In Houston, TX, Mayor Annise Parker signed a Proclamation that “May 19, 2012 is Pushups For Charity Day in Houston”. The Houston event will feature Texan cheerleaders, the local fire and police departments, Army Veteran Sandy Reyes who served in Operation Iraqi Freedom 2004 – 2005 as a specials in the 1st Cavalry Division (last year he completed 130 Pushups; he works on veterans causes now), and many more.

May 15, 2012 – /PRNewswire/ —  On Saturday, May 19th, 2012, 115 gyms across the country will challenge participants to see how many pushups they can do in 90 seconds, while getting friends and family to sponsor them by donating anywhere from 50 cents to $1 per pushup. To find a location near you: www.pushupsforcharity.com

Last year alone raised over $250k and this year’s goal is $500k. So far this year Pushups For Charity has raised over $100k so we are well on our way!

This year, proceeds will be donated to The Boot Campaign, a Texas-based non-profit that donates proceeds to a group of partner charities that work with soldiers healing from a variety of physical and emotional combat wounds, embodying the campaign motto that, “When They Come Back, We Give Back”. Supporters buy military issue combat boots and “take a walk in a soldiers shoes” – the proceeds benefit the cause.

Raising the Barr Gym in Ridgeland, MS (outside of Jackson, MS) held their event one week early on Saturday, May 12. It alone pulled in $21k including a tremendous pushup performance by veteran CJ Stewart who did 40 pushups (1 for every surgery he’s endured from his injuries.) Check out his video here.

The event is being embraced by towns and cities across the country as an important annual health initiative. In Evansville, IN, Mayor Lloyd Winnecke has declared his support for Pushups ForCharity and is encouraging residents to participate after his city was named in a recent poll “the most obese city in the country”. In Houston, TX, Mayor Annise Parker signed a Proclamation that “May 19, 2012 is Pushups For Charity Day in Houston”. The Houston event will feature Texan cheerleaders, the local fire and police departments, Army Veteran Sandy Reyes who served in Operation Iraqi Freedom 2004 – 2005 as a specials in the 1st Cavalry Division (last year he completed 130 Pushups; he works on veterans causes now), and many more.

On Saturday, communities, local government officials, local fire and police departments and more will be coming out to celebrate this day of fun and fundraising for an initiative that allows people to get fit and give back at the same time.

The Boot Campaign

The Boot Campaign is a grassroots military appreciation and veteran awareness campaign started by five women from Texas, known as the Boot Girls.  The Boot Girls launched the Boot Campaignin 2009 to spread awareness of the needs of military personnel returning home from combat and express gratitude to current military.  Through the sale of military combat boots, the Boot Campaign donates proceeds to a group of partner charities that work with soldiers healing from a variety of physical and emotional combat wounds, embodying the campaign motto that, “When They Come Back, We Give Back”. www.BootCampaign.com

Pushups For Charity

Pushups For Charity is all about getting fit, having fun and making a difference. It’s an alliance of many of the world’s most respected fitness professionals who have come together to support worthy charities by providing free fitness coaching and exercise programming to all who participate in a Pushups For Charity event, or sponsor someone participating. Pushups For Charitywas founded in 2010 by Net Profit Explosion, LLC President Sean Greely of Orlando, FL.

For more information, a list of participating gyms, and to register, go to:www.PushUpsforCharity.com

And if you’re interested in finding out what revolution is all about be sure to sign up for a class today!

click here for Erin & Henry’s Mirror Mirror video segment
Fitness and nutrition studio owners Henry Richardson and Erin Stewart know that food is our fuel and they choose the best. ”A super food is exactly what it sounds like. It’s something that’s super good for you,” says Richardson.
“A super food is plant-based, mineral-rich, high in enzymes, most powerful food on the planet,” Stewart adds.Here is their list of the BEST of the best:

GOJI BERRIES

High Vitamin C

High Beta-carotene

High Iron

Improves Mood

another DEFINEfashion film

coming to your screen

 SUMMER 2012

GET READY!

Cycle crops, new fresh colors to stay cool this summer JUST IN at DEFINE!

Come by any location to check them out!

]]> http://www.definebody.com/uncategorized/summer-2012-get-ready/feed/ 2 http://www.definebody.com/uncategorized/sneakers-to-work-day/ http://www.definebody.com/uncategorized/sneakers-to-work-day/#comments Thu, 10 May 2012 19:46:46 +0000 Hank http://www.definebody.com/?p=4759 Trade your pumps in for sneakers one day in MAY! Let’s get Houston moving!

Join the Greater Houston Women’s Chamber of Commerce in Wear Your Sneakers To Work DAY!

Donate $5.00 to support the Greater Houston Women’s Chamber of Commerce and wear your sneakers to work on Friday, May 18th. Grab your friends and colleagues and get moving…organize a walk around the block, at the mall, or coordinate a yoga or exercise class, or just take the stairs!

