WTTB Week 15 Totals

This is it...we have finished our journey east! Seventeen participants submitted mileage for week 15, our final week of the Walk to the Beach Fitness Challenge. Altogether, participants logged a total of 282.31 miles this week. We had a total of 21 folks who participated in the fitness challenge with a grand total of 4300.7 miles from start to finish. Added together, we not only made it to Wilmington, but that mileage takes us to Key West and back twice!

Here are the weekly totals for Week 15:

Week 15 Walk to the Beach Weekly totals

Here are the grand totals for Week 15, the conclusion of our fitness challenge:

Week 15 Walk to the Beach Grand Totals

Many thanks to those who participated, helped with the challenge or beach blastoff party, prayed for us, read articles on the blog, encouraged one another to adopt a healthy lifestyle, helped to get the word out about the challenge, and more. Although this challenge is over, I hope it has given you a few tools to move forward through the summer months with a resolve to consistently care for the spirit, mind, and body. May the branches always stay up on your palm tree...until next time...keep exercising!

WTTB Week 14 Totals

As we wrap up the final week of the Walk to the Beach Fitness challenge, feel free to take a look at the totals for Week 14. Thirteen participants turned in mileage for Week 14, sending in a total of 218 miles. So far all participants for the challenge have logged a total of 3,915 miles with almost half making it to Wilmington. To give some perspective on what all 21 participants have accomplished together, we've made it to San Francisco and about halfway back to Woodleaf.

Here are Week 14 totals:

Week 14 Walk to the Beach Weekly Totals

Here are grand totals for week 14:

Week 14 Walk to the Beach Grand Totals

One week to go and almost ready for a Beach Blastoff into summer!

Week 15: Well Done! Walk to the Beach Fitness Challenge

Week 15: Well Done! Walk to the Beach Fitness Challenge

Healthy Spirit: Well Done

"His master replied, 'Well done! You are a good and faithful servant. You've been faithful over a little. I'll put you in charge of much. Come, celebrate with me.' Matthew 25:23

When I get to the end of my earthly road, I hope the Master will look at me and say "Well done!" I know I've had many times in my life where I would classify myself as medium-rare at best, but God's assessment of us is wrapped in the loving arms of Jesus. Let us not be afraid to live up to His expectations of us, even if it means taking risks. Let us be willing to celebrate with one another as we overcome challenges and continue to move forward, even if we end up falling flat on our face in order to move in that direction. May we ever be mindful to be faithful in the little things because in doing so, we prove ourselves trustworthy and can prepare ourselves for additional responsibility.

Healthy Mind: Wilmington

Wilmington...we've arrived! Wilmington is the county seat of New Hanover County and hosts a one-mile-long Riverwalk with nearby access to four beach communities. The city has changed names numerous times over the years, formerly called New Carthage, New Liverpool, New Town, and Newton. In later years, the city has also been dubbed "Hollywood East." The historic district of the area includes 300 blocks, with numerous buildings listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

In addition to the natural habitat, Wilmington is home to the USCGC Diligence, USS North Carolina, Cape Fear Museum, EUE Screen Gems Studios, and the University of North Carolina at Wilmington. Notable people with ties to Wilmington include David Brinkley, newscaster; Charlie Daniels, musician; Andy Griffith, actor; Michael Jordan, basketball player; Catarina Jarboro, opera singer; Charles Kuralt, journalist; Woodrow Wilson, former U.S. President; and multiple other folks.

Healthy Body: Come and Celebrate!

As we finish the last week of this challenge, I commend all of you who have participated with a rousing "Well Done!" We are each in charge of our own health, and I hope these 15 weeks have been an encouragement in moving toward individual fitness goals. It's not about a number...it's about a lifestyle. Now is a great time to celebrate and look for new opportunities to learn and grow, inspire others and ourselves, and realize that together we can achieve great things!

WTTB Week 13 Totals

Twelve participants turned in totals for Week 13 of the 2016 Walk to the Beach Fitness Challenge. With only two weeks to go, several participants have already made it to the beach while others are so close, you can taste the salty air! Those twelve participants logged 211 miles for week 12, and grand total mileage for all participants is 3,704 miles.

Here are weekly totals for participants who sent in numbers for Week 13:

Week 13 WTTB Weekly Totals

And here are grand totals for all 21 participants who have sent in mileage at least one week:

Week 13 WTTB Grand Totals

We're coming down the home stretch - get ready to break out the flip flops!

