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17 Ways to Put the Fun in the Fall Fitness Challenge Fundraiser to Benefit Domestic Violence Survivor Aftercare Programs

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Would you believe some of the best stand up comedy sets are written by domestic violence survivors?

Photo Credit: Fall Humor via Pinterest



Don’t take my word for it. Consider looking into Aftercare Celebrations this October during Domestic Violence Awareness month.

Laugh with survivors of Intimate Partner Violence. See how empowering comedy can be and how useful it is in reclaiming one’s identity.

Read on to discover 17 Thought-starters that SGL will reward with swag via our Fall Fitness Challenge Sponsors.

Photo Credit: SGL Logo created by Hyssop

What does fitness have to do with preventing and addressing domestic violence? The health of a community can be determined by how well it treats its neighbors. Right? It goes to follow that if someone is being harmed through emotional, financial and physical abuse that a neighborhood ought to intervene. It is a Home & Community Fitness concern.

Need more convincing that real counterparts to virtual communities aren’t a thing of the past? Read Men’s Health on “How Your Neighbors Make You Healthier”.

Make your deadline November 1st.

Imagine these 17 prompts as skeletons. The first of these is “fleshed-out”. What are your thoughts? You have freedom in shaping your project to benefit Domestic Violence Survivors and Aftercare Programs. Share with us how you use your leadership training from this blog to share a vision, recruit resources, execute your plan and measure success!

Our Guest Editor for Home & Community can’t wait to read all the submissions! Contact her here. 

Photo Credit: SGL Banner created by Hyssop


Let’s get the skeleton of domestic violence out of the closets of affluent suburbs, ordinary urban centers, and religious communities!

Simple Steps
Give yourself a name as Team Captain.
Recruit at least one other person as your partner in good works.
Post your project on the SGL Facebook page. Update with pics every week to share best practices.
Get rewards. What are some examples of rewards? For starters, team captains from the SGL Summer Fitness Challenge received a box filled with 250 Luna Bars!

17 Thought-Starters
1. Stage a Pinterest Humor-inspired Block Party on a Thursday Night from 7 p.m. to 9:30 p.m.

Transform a dead leaf laden court into a deliriously-fun craft project for kids and grown ups. Know how to press a fresh leaf with a book? Even better. Organize this using your smartphone. Get one local star crafter and get 3 back-up maker community crafters to donate 6 hours. Recruit a local youth club such as 4H, the scouts, a high school key club or a new college grad Meetup to do setup, cleanup and to provide the social media promos you need to get the word out.http://www.cdc.gov/violenceprevention/nisvs/

2. Cycle to Work for 45 days. Allow yourself to be inspired by the NPR article on biking.

3. Craft the Creepiest Halloween Front-Yard. Take 3 tips from Babble’s 15 Halloween Decoration Ideas.

4. Coordinate a Sing-Along for Danny Elfman songs

5. Take a Front-line Domestic Violence Aftercare Worker such as Kim Biddle to lunch. Have him/her speak at your Rotary Club or Robotics Meetup over cobb salad.

6. Sponsor 15 employees so they can register as a team for an athletic event to benefit the cause.

7. Film Youtube tutorials about the basic moves for skateboarding

8. Surf. Did you know that the sound of water can be therapeutic to survivors? Will you record video clips and share them with an Aftercare Program?

9. Skydive. The stigma of fleeing an abusive intimate partner relationship can make some survivors feel as if pushed out of a plane. What can you do to educate your circle of adrenalin athletes to change the culture?

10. Hike barefoot for solidarity with survivors who flee without shoes

11. Fry seafood. Deep-fried oyster po’boy sandwich, anyone?

12. Grill paninis or borrow Oktoberfest ideas from SheKnows

13. Mac and Cheese Marathon. The Mac and Cheese Bundt: good or gross? You decide. Taking a Pantry Challenge like Crystal of MrsHappyHomemaker? Crisp up that Tuna mac with her secret gluten-free ingredient!

14. Host a Comedy Benefit. Not the funniest person in the room? No problem. Be the talent scout. Need examples? See Heavy’s Danny Vega’s Top 10 from Twitter.

15. Listen to the wish list of a Domestic Violence Aftercare Intake Coordinator. See if your zipcode can provide 3 out of the list of 10 (i.e. women’s flats and attire for court, baby wipes for children of survivors, pet treats for cats/dogs who fled with survivor, non-dairy food donations for pantries)

16. Use your Klout. Use the power of your guest post to invigorate rather than bum out your readership about positive steps they can take. Treat yourself to a freshly assembled, rather than baked, teacup cookie as an incentive.

17. Take a phone inventory via a hotline such as Saving Innocence and do Six Days of Solidarity. Do all your daily tasks (i.e. get to work, bring help your kids with schoolwork, deposit your paycheck, and do your laundry) without a cell phone, without a bank account, without your car and without bus fare.