For more information the event flyer link  - Wear Your Sneakers to Work  ,and donation page click here

CONGRATULATIONS to Tara Ramsey & Sami Grefe!

Tara Ramsey

Sami Grefe

At DEFINE, we appreciate all of our moms!

On Mother’s Day, DEFINE will be celebrating Mom with morning mimosas at all our studios.  We look forward to seeing you there!

Special Mother’s Day Class - Join us for a special Mother / Daughter class at DEFINE, Saturday May 12th at our River Oaks studio. Have some fun with Mom at DEFINE, treat her to a special DEFINEbody&mind class and stay after for “Muffins With Mom”. Enjoy delicious and healthy muffins and mimosas made with love from DEFINEfoods!

When: Saturday, May 12th, from 12:30 to 1:30PM

Where: DEFINE river oaks

A NEW MOM? Workout with your baby!

DEFINEbaby class: Perfect opportunity for mom and baby to bond while mom can “re-DEFINE” her body. The class focuses on arms, legs, glutes, and abdominals for one of the most fun 30 mintues you will spend exercising. Especially designed for moms with babies who love to be in a baby carrier!

We have a class available on Thursdays at DEFINE tanglewood studio click here to register today or come by and see us!

Is your iPad to blame for your lack of sleep? It just well may be. Our inability to unplug—especially before hitting the sheets—is costing Americans the quality sleep they need to be alert, productive, and creative at work, according to a new study by the National Sleep Foundation.

More than half of 1,508 people age 13 to 64 responded that they experience a sleep problem—like snoring, not being able to sleep through the night, waking up too early, or feeling groggy in the morning—every night or every other night. And 43 percent say they never get a good night’s rest.

While many sleep and career experts have attributed problems sleeping to workplace issues like the high rate of unemployment, employers expecting remaining employees to produce more with less, and the overall stress over being under- or over-employed, and even the stresses of starting their own business, the National Sleep Foundation points to the electronics in our lives as being just as disruptive a force as those racing thoughts that keep many up at night. For those who are currently employed, 74 percent of those over 30 said that being sleepy has affected their work.

And Apple isn’t the only company to blame. A full 95 percent of those surveyed say they use electronics such as a TV, a computer, a videogame, or a cell phone in the hour before going to bed. “Light-emitting screens are in heavy use within the pivotal hour before sleep,” Charles Czeisler, PhD, MD, Harvard Medical School and Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, said in a statement. “Invasion of such alerting technologies into the bedroom may contribute to the high proportion of respondents who report they routinely get less sleep.”

According to the study, Millennials and Gen Xers are most prone to surfing online (55 and 47 percent respectively) and gaming (36 and 28 percent) instead of catching Zs. Michael Gradisar, PhD, Finders University in Australia, said that while people may perceive that watching late-night TV or playing a game affects their sleep patterns differently, using any of these devices is disruptive because they keep you more alert, and in some cases—such as using the Internet or playing a videogame—canactually cause anxiety.

And when people don’t get a good night’s sleep, their productivity suffers the next day, experts said. They’re not only tired and can lose focus more easily, they’re also more likely to snap at coworkers and not think through scenarios with the same sharpness. Eighty-five percent of respondents said inadequate sleep affects their mood, and 68 percent said it affects their social lives.

Unfortunately, employers can’t regulate what their workers do when they’re off the clock, although keeping closer to an eight-hour day, however unlikely, would be beneficial so employees won’t feel that they have to cram their “lives” part of living into a few precious hours. Cutting out the caffeine is also a good way to cope with sleeplessness. The average American drinks three 12-ounce caffeinated beverages per day to stay awake, the study found.

So what can employees do to get some shut-eye?

• Set and stick to a sleep schedule. It sounds simple, but it’s hard to go to bed and wake up at the same time each day.
• Expose yourself to bright light in the morning, avoid it at night. Morning light is energizing, but when it’s closer to bedtime, dim those bulbs.
• Treat your bed as a sanctuary from the stresses of the day. Don’t take work to bed with you. If you have to proof a quote or read something from work, do it somewhere else.
• No nightcaps. Drinking alcohol before bed can not only rob you of deep sleep, it can also cause you to wake up early.
• No late-afternoon or evening naps—unless you work at night. If you have to nap, do so for no longer than 45 minutes and before 3 p.m.

As difficult as it may seem to make a conscious effort to unplug and walk away from work by a certain hour, the time most employees could gain in restful sleep could well outweigh any halfhearted work they may be able to produce in the wee hours.

Read more: http://www.portfolio.com/views/blogs/heavy-doses/2011/03/07/a-new-reason-to-unplug-national-sleep-foundation-finds-majority-of-americans-do-not-sleep-well#ixzz1uJzKy0wj