We had 5 young people and 3 adults, hotter than blue blazes, and humid too.
GENERAL MOBILITY
Various skips w/arm swings Tiger Push ups
Carioca Crucifixion
Forward shuffle, 2l, 2r
Backward shuffle, 2l, 2r Inchworm
Puddle Hops Knee out walk
Hips in shuffle
Hips out shuffle High knee walk to lunge to quad stretch
Backward Push Walking Reverse overhead lunge
Crazy legs Superman Walk
Butt kicks Kick walk
JUMP CIRCUIT
15 vertical Jump and Stick
10 jump tuck
5 broad jump
5 left leg broad jump and stick
5 right leg jump and stick
2 Rounds
High Knee Skip 50 yards
Run Backwards 50 yards
20 Squats
10 Push ups
2 Rounds
Broad jump for distance, 8
Compass lunges, 5 rounds
couple reps of something, pushups or v-ups, and,
back to starting line and a couple of reps of something, again
CORE
Rocket Girls, 20
High plank Spider-man, 10
Good Mornings, 10
BONUS
Burpee Pyramid Suicide
Markers at 16, 32, and 50 yards
1 burpee on the baseline every time, increase burpees by 1 as distance increases, so 2 on the 16, 3 on the 32, 4 on the 50
The 10 elements of Physical Fitness.
Cardiovascular/respiratory endurance- The ability of body systems to gather, process, and deliver oxygen.
Stamina – The ability of body systems to process, deliver, store, and utilize energy.
Strength – The ability of a muscular unit, or combination of muscular units, to apply force.
Flexibility – The ability to maximize the range of motion at a given joint.
Power – The ability of a muscular unit, or combination of muscular units, to apply maximum force in minimum time.
Speed – The ability to minimize the time cycle of a repeated movement.
Coordination – The ability to combine several distinct movement patterns into a singular distinct movement.
Agility – The ability to minimize transition time from one movement pattern to another.
Balance – The ability to control the placement of the body’s center of gravity in relation to its support base.
Accuracy – The ability to control movement in a given direction or at a given intensity.
Had 5 scouts, and 3 adults show up for the departure on Friday, night. Set up went easily. We cooked a Spice Cake and Apple pie filling dump cake.
We had breakfast burritos for… well breakfast. The events on Saturday were centered on a Highland Games theme. The guys put together an ad hoc patrol, called “The Lawn Chair” patrol pretty easy going. None-the-less they entered all but one event. The guys did well at Volleyball, but, were decimated by the same Troop at the tug of war. They challenged the adults and got beaten again. As I hear it, Ron stood in the back, grunted, and took up the slack that Dwayne, Amanda, and I created, hmmm. The event planners put together a device for simulating log rolling, and after watching a lot of guys sustain minor injuries from it, I made the executive decision that we wouldn’t do that — oddly, the guys were good with that. Two adults and a cub scout joined us. Kevin is a monster at “ladder ball” he won First Place in that event — one of those skills he can use in the future. Sandwiches for lunch. The afternoon involved a bagpipe demonstration, our guys decided to listen at a distance. Otherwise we hung around camp and carved stuff out of the fire wood. I took a nap. Tacos for dinner. The campfire was 2 and a half hours long… just a bit much. I think 40 people were inducted into the OA. I made a chocolate and cherry pie filling dump cake. Em and I slept under the stars both nights.
Pancakes and sausages for breakfast. We packed up and were ready to go a little early, but, hung around for the closing ceremony. We had beautiful weather and I think the guys had a great time.
Saturday night we had an Eagle Court of Honor for Jon Veilleux. It was a pleasant sized crowd — I think we had about a dozen guys from the troop show up to be color guards, set up, and so on. Steve, did a nice job as MC, Mr Boyce, did a very nice presentation on Jon’s scouting experience, Jon’s brother Tim read the Eagle charge, I did a good job holding the presentation case, and modeling my uniform — mostly I tried to stay out of the way. Jon, very sweetly and appropriately presented his Dad with the mentor pin.
A nice reception followed, and Jon was gifted with a kayak.
All told a nice celebration of Jon’s accomplishment.
