Hug o War

Good Day Fabulous Leading Ladies!

I’m in the middle of a project so I’ll make this quick, but I simply couldn’t help but share this wonderful little poem I just found.

Here’s to you and the best form of War…


Hug O War

I will not play at tug o war,
I’d rather play at hug o war,
Where everyone hugs
Instead of tugs,
Where everyone giggles
And rolls on the rug,
Where everyone kisses,
And everyone grins,
And everyone cuddles,
And everyone wins.

Hug o War



Celebrating each of you amazing women as ever,
Coach Angel

Fit to Play: "We Don't Live in a World By Ourselves."

Human beings are social animals. Interaction with others is important to our disposition; our physical and emotional well being. The lack of human interaction can cause an imbalance in our lives.

I recently listened to an interview of two famous dancers. What was said was profound. Consider this statement from that interview. "The other thing about dance I very much like is the interaction with my partner. I find that it really helps blend and balance me as a person because it's something I don't do all the time, but it's something that is very good to know because we don't live in the world by ourselves."

You may be asking, "What does all this have to do with play?" Well, it has a lot to do with play. Physical play is the best medicine for the lack of relationships in our lives. Play, in general, helps "blend and balance" a person. Play fosters interaction. It fosters socialization and fosters the sense of well being.

Dancing is only one source of play. Consider joining a hiking club, a bicycling club, or a running club. They all have activities for beginners. If that doesn't interest you, sign up for the summer softball league, consider taking tennis lessons or learn to ride a horse. Consult with your local city recreational department, the Chamber of Commerce or the local Y's for a list of group activities.

Get involved and go play because...we don't live in a world by ourselves!

Debra Seeck
Lifestyle Fitness and Dance Coach
www.mzjitterbug.com

Summer Delights

Hello Beautiful Leading Ladies!

It is one hot day here in Salem Oregon and sounds to be even more spicy hot tomorrow. As I sit here cooling off after a fabulous workout and a very cold shower that felt amazing (but only served to cool me while I was immersed in it) my thoughts are drifting to you and I’m realizing I’ve not posted in a bit so…

Inquiring minds want to know:
What do you love about summer? You needn’t filter your thoughts as I am not looking for anything specific. I’m simply interested in the first thoughts that pop into your mind at the asking of this question. It could be that you have memories that revisit you in the summer season. It may be that you have certain beloved activities that tend to lend themselves to the sunny temps of the summer months. It could be that you have a special vacation spot that you go to in the summer. Whatever your thoughts, I'd love to hear them. Just drop me a line at
angel@leadingladieslounge.com
and share your favorite thing/things about summer.

I will pick my one or two top picks from these entries to put in the Aug Leading Ladies E-zine and would be happy to include your name, a two to three sentence bio and a link to your web site (or your email address), if yours’ gets chosen for publication.

Wanna play???

Just send me your answer (1-3 paragraphs is perfect) and don’t forget your name, bio, website URL or email address. Please paste all info into the body of your email (no attachments please) and put the words “Favorite Thing(s) About Summer” in the subject field. It’s as easy as that!


To get your juices flowing I’ll start…
My new favorite thing to do in summer is to plan several months prior to summer for a wonderful, romantic stay in a B&B for my Hubby and myself. Our anniversary is July 3rd and we started this tradition two years ago on our Honeymoon (so we just returned from our 3rd one and it was soooo lovely).
Out of those three stays I am left raving about two of them, so in case you’re ever looking for a magnificent place to stay in Oregon sometime, the B&B’s we most love so far are:
Portland OR
White House
http://www.portlandswhitehouse.com

Bend OR
Cricketwood
http://www.cricketwood.com


Besides this fun adventure in summer my other favorite thing to do is swim (especially in natural bodies of water such as lakes and rivers—Yummy!)

Can’t wait to hear about your summer delights!

With love,
Coach Angel

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

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.

Fit To Play Wednesday: Dance for Heart's Sake

Have you heard the phrase, "Dance like no one is watching." Consider the following information to inspire you to do just that.

(Excerpt from an Associated Press article titled, "Prescription: Dance for Heart's Sake.")

"CHICAGO, IL : Italian researchers have come up with a novel way for cardiac rehabilitation patients to exercise their damaged hearts without having to squeeze into spandex or gyrate in a gym: waltzing.

The dance proved to be just as effective as bicycle and treadmill training for improving exercise capacity in a study of 110 heart failure patients. Dancers also reported slightly more improvement in sleep, mood, and the ability to do hobbies, do housework and have sex than the others."

If you're not interested in learning the waltz, try east coast swing or salsa or the two-step. Imagine your playground filled with music and dance. Then jump in and enjoy!

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

New fun for our Leading Ladies: Fit To Play!

Hello Incredible Leading Ladies!

Well it’s time to bless you with another new addition to Leading Ladies Lounge—now you’ll have another reason to hang out and feel the Leading Ladies love!

Starting May 30, Our very own In-Lounge Lifestyle Fitness and Dance Coach, Debra Seeck, will drop in from time to time and post a new tip or inspiration around creating, maintaining or celebrating a fitness plan that will get your fabulous body moving to the beat of your own amazing drum—a beat that Debra helps her clients find through “Fit to Play!” We think of her as the Play Goddess! You’ll see what we mean when you visit LoungeTalk and see what tidbit she has to share with you about how to create the fitness playground of your dreams.



Note: We welcome your thoughts, questions and comments so please feel free to post or email us whenever the spirit moves! You’re why Leading Ladies is here so don’t be shy.


You can reach me anytime at angel@leadingladieslounge.com


Love, abundance and blessings to each of you Leading Ladies!

Coach Angel