Week 14: Manna and Bubbles - Walk to the Beach Fitness Challenge

Week 14 Manna & Bubbles - Walk to the Beach Fitness Challenge

Week 14: Manna and Bubbles

Healthy Spirit: Manna

The Israelites ate manna forty years, until they came to a habitable land; they ate manna, until they came to the border of the land of Canaan. Exodus 16:35

We, like the Israelites, are blessed with miracles every day. Perhaps we do not recognize the amazing daily gifts given to us because we are accustomed to seeming them on a regular basis. I began to become much more thankful for simple pleasures as I served as a cancer nurse. Our family, friends, career, health, time, and life are not our own. There aren't any guarantees, but we can look for each day's pleasures and purpose with renewed resolve today and every day. When we choose to turn off the cell phone, television, computer, and other distractions, perhaps we will get a better glimpse of the miracles around us.

Healthy Mind: Delco/Sandy Creek

Delco is a small unincorporated community in North Carolina located 18 miles west of Wilmington. It was previously called Brinkly and Pershing and is in Columbus County. Approximately 350 people live on this 1.5 square miles.

Sandy Creek is located in Brunswick County with a population of about 260 people on 1.3 square miles and is part of the Myrtle Beach metropolitan area. Beach....yep, we're so close that perhaps we can hear a few seagulls calling. This is our last stop on the map before we get to Wilmington. One more week to go...

Healthy Body: Bubbles

Bubbles remind me of manna. They seem to appear out of nowhere and only last a short period of time. If we look closely, we may see our reflection in a bubble. If we peer through a bubble, we may see objects through a unique and constantly changing lens. My family blew bubbles yesterday while we waited in a 2-hour line. People all around us, young and older, began to smile and pop bubbles as the dancing spheres bounced along the line.

Did you know we can enjoy health benefits when we blow bubbles? This can be a great way to experience stress relief and imagine our stresses disappearing as the bubbles are carried away and disappear. Blowing bubbles can encourage us to take deep breaths, opening air passages. Exhaling through pursed lips can be a helpful lung exercise. If we blow bubbles with or for others, we might also find a common connection with them.

If you are interested in learning more about lung health, visit the American Lung Association web site.

And...I encourage all of us to blow bubbles this week!

WTTB Week 12 Totals

This week thirteen participants turned in mileage for Week 12. Several folks are swamped with May activities or illness or injuries, so I'm looking forward to seeing numbers catching up for the next two weeks of the Walk to the Beach Fitness Challenge. Don't give up; the end of the challenge is almost here.

Altogether, the folks who turned in mileage logged a total of 213 miles with a grand total of all participants of 3376 miles. If you have reached the shore and are now swimming, congratulations! Keep turning in mileage - I'd love to see how far you go!

Here is the breakdown of this week's totals for those who turned in mileage:

Week 12 Walk to the Beach Weekly Totals

And here are grand totals of those who turned in mileage this week:

Week 12 Walk to the Beach Grand Totals

We've got this week and then two more to go...you've got this...finish strong!

Week 13: Lifted Up - Walk to the Beach Fitness Challenge

Week 13 Walk to the Beach Fitness Challenge: Lifted Up

Healthy Spirit: Lifted Up

For if they fall, the one will lift up his fellow... Ecclesiastes 4:10

We have all fallen physically and emotionally at times. I remember making a medication error as a new nurse, and I quickly reported it and never made that same mistake again. I felt terrible that day, yet my co-workers did not condemn me. They each began to tell me of an error she/he had made and encouraged me when I most needed a kind word. If we fall, to whom can we reach to pull us back up? Is someone who needs a pick-me-up reaching for us? I know many mothers who are often called upon to help someone after a fall. Thanks to all of you and Happy Mother's Day!

Healthy Mind: Whiteville & Lake Waccamaw

Whiteville, a city of a little over 5,000 people, is the county seat of Columbus County. The Whiteville post office has been operating since 1821, and the courthouse is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. A satellite of the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences is located in the city, and the Waccamaw Siouan tribe's annual powwow is held in Whiteville each October.

A few people of renown who have ties to Whiteville include: A.R. Ammons, poet; Ida Stephens Owens, first African American woman to earn a Ph.D. in Psychology from Duke University; and several sports figures, including Tommy Greene, Chester McGlockton, Chris Wilcox, and Maggie Will.