An even dozen, met at BCS at 7am loaded up and headed out. We ran a 5-6 mile section of the Cobbosseecontee Stream. We had 2 portages past dams, 3 sections of riffles, 2 were between 10-50 yards, one was perhaps 200 yards. Near the end we had the adventure of getting under a very low bridge — laying down in the canoes to get through. It was an amazingly beautiful spring day, with the wind to our sterns. It was about getting the guys, and parents, experience and we accomplished that.
Lyme disease is caused by the bacterium Borrelia burgdorferi and is transmitted to humans by the bite of infected ticks. Typical symptoms include fever, headache, fatigue, and a characteristic skin rash called erythema migrans. If left untreated, infection can spread to joints, the heart, and the nervous system.
Spray all exposed skin and your clothing with insect repellant (spray outdoors only, do not use on face, use just enough to cover all other exposed skin, don’t spray under clothing, don’t apply over wounds or irritated skin, wash skin after going inside)
Wear light-colored clothing to make it easier to spot ticks
Wear long-sleeved shirts and long pants with the cuffs tucked into shoes or socks
Wear high boots, preferably rubber
http://www.tickkey.com/ The only tick removal device on the planet that uses natural forward leverage to remove the entire tick, head and all, quickly and safely without touching or squishing even the toughest engorged ticks. There are all kinds of devices for this important task, the advantage this one has is it fits on a key chain and almost everybody has their keys with them always. Get the tick out as quickly as possible is the point.
Permethrin – This is a contact insecticide. That is, it kills ticks or other insects when it comes in contact with them. It is used on clothing. As a treatment for clothing, Sawyer Permethrin does not harm fabrics and is odorless when dried. Use by itself or with skin applied repellents to build the ultimate protective barrier. A contact insecticide, Permethrin is non-toxic to humans. When used at “military specifications,” Permethrin remains effective for up to 52 weeks and yields significant spatial repellency. Each can of Permethrin Spray is $9.50.
Controlled Release Lotion w/ DEET – The most significant improvement in Insect Repellents since the advent of DEET, one application of Controlled Release formula can be effective for up to 20 hours against mosquitoes and 17 hours against ticks. Controlled Release is the new technology in Insect Repellents which will change the way you use insect repellents. Each bottle of Controlled Release Lotion is $8.50.
Poison ivy, western poison oak, and poison sumac have the poisonous sap (urushiol) in their roots, stems, leaves and fruit. The sap is released when the plant is bruised, making it easier to contract Rhus-dermatitis in the spring and early summer when leaves are tender. The sap may be deposited on the skin by direct contact with the plant or by contact with contaminated objects, such as shoes, clothing, tools and animals. Severe cases have occurred from sap-coated soot in the smoke of burning plants. Because urushiol is inside the plant, brushing against an intact plant will not cause a reaction. But undamaged plants are rare because “Poison oak, ivy and sumac are very fragile plants,” says William L. Epstein, M.D., professor of dermatology, University of California, San Francisco. Stems or leaves broken by the wind or animals, and even the tiny holes made by chewing insects, can release urushiol.
After the oil has touched the skin, it usually takes some time for it to penetrate and do its damage. Before this happens, it is wise to wash the skin thoroughly several times with plenty of soap and water. Care should be taken not to touch any part of the body, for even tiny amounts of the oil will cause irritation. If poisoning develops, the blisters and red, itching skin may be treated with dressings of calamine lotion, Epsom salts, or bicarbonate of soda. Scientists have developed a vaccine that can be injected or swallowed. But this is effective only if taken before exposure. If you don’t cleanse quickly enough, or your skin is so sensitive that cleansing didn’t help, redness and swelling will appear in about 12 to 48 hours. Blisters and itching will follow. For those rare people who react after their very first exposure, the rash appears after seven to 10 days.
