Fun At Bat Healthy Athlete Challenges

Healthy Athlete Challenges

USA Baseball’s Healthy Athlete Challenges YOU to be the best person and athlete that you can be! Join us for eight straight days and beyond. After completing a day’s challenge, log your progress right on to the page and for a chance to be featured by USA Baseball, submit the completed challenge page along with photos of yourself completing the challenge to FunAtBat@usabaseball.com. Let’s stay active and healthy while having fun!

CHALLENGE 1 1. Physical Activity Challenge PLANK CHALLENGE Planks are great, core-strengthening workouts that require no equipment! To get in to a plank position, while on the ground, use your elbows and toes to keep your whole body up and in a straight line from head to toes. Using a timer to time yourself, try to hold this position for 30 seconds, then 1 minute and then finally try to hold a plank as long as possible. Record your times below!

30-Second Plank Time: _________________________________________________ 1-Minute Plank Time:___________________________________________________ Plank As Long As Possible Time: _________________________________________

2. Fun At Bat Championship Principle Challenge RESPONSIBILITY You are responsible for yourself, the choices that you make and your actions. Why not make smart and healthy choices that benefit yourself and others? Think about how you can be responsible around the house, in terms of school work and think about how you can be a responsible citizen in your community.

This is how I chose to be actively responsible today: _____________________________________________________________________

3. HEALTHY HABITS CHALLENGE HEALTHY SNACKING It is important to eat a balanced, vitamin and nutrient-rich diet while staying hydrated with water throughout the day! Challenge yourself to try a new fruit or vegetable that you haven’t tried before and fill up your water cup throughout the day today and every day.

How did you choose to snack healthy today?: _____________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________

Healthy Athlete Challenges

USA Baseball’s Healthy Athlete Challenges YOU to be the best person and athlete that you can be! Join us for eight straight days and beyond. After completing a day’s challenge, log your progress right on to the page and for a chance to be featured by USA Baseball, submit the completed challenge page along with photos of yourself completing the challenge to FunAtBat@usabaseball.com. Let’s stay active and healthy while having fun!

CHALLENGE 2 1. Physical Activity Challenge DECK OF CARDS: PUSH-UP CHALLENGE Find a deck of cards and pile in a stack facing down. Flip over one card from the stack so that the card is facing up. The number/face value of the card will equal how many pushups you will do. (2 = 2 pushups, 3 = 3 pushups, etc.). Face cards, Ace, Jack, Joker, King, and Queen each equal 10 pushups.

Shuffle the deck, flip the cards and perform the workout. Keep track of the number of pushups you complete by adding up the value of each card you flipped over. Have family members join in and see how many pushups you can complete!

Variation: You may use a pair of dice instead of playing cards for this activity and you may also substitute pushups for a different exercise of your choice! Give your best effort!

List the number of pushups or exercise of choice that you completed today:______

2. Fun At Bat Championship Principle Challenge TEAMWORK How can you be a good teammate? Can others lean on you to be there for them and to help them out to achieve a goal? It is always a good time to be a person that others can depend on, do everything to the best of your abilities and treat others as you would like to be treated.

When have you used teamwork to achieve a goal? *BONUS* Name a person you know who is a good teammate and why?: _____________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________

3. HEALTHY HABITS CHALLENGE POSITIVE SELF-TALK Helping Hand Activity: Trace the outline of your hand on to a piece of paper. Think about all of the things that make you great! Write down one thing that makes you great on to each of your fingers that you traced. Hang up your Helping Hand in your room or somewhere in the house for everyone to see!

What are your great characteristics that you included in your helping hand? _____________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________

Healthy Athlete Challenges

USA Baseball’s Healthy Athlete Challenges YOU to be the best person and athlete that you can be! Join us for eight straight days and beyond. After completing a day’s challenge, log your progress right on to the page and for a chance to be featured by USA Baseball, submit the completed challenge page along with photos of yourself completing the challenge to FunAtBat@usabaseball.com. Let’s stay active and healthy while having fun!

CHALLENGE 3 1. Physical Activity Challenge SQUAT CHALLENGE Squats are great for your legs and core! To perform a squat, stand with your feet shoulder width apart, keep your shoulders back and lower your hips down as if you are sitting in a chair. While squatting, it is important to focus on keeping your weight on your heels. As you lower yourself towards the ground, keep your knees directly over your toes, then, drive your heels into the ground as you return to standing position. Repeat this exercise 10 times per set!

Today, I completed: ___________ sets of ____________ squats for a total of _______________ squats!

Example: “Today, I completed 3 sets of 10 squats for a total of 3 x 10 = 30 squats!”

2. Fun At Bat Championship Principle Challenge HELPING OTHERS You can make a big difference by doing something small! Think about the types of things you can do on a daily basis to help others around you both now and for the long-term. You have the ability to make a positive impact!