Nearby Lake Waccamaw includes a town and a 9,000-acre freshwater lake. An annual Take the Lake free fitness event was started after Columbus County was named the least healthy of North Carolina's 100 counties. The event encourages participants to walk or bike the 15 miles around, paddle 14 miles around, or swim 4 miles across the lake. Several species of fish, mussels, clams, and snails at Lake Waccamaw are not found anywhere else on Earth.

Healthy Body: Balance & Fall Prevention

About 1/3 of people over age 65 report that they have fallen in the last year. Those who fall may experience a serious injury that could carry serious and long-term effects.

Here are a few quick tips to help prevent falls:

• Exercise regularly - our exercise classes at Woodleaf UMC are free!
• Review medications with one's healthcare provider
• Have an annual eye exam or per a schedule recommended for you
• Reduce tripping hazards in the home - the bathroom in particular is a common place for falls

For more information, read my article Fall Prevention and Exercise.

WTTB Week 11 Totals

Fifteen participants submitted totals for Week 11 of the Walk to the Beach Fitness Challenge. Since the suggested overall mileage goal is 217 miles, the distance from Woodleaf to Wilmington, I have rearranged numbers just a bit on the overall totals graph to reflect those who have made it to Wilmington and are now swimming in the Atlantic Ocean. Four participants (blue in the bottom graph) have logged 217+ miles since February 14 and everyone else is getting closer each week. During Week 11, participants altogether turned in a total of 267 miles with a grand total of 3050 miles. Woo hoo!

Here are the weekly totals for Week 11:

Here are the grand totals for Week 11:

Just a few more week to go with this fitness challenge. You can do this!

Week 12: Living Water - Walk to the Beach Fitness Challenge

Week 12 Walk to the Beach Fitness Challenge: Living Water

Healthy Spirit: Living Water

He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water. John 7:38

This scripture paints a vivid mental image that is repeated in several books of the Bible. Some translations use the term "heart" rather than belly. I find it interesting to see rapid changes in the rivers near my home as the weather changes. Sometimes the water flow is quiet and peaceful, yet the same river can roar and reach far beyond its banks after significant rainfall or due to melting snow and ice. As we spend time with God, His joy and love can begin to fill us to overflowing, spilling out onto those around us, perhaps at times without even realizing it.

Healthy Mind: Lumberton

The county seat of Robeson County in North Carolina, Lumberton provides a home to about 21,500 people. John Willis, an officer in the American Revolution, founded the city in 1787. Blue Velvet, a film by David Lynch, was set in Lumberton; however, the majority of it was filmed in Wilmington, which lies approximately 70 miles southeast of Lumberton. The Lumber River, designated as a National Wild and Scenic River, flows through the area. Part of the Lumber River State Park is located here. Those looking for a variety of recreational activities on the water and land can find many choices at this and other state parks scattered throughout the state.

Several sites in Lumberton are on the National Register of Historic Places, such as Luther Henry Caldwell House, Carolina Theatre, Planters Building, and Humphrey-Williams Plantation, to name a few. Several people of renown have ties to Lumberton, including Hunter Foster, actor; Penny Fuller, actress; Dr. Johnny Hunt, 2008 president of the Southern Baptist Convention; John Small, NFL linebacker; Tim Worley, NFL running back; and Brad Edwards, NFL defensive back who later became the Director of Athletics at George Mason University in Virginia.

Healthy Body: Drinking Water

Water is a great beverage of choice as it is readily available, less expensive than most drinks, and has no calories. Our daily need for water is determined by a number of factors such as body size, activity level, and weather. Many people, particularly those who are older, may not feel thirsty even when the body needs to drink.

Signs of dehydration can appear quickly and include symptoms such as thirst, dry mouth and skin, darker urine, decreased urine output, constipation, headache, dizziness, fever, low blood pressure, faster heart rate, sleepiness, irritability, and confusion.

Here are a few tips for increasing water consumption:

• Drink water with meals and before exercise.
• Keep a pitcher of cold water in the refrigerator.
• Carry a water bottle with you.
• Take medications with a full glass of water unless directed otherwise.
• Eat a variety of fresh, moist fruits daily.
• Purchase lemons and cut a slice to squeeze into a glass of water to change the taste if you dislike the taste of water.

 The CDC article Drinking Water FAQ offers detailed questions and answers, including information about well water, water testing, water advisories, and more.