A good question that sometimes is asked at an Eagle Board of review — which of the points of the law would you sacrifice and what would you replace it with and why. After all these years this is one that I’m toying with.
initiative [ɪˈnɪʃɪətɪv -ˈnɪʃətɪv]
n
1. the first step or action of a matter; commencing move he took the initiative a peace initiative
2. the right or power to begin or initiate something he has the initiative
3. the ability or attitude required to begin or initiate something, on one’s own initiative without being prompted
4. (Government, Politics & Diplomacy) Government
a. the right or power to introduce legislation, etc., in a legislative body
b. the procedure by which citizens originate legislation, as in many American states and Switzerland
We live in a society that is largely consumptive. We go to grocery stores rather than hunt, fish, farm or garden. We surf the internet rather than engage in conversation. We download music rather than learn to play an instrument or get together with friends to make music. We read books rather than write them — even if just journals of our experiences and thoughts. We wait for leaders, teachers, parents, to make decisions for us. On one hand we can wring our hands and lament these dark times. Or, instead we can see the golden opportunity that exists for people with the skill and inclination towards initiative. I’m firmly convinced that initiative is a skill that one can practice and perfect over a lifetime. But, that is still no easy thing: action, ambition, drive, dynamism, energy, enterprise, enthusiasm, get-up-and-go, gumption, inventiveness, leadership, moxie, originality, punch, push, resource, resourcefulness, spunk, steam, vigor.
The first 3 ranks of scouting we are looking to fill the scout up with skills and knowledge, the next 2 ranks we are looking for the scout to teach and lead with these skills, and the final rank involves a test, a project that demonstrates, initiative and civic engagement.
I’ve noticed as we’ve attempted to extend our outdoor adventures that some guys and some parents are limited by their level of general physical preparedness (gpp). Not only am I the Scoutmaster but also the Personal Fitness Merit badge counselor. Physical fitness is kind of a hobby and so I’ve been gathering sources and thinking about this for years now.
It is really hard to lose weight by exercising. We get fat because of what and how much we eat. And the best way to lose it is to eat less and better. That claim has to be modified with additional information: first, safe weight loss is between one and two pounds per week, any attempt to go faster shocks the body into survival mode and it burns muscle instead of fat — and that is counter productive. Exercise, can play a role in healthy weight loss, and that is this, by increasing the the ratio of lean body weight: to fat, ie building muscle raises our metabolic rate and hence our likely-hood to burn fat. I think that percent of body-fat is a better measure of potential health then any chart of recommended weight or body mass index. Men and boys should be between 10 and 20 percent, women between 14 and 25 percent — these are lower than average, because average isn’t the same as healthy.
Don’t waste your time running for long distances — unless you specifically have a goal to be a marathoner or tri-athlete. Rather, for the vast majority of school sports interval training is better. I train exclusively with intervals, and yet, when I need to backpack or canoe all day I find myself well prepared.
Recall my statement above that the body will burn muscle before it sacrifices fat — now compare the physique of a marathoner to a sprinter:
I don’t want to disparage the long distance runner’s accomplishment. However, we need to understand that his physique is a result of his body consuming itself. Whereas the sprinter has a well muscled build, but, also lean. That muscle is built in part through interval training. Moreover that muscle translates into the ability to do work, work that isn’t specialized and limited to running long distance. I suggest that the sprinter has a gpp that we should look at more closely as we get ready for school sports and outdoor adventures.
Warm up — always and longer than you want to. Always work out with friends or family members it is just more fun and it adds a hint of competition that pushes us a little. Try to work out out doors whenever possible.
Most of us sit in a car, or on a bus, and then sit in desks all day. Hence it is really important to work our joints through full ranges of mobility.
Depending on your level of fitness you may only be able to start with a 10- 15 minute round of these warm ups and mobility exercises. It is better to start slow and build a solid foundation. This is more for mental reasons than physical.
Once we are well warmed up and our joints are lubricated I like to move into a session of explosive movements. I do this early in the workout so that I’m warm but not yet fatigued if I do this work later in the work out I am at greater risk of injury. Don’t do everything these guys do all at once, but, do start exploring this kind of movement. As we age we tend to move more slowly and literally our bodies forget how to move quickly so these are important, but, should be worked up to.
Now we get to the actual work I really like what this trainer offers the person just starting out. I have lots of additional suggestions for folks once they’ve done this kind of routine for 12 or 15 weeks.
I like to finish my work outs with what people call “core”. These muscles stabilize all the other movements we’ve done throughout our routine. I don’t want to fatigue them at the outset and then risk injury because these muscles can’t support me through the work.
I despise crunches and sit ups so these movements give us results without wiggling around on the floor. Mix and match these to keep the routine interesting. Start out aiming for 3 days a week, and work up to 40 minutes of constant motion, hold that for 12-15 weeks. After that we’ll kick things up to the next level.
