Okay, I know it’s called the 10,000 Kettlebells for Parkinsons challenge. But it’s not just about doing kettlebells. It really is a challenge with two objectives (well, actually, three):

1. Wellness. Take the month of February and stretch yourself a bit in some way to improve your wellness. There are many dimensions of wellness¹, so you have lots of different options. Here are some ideas:

• Go for a walk (physical wellness)
• Spend time cultivating a relationship (social wellness)
• Read a book (intellectual wellness)
• Challenge yourself at work (occupational wellness)
• Learn more about how to express your feelings (emotional wellness)
• Compost! (environmental health)
• Spend time reflecting on who you are and who you want to be (spiritual health)

The point is to develop the habit of investing time, on a regular basis, in activities that improve your wellness. As you improve any one area of your personal wellness, your overall wellness will improve. And the more, the better!

I’m doing kettlebells because that was our original idea, and it gives me some ammo to trash talk my younger brother…

2. Parkinsons Awareness. We also want to raise awareness about Parkinsons Disease, and to encourage folks to donate to Parkinsons research. We do not collect money! But we encourage everyone to make a donation in February to support Parkinsons research. We provide information on the site and in the blog about the particular endowment fund at Royal University Hospital in Saskatoon which we have chosen to support.

So thank you in advance for your participation. I look forward to hearing your wellness stories.

Oh yes – I forgot…

3. Get February Over quicker! I live in NW Ontario, so February tends to be a bleak, go nowhere continuation of January. We’ve already endured January, but it isn’t March yet, when the temperature is usually pleasant enough that you can no longer poke someone a few meters away with your extension cord… Staying busy with a challenge is a great way to take your mind off February and, when you’re finished your challenge, Voila! February is over.

¹Source: Health: The Basics (6th Canadian Ed.). Rebecca Donatelle and Angela Kolen-Thompson