get in on one of the best “fountains of youth,” – Learn to dance!

Debra Seeck, Lifestyle Fitness and Dance Coach
Fit to Play and Mz Jitterbug
www.mzjitterbug.com debra@mzjitterbug

Fit to Play: The Camera Buddy

Have you ever had that moment, or moments, in your life where you just wish someone else would do it for you, whatever “it” is. You know, that time when you just need something or someone to give you that extra boost of motivation. Often, that moment is when you know it’s time to exercise. And, yes, even I have had those moments.

I created a “buddy system” to help me stand up and move. My “buddies” are many. One of them is my camera. Now, for those of you who never thought a camera would be a great compliment to an exercise program, please think again. Digital cameras can capture the best of your steps, whether you are out for a walk in the neighborhood or a hike in the mountains or along the beach, lake or stream.

My camera loves flowers and feet and cloud formations and smiles and hands and trees and…get the picture? (No pun intended!) Best of all, it keeps me moving. I can walk the same sidewalk route every other day and still find opportunities for another shot. This time of year it is fun to look for butterflies or bees in amongst the flowers.

I can hear it now. Yes, the camera will interrupt your walking pace. That's okay. If your camera will get you out and about, up and moving, down and around the neighborhood, you should pat it on the lens and shout, “To digital and beyond!”

Here’s to my Camera Buddy!

Debra Seeck
debra@mzjitterbug.com
www.mzjitterbug.com

Here's to Graduates

Happy Friday Incredible Leading Ladies!

Today I have my mind all wrapped up in feelings of nostalgia and thoughts about the power of completions, closures and new beginnings. Gene’s daughter Hillary is graduating with her B.S. degree on Sunday and we’re throwing a little party for her tomorrow. So this weekend is all about Hillary—what could be wrong with that? Especially if you’re Hillary!

Here’s to you Hillary—We’re sooo proud of you!!!

As you can see, we’re really looking forward to celebrating with her and since my thoughts are swirling around graduation, celebration and transitions I wanted to take a moment to celebrate with you too!

If you are a graduate or know one I offer these quotes in a toast to the perfect present (enjoy every moment, you never get this exact one ever again)and the powerful possibilities of the future (you are the Creator—make your masterpiece!)…


“I hope your dreams take you to the corners of your smiles, to the highest of your hopes, to the windows of your opportunities, and to the most special places your heart has ever known.”
- Author Unknown

Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn't do than by the ones you did. So throw off the bowlines, sail away from the
safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.
- Mark Twain

Have an amazing weekend and…

“Wherever you go, go with all your heart.”
- Confucius

With love,
Coach Angel

Fit to Play: Use the TV Commercial Break as Your "Get Up & Move Break"

Time is a commodity just like the air. It is perpetual and plentiful. Yet, we always seem to run out of time, often when it comes to activities for our health.

I was given an assignment in college to sit and watch a half hour news program. During the watching, I was to record the type of story and the length of each story. I was also to record the length of the commercials included in the half hour. This was a public relations class and the assignment dealt with the issue of what we, the public, need to know. My reporting in class was the amount of time during the half hour that provided me information that I believed I needed to know. The result – not much!

So where is this going, you ask? An interesting note and I am sure many of you already know this, is the amount of commercial time in that half hour was rather ridiculous; something close to 11 minutes.

Now let’s consider your favorite one hour television program. If a half hour program holds as much as 11 minutes of commercial time, one can assume an hour program will consume about 20 minutes worth of commercial time. In my opinion, without actually sitting, watching and counting the minutes, it would not surprise me that there are closer to 25 minutes of commercial time in a one hour television program.

For those of you who cannot find the time to exercise, I offer the following. During every commercial break of your favorite television show, "Get Up & Move". For example, during the first commercial break, perform 20 sit ups and then dance; the second you could perform 10 push ups and then dance; the third, do 20 knee lifts and dance; the fourth, jog in place or just dance. I suggest getting the family involved. See who can giggle the most during one of the commercial breaks. Just start laughing and laugh until the break is over (as if you can turn off laughing like a light switch)!

Imagine the change in your fitness level if you did this every day. Remember, your fitness regime does not have to happen in one lump sum of time. Use any commercial break as your “Get up and Move” Break!

Debra Seeck, Lifestyle Fitness & Dance Coach
debra@mzjitterbug.com
www.mzjitterbug.com

Special announcement: workshop for Leading Ladies- Aug 9 in Portland OR

Hello Fabulous Leading Ladies!

Just wanted to be sure all of our local Leading Ladies know about this--I'd love to see you there if you're able...