Ideas: Donate canned goods or other food items, clothing, books, give back to those less fortunate.

Help your family with at-home projects, talk to your parents and friends and ask how you can help them!

How have you helped others lately?: _____________________________________________________________________

3. HEALTHY HABITS CHALLENGE GOOD HYGIENE It is important to practice good hygiene habits for yourself and for others. Let’s make washing our hands, brushing our teeth and taking a shower part of our daily routines in order to stay at the top of our game!

What do you do on a daily basis to follow good hygiene?: _____________________________________________________________________

Healthy Athlete Challenges

USA Baseball’s Healthy Athlete Challenges YOU to be the best person and athlete that you can be! Join us for eight straight days and beyond. After completing a day’s challenge, log your progress right on to the page and for a chance to be featured by USA Baseball, submit the completed challenge page along with photos of yourself completing the challenge to FunAtBat@usabaseball.com. Let’s stay active and healthy while having fun!

CHALLENGE 4 1. Physical Activity Challenge CHAIR WORKOUT Seated Bicep Curls: While seated, holding very light free-weights or other household items in both hands down by your sides, maintain a good seated posture, slowly lift both weights bringing your arms from your sides up towards your chest and back down again. Continue this repetition 5 to 10 times, slowly. Focus on good posture and your breathing!

Seated Shoulder Press: While seated, holding very light free-weights or other household items in both hands, extend your hands from your shoulders up towards the ceiling and back down again.

Continue this repetition 5 to 10 times, slowly. Focus on good posture and your breathing!

Seat Taps: Stand facing the front of the chair. Simultaneously lift your right arm and tap the seat of the chair with your left toes. Immediately bring your left foot back down to the ground, and alternate sides so you lift your left arm and tap the seat with your right toes. Continue to alternate taps as quickly as possible for 20 to 30 seconds, using your arms for momentum and balance.

How many repetitions of each exercise did you complete today?________________

2. Fun At Bat Championship Principle Challenge HONESTY Why is honesty so important? Don’t you want to be able to trust others and have others trust you as well? Being honest sometimes isn’t the easiest choice, but it is the right thing to do and it is most rewarding in the long-run!

Action Items: Tell the truth even when it is hard. Do things for the right reasons and for the betterment of the whole!

Who have you been honest to lately and what have you been honest about?: _____________________________________________________________________

3. HEALTHY HABITS CHALLENGE KINDNESS Message for All Activity: Write a letter of kindness to the world, your family or a friend. Write about positive things that make you happy and do your part by spreading cheer! Make it short and sweet! *BONUS* Record a video message for someone who you care about. Play their favorite music in the background, tell them a funny joke, let them know that you are thinking of them. Send this video to them and feel good about making their day!

How did you choose to spread kindness today?: _____________________________

Healthy Athlete Challenges

USA Baseball’s Healthy Athlete Challenges YOU to be the best person and athlete that you can be! Join us for eight straight days and beyond. After completing a day’s challenge, log your progress right on to the page and for a chance to be featured by USA Baseball, submit the completed challenge page along with photos of yourself completing the challenge to FunAtBat@usabaseball.com. Let’s stay active and healthy while having fun!

CHALLENGE 5 1. Physical Activity Challenge WALL-SIT CHALLENGE Find a wall in your home to help you complete this exercise. Lean your back against the wall and squat down in to a seated position, keeping your back up against the wall and making sure that your feet are planted on the ground with your weight on your heels. Hold this position between 30 to 60 seconds at a time. When you feel comfortable performing this exercise, challenge yourself to hold this position as long as possible! Record your longest hold below.

How long were you able to hold a wall-sit today?:____________________________

2. Fun At Bat Championship Principle Challenge DO YOUR BEST Give your best effort to every task, no matter how big or small. Where do you have the opportunity to do your best? How can you improve when you are struggling?

Action Items: You can do your best on school assignments, in sports, you can do your best at home, you can try to be the best sibling, son/daughter, grandchild and friend that you can be! Each day is another chance to do our best!

Remember back to a time that you had to try your best. What was it that you did your best at?: _____________________________________________________________________

3. HEALTHY HABITS CHALLENGE READING Reading books, the newspaper, articles and more, can help expand your understanding of so many things and can also stimulate your imagination! Think about the last book you read. What did you like about it? Challenge yourself to read each day, even if it is just for a little bit! Make it a part of your routine to strengthen your creative muscles!

What did you read today? _____________________________________________________________________

Healthy Athlete Challenges

USA Baseball’s Healthy Athlete Challenges YOU to be the best person and athlete that you can be! Join us for eight straight days and beyond. After completing a day’s challenge, log your progress right on to the page and for a chance to be featured by USA Baseball, submit the completed challenge page along with photos of yourself completing the challenge to FunAtBat@usabaseball.com. Let’s stay active and healthy while having fun!