SGL Fall Fitness Challenge: 5 Tips for the Beginning Bicyclist Commuter

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Photo Credit: SGL Fall Fitness Challenge Bicycle Commuter Editor Renee Marchol

Did you see the Mid-autumn Moon this past Thursday? I bet you did. How can you miss it with its oversized, golden glow? As I rode home from work on my bicycle, I thought of the Chinese Mid-autumn moon festival. My mom (biological grandma) was a bicyclist. I pictured her, athletic and feminine, riding her bicycle over dirt paths and light gravel to celebrate with tea and mooncakes with her family. She might giggle in heaven to hear that I refer to her as an elegant badass!

Photo Credit: SGL Fall Fitness Challenge Review of Bicyclist Accessories Garneau Flex Zone Gloves
When I did start commuting to work by bicycle? I commuted to work like this when I was an undergrad working for the university’s Computer Science and Engineering Department. In fact, it was because I showed up right when office hours opened that the Lecturer said that I was the candidate for reader and no one else need apply! After undergrad, shamefully I became car-dependent but still rode public-transportation such as BART to my editing jobs in Norcal or walked to work in Socal. 
What revived my interest in bicycling to work? First, a phone interview with Bike Pretty Blogger Melissa. Then, a cost-analysis of car insurance coverage. Lastly, my mom’s passing stirred my interest again in bicycling for daily errands. 
On a lighter note, I have been observing the Bike Car of the Caltrain for several months when I worked in the video game industry and reported also on the tech-cousin, the maker community. I have been curious about the bicyclist subculture of SF, Seattle, Portland, and Austin. 
For now, my consulting brings me to the SF area so bicycling here makes perfect sense! No wonder Bike Score and Walk Score name this region a Biker’s Paradise! Bay trails through salt marshes? Bike paths through marina parks? Contentment.

What did I learn during week 1 of the eight week bicycle commuter experiment?

5 Tips for the Beginning Bicyclist Commuter: 

1. Wear one bicyclist glove on your non-dominant hand. So that you can vibe Michael Jackson. Also this protects your hand when you ride swiftly past shrubbery. This leaves your dominant hand free to gesture on your smartphone when you dismount and consult your GPS for alternative bike routes when road construction gives your surprises.

2. Store Deodorant Foot Spray in your office desk. This is not optional. First, this protects your shoes from accelerated wear and tear because of dampness. Second, this prevents skin decay of wet feet. Yuck, right? Lastly, this makes your cycling to work a non-issue with your coworkers and you become a friendly bicycling ambassador rather than Ms. or Mr. Freaky Foot Odor.

3. Wear removable bike lights like Liberace. What do I mean? It’s the best bling you’ll wear as a beginning cyclist. I like the silicone Serafas lights for front and rear. I remove them when I dismount and park. I wrap them around my handlebar and rear reflector in seconds when I ride early evenings. Why Liberace? Because I haven’t found an apt Elton John analogy yet for my cycling.

Photo Credit: SGL Fall Fitness Challenge Bicycle Commuter Bike Lights

4. Suit up. You’ll save your dressier office wear if you change out your office duds at the end of the day. Want an example? A neon yellow, reflective tech top by Champion and all-purpose sport shorts (with underwear sewn in) live in my soccer-ball satchel at all times. Why? Moisture-wicking becomes your new friend as a bike commuter. Also, it may not be polite but you’ll glad to change out of bottoms twice per day to air out butt sweat!

Photo Credit: SGL Fall Fitness Challenge Bike to Work Tips

5. Skincare. SmartyGirls and SmartyFellas, you might choose to go make-up free on the ride to work but please remember to wear sunscreen and moisturizer. It’s both a beauty and health concern? Why? Hydrated skin keeps wind-chapping at bay. Sunblock prevents some skin cancers. Imagine your skin as an envelope that protects all the good stuff that is you!

If you bike to the gym from work before you reach home, you might want to reach for a clean handtowel that you keep in your office desk. Dry that perspiration. Use a tissue or sensitive skin make-up remover to take off dirt and sweaty sunblock before you exercise indoors to prevent skin breakouts!

Photo Credit: SGL Fall Fitness Challenge Tips Bring a Combo Lock for the Gym to store your Bicyclist Gear

An Interview with MrsHappyHomemaker Blogger Crystal Faulkner: 3 TV and Food Photography Secrets

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Photo Credit: MrsHappyHomemaker Crystal Faulkner

SmartyGirlHome Readers, have you wondered how super-personable, ultra-likeable bloggers do what they do? For example, how does MrsHappyHomemaker rocket her scrumptious streusel-topped apple pie muffins into internet stardom? SmartyGirlLeadership blog asked the blogger Crystal Faulkner to share a few of her amazing secrets so that Readers could borrow one of her thought-starters for this fall!

Photo Credit: MrsHappyHomemaker Apple Pie Muffin Recipe


Pro-blogger Crystal is the first of our series of 20 standout Home & Community Inspiring Leaders we are featuring this season. Why is she selected for our array of experts? Our editors find her tutorials uplifting. She excels in entrepreneurship and is the primary income-earner in her household. Check back for 19 more leaders All women. All doing amazing things.

Here’s Crystal!

