Appreciate Yourself Through Self-challenges Decide with your teacher which of these activities to complete:

1. Write an opinion essay, create journal entries, or do a Power Point presentation about the way the media portrays the ideal male and female bodies. Before you write, discuss this with your peers, parents and others. The majority of the population does not fit the media portrayal of men and women. Should you try to achieve an image that your body does not fit into? Or should you concentrate on an exercise program designed to suit your own needs and wants? How can you make the most of what you've got?
2. Do a book report or a movie review on athletes who have tried to take a short cut to fame and glory by using performance enhancing substances. Express your personal views about the use of these substances and their effects. Are they worth the health risk?
3. Using a variety of resources, develop a flexibility and strengthening routine. The exercises should include all the muscle groups. A good basic routine would start with all of the large muscle groups including your legs, arms and back, and then move to the smaller muscle groups. Begin with trunk rotations, leg rotations, shoulder and arm stretches, neck rolls or stretches, and then move to feet and hands. (By the way, a great way to relieve stress is to stretch and flex the fingers and wrists.) Do some research on building strength and flexibility to develop your routine.
4. It's important to keep a log of your activities and monitor your progress. Record your improvement by assessing the change in your range of motion and your strength. For example, keep track of the number of repetitions you can do, how much longer you are able to do an activity, and/or show an increase in the distance you can travel.

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