Hanna Atkinson SSIGM Blog # 15: SONA Move Challenge
By Hanna Atkinson, Sargent Shriver International Global Messenger- SO Colorado
The Special Olympics North America Move Challenge started on Monday, March 15th, 2021. It included counting the minutes of the daily workouts for 8 weeks.
What do I like about this challenge, you ask? This is a national challenge and I am on a team with Renee and Daniel, who are friends, health messengers, and fellow SSIGMs. Our team is called SONA MOVErs & Change-makers. Our team is top-notch!
Week 1
As for the 1st week of this challenge, we are encouraged to wear green and eat green foods to maintain our regular workout schedule.
My workout highlights for the 1st week of this SONA Move Challenge included:
Biking on the trainer. (I’m wearing green!)
Stair climbing outside my house wearing my Ireland jacket.
Dancing. (My ultimate favorite workout)
The inspiration of the Irish jig, pictured above, is how we celebrate Saint Patrick’s day! That holiday is one of my favorite holidays! Doing the Irish jig is joyful.
Week 2
For the 2nd week of this challenge, we were encouraged to wear our favorite colors.
Zumba with my friend Josie.
Celebrating World Down Syndrome Day by doing a virtual dance party.
Week 3
For the third week of this challenge, we were asked to wear Special Olympics gear. I tried a variety of interesting workouts this week.
Yard work makes the yard look good!
Elliptical gets my heart rate up!
Week 4
The fourth week of this Challenge brings me to a happy state of life. Happiness is the key element of doing workouts! I feel happy after I do my workouts because it builds positive energy and helps with my attitude. This is what makes me happy and I want to share this happiness.
Hiking and being in the forest.
Cardio boxing helps lower my stress.
Week 5
I wore bright colors of clothing for the fifth week of the Challenge.
Jumping jacks….jumping into action!
Push-ups help me push away negative thoughts.
Week 6
My goal for the sixth week of this Challenge is to wear sunglasses and our favorite hat during our workout.
Walking.
It was a magical spring snowstorm here in Colorado. It was a cold day in my neighborhood. One brave, resilient soul even did a brisk walk!
Running.
It is a hot day here in Colorado. I felt that I was flying in the sky.
Week 7
The challenge for week seven was to dance to your favorite song for one of the workouts. I have a giant amount of music that I love very much. Here are my two top dancing songs: “Stronger” by Kelly Clarkson and “Edge of Glory” by Lady Gaga.
Sit-ups help strengthen my abs.
Mountain climbers remind me of climbing all the mountains in Colorado.
Week 8
The last challenge for week eight is to take a picture of your favorite workout. I have many favorite workouts, but I need to point out that my favorite workouts are dancing, yoga and using Special Olympics’ Fit 5 guide.
Lizard pose for yoga stretches me and makes me more flexible.
Frog jumps…leaping for joy, haha!
Enjoying the Fit 5 guide and the bonus is the smile!
The SONA Move Challenge ended by asking us if we will continue workouts after the 8 weeks. My answer is…YES, the workouts will continue to take place after the SONA Move Challenge in the Atkinson household!
And if you are curious how many minutes I exercised, it was a total of 4,317 minutes! I am now training hard for the new seasons of ski racing and bike racing. I enjoyed doing this SONA Move Challenge with the SONA MOVErs & Change-makers. Way to go, teammates!
Lastly, I’d love to share some tips and tricks that I lived by during the Challenge:
- Know your limits and don’t force yourself to do more than you should in your workouts.
- Exercise in a group when you can.
- Continue drinking water daily.
- Eat well while looking at your portion control and eating less processed food and more natural food.
- Wear sunscreen and reapply during the day.
- Consider doing a daily decision chart to focus your day; I focused on core and cardio during week 7.
- Think about something you are grateful for each day.
I’d love to end this blog post with one special shoutout to give my thanks to my mother, Colette Atkinson, who encourages me to stay focused and get my daily workouts completed. This one’s for you, mom.