How do you make food look so good on your blog?

I’m so glad that my food photographs appeal to you & your readers!  I do not use a food stylist on any of my photo shoots – my photography has been a learning experience that I am still learning from every day.  The best tip I have when shooting my photographs is to use the natural light of the sun by either shooting outside or in front of a window with a good bit of natural light coming in.  I sometimes incorporate the use of a light reflector.  I don’t really use any ‘fancy photography’ as even though I want to make my photographs pretty, I also like to keep that ‘real’ element behind it.  Afterall, I’m just a real mom 🙂



What makes good tv news coverage of your business?

 
I'd say just about anything makes good tv news coverage for my blog.  I've done interviews about how I started by blog & the business aspect behind it & segments where I gave tutorials about recipes & how-tos on things covered on my website, and all have proved to be equally fantastic.  I've not yet had an experience with negative tv coverage, but I guess if I thought about it - negative tv coverage would be someone not enjoying one of my recipes on camera (which would also probably make me cry! haha).  Currently, I'm living on the philosophy that any press is good press.  


How do you approach tv stations with stories of your business that would interest viewers?

I have 2 ways in which I approach tv stations about stories on my business.  One is just a very basic email where I introduce myself & give a short description of my blog and what I do and pretty much just say 'Hey, I exist!'.  I end the email by asking them to contact me if they would like to work with me in any way.  This is method is how I secured my very first tv interview on a local news affiliate.  My second way is I pay attention to stories I see in the media.  For example, last year I noticed that the news stations were covering how widespread the flu was becoming.  I had recently posted several recipes on how to make your own vapor rub, cough syrup, and other cold remedies.  I sent an email to the news station about my recipes, and asked if they'd want me to come on air to show the viewers how to make these remedies in their own homes.  I got almost an immediate response and ended up doing a live tutorial a few days later on the morning news.


How do you rid the jitters before you get on camera?

 
Oh, the tv jitters - I still get those!  But according to one reporter that I still work alongside with, even the professionals still get nervous after years of being on television, so that's one thing I always remember.  I try to envision myself actually talking to my best friend instead of talking to a reporter, which was actually a tip from a friend of mine who presents items on the nations' largest shop-at-home network - and it works!  Another thing that helps me is the passion behind what I do - when you have a deep interest and love for something, then you know that 'material' like the back of your hand, and that makes the tv appearances so much easier.  If you do go on tv and mis-speak or make another kind of flub, don't sweat it!  Just correct yourself and even laugh a little - just keep going!

Did you enjoy watching MrsHappyHomemaker Crystal's tv segments? Then follow her on Twitter and connect with her on Facebook, Pinterest and Instagram. We did!

Stunts, Safety & Saving Innocence: An Interview with Stuntwoman Emily Hopkins

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Associate Editor Erica Tyler is in charge of identifying 20 Ordinary Heroes in the Community this fall. At the end of the summer the Editor-in-Chief stumbled upon a league of such in West Los Angeles.


Would you like to know one of them? She works on the team of Saving Innocence as an Intake and Volunteer Coordinator.


Saving Innocence is a Los Angeles-based nonprofit that works directly with American victims of child sex trafficking. SmartyGirlLeadership (SGL) readers want to know how Stuntwoman Emily Hopkins uses her subject matter expertise in stunts for her new job in aftercare for American girls rescued from child sex trafficking.


SmartyFellas and SmartyGirls include fans of Breaking Bad. Emily, are you a Breaking Bad fan? Can you speak about stunt drug lookalikes used on such sets?

Photo Credit: Breaking Bad Meme via Pinterest


“I did work on a few sets that involved drug lookalikes during my time in the film industry. There’s a lot of skill and artistry involved in making them look authentic! I was always so impressed with the people in charge of props and set dressing. They really are artists!

Am I a fan of Breaking Bad? My husband is! He’s seen every episode and I think he’s going to go through all five stages of grief after the series ends this year. Personally, I spend so much of my day dealing with the realities of gang culture that I had to stop watching the show just a few episodes in. Not many people realize that gangs today are finding it safer and more financially lucrative to sell girls instead of drugs and weapons. That’s why when I’m done with work for the day I’m more likely to unwind with a comedy.”


Can you tell us about your favorite thing to do as a stuntwomen?


“Rachet pulls were great! That’s essentially when you’re wearing a special ‘jerk vest’ that’s attached to a wire which is connected to a hydraulics system. Then you get pulled to make it look like you’ve been in an explosion or punched by someone with super strength!”

Photo Credit: Best Movie Explosions via Pinterest


How is work as a stuntwoman on the set similar to your current responsibilities?


“Working in the stunt industry really taught me to work hard and be diligent. Sometimes you work with tough content or tough people, but you just learn to push through it no matter what. The stunt industry is full of the most hard working people I’ve ever met, and they taught me a lot about work ethic in my time there that translates into the rest of my life.”

Readers, would you like to know How to Spot 5 Signs of Child Sex Trafficking Victims in Schools? Check back for a post on SmartyGirlLeadership next Monday!