Workshop Title:
Lifelines Every Leader Needs in Her Rescue Kit- Strategies and Tools for Natural Born Leaders
Location:
New Renaissance, Portland OR
Date/Time:
Thursday, August 9, 7-8:30 pm
Cost:
$12 PP

Description:

Are you one of those people to whom your friends, clients and colleagues turn to for a listening ear, comfort and support? Do you find yourself being drained
by the needs and personal experiences of your clients and/or friends? Would you like to find your own soft place to land for a while where you can relax and discover new ways of taking care of you, so that you can be masterful in your roles as care-taker, mentor, confidant, coach and/or friend?

If you answered “yes” to any of the above questions, this workshop is one you won’t want to miss!

Come join us and discover:

* Signs and symptoms of burnout
* Untapped internal and external resources at our disposal for burn-out recovery
*Creative, sustainable and masterful self-care strategies and tools
***How to “thrive” not just “survive as natural born Leaders!


About Angel:
Angel Hale is a highly intuitive life coach, motivational speaker, author and
the founder of Leading Ladies: Celebrating and Supporting Natural Born Leaders.
To learn more about Angel visit:
http://wwwLeadingLadiesLounge.com.

To register for this workshop go to:
http://www.newrenbooks.com/events/aug_reg.html

If you are registering closer than 48 hours before an event, please call the store to register:
503-224-4929.

Looking forward to seeing you there!

Have an amazing weekend!

With Love,
Coach Angel

Fit To Play

Excerpt from “Play in Unison” by Debra Seeck

“The breathe. The pulse. The heart beat….Body rhythms.

We were all born to dance.”

I was fortunate to be born into a Midwest German farm community where dancing was just part of the culture. Okay, yes, it was Polka music and dancing. But, we danced, all 600 of us. The only qualification was you must be at a walking age to be on the dance floor. I was probably three. I remember my first “dance” was being able to run across the wooden dance floor and slide without running into a couple dancing the Two-step, the Waltz, the Foxtrot or the Polka. Actually, I stayed out of the way when the Polka was danced. It was faster and my timing was usually a bit off. A collision with a German couple dancing was unacceptable and had unpleasant consequences, “Don’t Ya Know!”

The Polka band accordion player had a lisp. My sister and I, along with my dad, still try to talk like him. Oh, it is so not right to mock him. The reality is we loved him. He was the one who kept our family dancing and together. He sang his heart out; he did, while playing the piano note accordion to the ohm-pa-pa of the drum beat behind him. His music generated the movement on the dance floor. And, it was beautiful.”

There, I’ve told you a little bit about me. But there is so much more to being a farm girl. I had the fortune as a child of playing Tag in the barn and Hide & Go Seek at night with my siblings and cousins. And, of course, we spent hours running to catch the fireflies to make our “bug lantern.”

Childhood games! Lucky for me, the games haven’t ended. At the age of 50, I still play Tag and Hide & Go Seek. The giggles are the most precious of the games.

So, how about you? Do you still play Tag and Hide & Go Seek? When was the last time those of you in the Midwest made a “bug lantern?” Imagine organizing an adult outing of any one of those games. The fun could be immense…just as immense as the energy exertion… but without the structure and the doldrums of a formal workout. Give it a go! The Adult Recess – plan one today!

Debra Seeck

www.mzjitterbug.com

debra@mzjitterbug.com

For a full copy of "Play in Unison" send a request to me.

June 6th Webcast Using a Coach to Achieve Your Goals in Business And in Life”

Hello Incredible Leading Ladies!

If you haven't heard yet, I'll be the guest for the WECAI webcast tomorrow--I'd love to see you there if you are able! Here is the announcement and information about logging in...

• Wednesday June 6, 2007 12 Noon Eastern Daylight Time - “Using a Coach to Achieve Your Goals in Business … And in Life” With Angel Hale of LeadingLadiesLounge.com
- Angel Hale is a Masterful Life Coach and acclaimed Motivational Speaker. She lost her vision in 1986 but that didn’t stop her from creating and living
a life that exceeds even her own wildest aspirations! Angel’s degree is in Social Psychology (Systems Theory), with emphasis on Program Design and Facilitation.
Her Coaching training and expertise have been and continue to be developed through a variety of professional trainings, though her primary coach education
comes via CoachU. She spent many years in customer service professions where she won numerous customer service awards and has been actively coaching since
1999.


Angel’s engaging style, exceptional expertise and professional acumen has made her a highly sought after Personal Coach and the Keynote Speaker/Trainer
of choice for numerous public and private agencies, groups, and organizations. She is Founder and President of two professional organizations: ACCES:
Angel’s Consulting, Coaching and Education Services (
http://www.accessyourpotential.org/)
; and Leading Ladies, Celebrating and Supporting Natural Born Leaders (
http://www.leadingladieslounge.com/).

To join us for this Webinar, all you have to do is download the conference room at
http://www.wecai.org/eWednesdayChat.exe.
Once you do so, you don't have to download again (if you save it to your desktop) - Do not login as the moderator or you will not be able to get in the
room. This conference room is currently only available to PC users - we are looking into a Mac compatible platform and will announce our new room in the
next week or so.