CHALLENGE 6 1. Physical Activity Challenge JUMPING JACKS CHALLENGE Start in a position with your feet together and your arms resting at your sides, then, jump your legs apart while at the same time raising your arms outward and over your head. In the same motion, jump your legs back together while at the same time bringing your arms back down to your sides.

Keep these movements controlled and see how many you can do! Record the number of Jumping Jacks you complete below!

How many Jumping Jacks did you complete today?:__________________________

2. Fun At Bat Championship Principle Challenge LEADERSHIP Think about someone who is a good leader. What qualities make them a good leader?

Action Items: Practice humble confidence, look out for others and make decisions in the best interest of others. Be an approachable person and ask others how you can best help them!

Who is a great leader in your life and why?: _____________________________________________________________________

3. HEALTHY HABITS CHALLENGE STRETCHING Before or after a physical activity, before bed, or anytime your muscles feel tense or tight, it is a good idea to perform simple stretches in order to stay loose, limber and feel stress-free. Think about some of your favorite stretches. How do your arms, legs and back feel when you set aside just a couple of minutes to stretch everything out?

What types of stretches did you perform today? _____________________________________________________________________

Healthy Athlete Challenges

USA Baseball’s Healthy Athlete Challenges YOU to be the best person and athlete that you can be! Join us for eight straight days and beyond. After completing a day’s challenge, log your progress right on to the page and for a chance to be featured by USA Baseball, submit the completed challenge page along with photos of yourself completing the challenge to FunAtBat@usabaseball.com. Let’s stay active and healthy while having fun!

CHALLENGE 7 1. Physical Activity Challenge OBSTACLE COURSE Create your own in-home obstacle course! Utilize the space and items around you to make an epic course. Don’t be afraid to throw in some roadblocks that you might have to jump over….Once your obstacle course is complete, take a run at it! Use a timer to record your times below. Email us a picture of your completed challenge as well as your obstacle course. Have fun getting creative!

Round 1:______________________________________________________________ Round 2:______________________________________________________________ Round 3:______________________________________________________________

2. Fun At Bat Championship Principle Challenge NEVER GIVE UP What does it mean to never give up? Even when things are tough, you have the opportunity to give your best effort and stay in the fight!

Action Items: Visualize a tough scenario in your head, stay in there and come out of it stronger! Try something that is difficult, a book, a puzzle, an exercise, attack the challenge head-on and practice never giving up!

Can you name someone who never gave up to achieve a goal? *BONUS* Tell us about a time that you never gave up to achieve a goal!: _____________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________

3. HEALTHY HABITS CHALLENGE MEDITATION Meditation strengthens mindfulness and many professional athletes take part in simple meditation sessions daily! Meditation can include breathing exercises, visualizations and other focus-based exercises. Find a way to access an online meditation session through videos or podcasts. Take some time to focus on yourself!

How do you feel after your meditation session? Do you feel more relaxed and focused? What did you think about during meditation?: _____________________________________________________________________

Healthy Athlete Challenges

USA Baseball’s Healthy Athlete Challenges YOU to be the best person and athlete that you can be! Join us for eight straight days and beyond. After completing a day’s challenge, log your progress right on to the page and for a chance to be featured by USA Baseball, submit the completed challenge page along with photos of yourself completing the challenge to FunAtBat@usabaseball.com. Let’s stay active and healthy while having fun!

CHALLENGE 8 1. Physical Activity Challenge RUN IN PLACE Running in place is easy and doesn’t require much space! You can get this workout done while watching your favorite show or while catching up with your family. Stand straight with your feet shoulder width apart and face forward, opening up your chest. In this position, start pulling your knees up, and land on the balls of your feet. Alternate each arm/leg like you are going for a run, focus on your form and breathing. Perform this exercise as long as you want, until you are tired!

Time yourself and record your time below.

How long did you run in place for?:________________________________________

2. Fun At Bat Championship Principle Challenge BEING SUPPORTIVE Think about how you can be supportive of others on a daily basis. You can do this in a variety of ways! Check in with your family and friends. Ask how they are doing and how their day is going.

Show that you care and want to invest in other people! Be compassionate, lend your time and pick someone up when they are feeling down.

How did you choose to support others today?: _____________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________

3. HEALTHY HABITS CHALLENGE SLEEP WELL! Sleep is an essential part of everyone’s routine and a huge part of a healthy lifestyle. Studies have shown that regular, full nights of sleep have improved attention, behavior, learning, memory, and overall mental and physical health for kids!

How many hours of sleep are you going to try to get tonight? _____________________________________________________________________