The roomies have been sending emails back and forth that contain an increasing number of words in ALL CAPS. You know what this means: we're starting another challenge and we're pumped about it. (Nothing gets us quite as pumped as a challenge.)
This time we want you to join us.
Starting August 1, we're doing a challenge and inviting all of our friends to join in. If you ask our trainers Tony and Karen, they'll tell you that our enthusiasm is contageous. If you ask my boyfriend, it's annoying unless you're in on the venture. So start thinking of fitness and dietary goals that you want to achieve over the next six weeks, and we will cheer you to success.
This is all about choosing your OWN goals. Make it ambitious but doable. We encourage you to get fairly specific in your goals (it will help you feel more accomplished, I promise), but with measurements that are meaningful to you. If your goal is going to the gym three times each week for the next 6 weeks, that's great. Tell us what kind of exercises you'll do there (this will help keep you honest and on track). If it's doing a sub 4 minute Fran, that's also great. We don't judge where you're at, just that your goals are a good faith effort to find yourself healthier six weeks from now.
Oh, and, do not set yourself up for failure because, well, with our enthusiasm, it's not going to happen.
I happen to be climbing back on the horse right now myself! It has been about a year since my adrenals went all wonky and I suddenly couldn't tell the difference between being lazy and being out of cortisol. So frustrating to feel like I let my fitness fall apart after coming so far and have to try to remember that by that point I physically couldn't do anything about it. I'm excited to say that my workouts this week have been awesome for the first time since... oh, the beginning of January (ugh). However, as much as I'd like to say that my goal is to get my jogging pace back up to what it was last year the harder challenge is to give my body the flexibility it needs instead of pushing myself back into adrenal fatigue. This is actually the hardest thing for me... because I can push myself to do too much all too easily. This probably isn't what you were looking for but seriously, this has been my year long struggle.
ReplyDeleteHi ladies! I was JUST mentioning to a friend how I want/need eat Paleo again...on Monday of course, and she sent me your blog. I'm over in Texas, and I'm IN! Looking forward to some enthusiasm! And I'll start thinking about some good goals...how long is the challenge?
ReplyDeleteMW: Adrenal issues are atrocious. You're welcome to join the challenge on the dietary end, and make your fitness goal one of balance rather than making yourself sick. (I know, way easier for me to suggest than to achieve.)
ReplyDeleteJessica: WELCOME! We're so glad you're joining us. We'll be doing this for 6 weeks, so Monday August 1 through Sunday September 11.
I'm in. Shall I post goals here? Four years ago today I went into hospital to have my twins. I weighed 198 lbs. That night I weighed 168. I am barely 5' tall. I had a terrible pregnancy - bedrest for 16 weeks - and a terrible postpartum with hypothyroidism that went undiagnosed for 8 months. Anyway, I'm finally down to pre-marriage weight but it's time to get it in shape. I think I need a tummy tuck for all this loose skin (tmi?) but I want to see what I can do with the muscles first. I'd like to try paleo, but not yet. So, I went and had a fitness evaluation and my body fat was pretty high. I'd like it to come down by about 8% - don't know if that's doable in 6 weeks, but I'm committed to getting in some form of exercise 6 days a week, whether it's swimming, a class at the gym (blah), running, etc. And incorporating serious strength training into my routine. I'm forty this month and don't feel it. And, I'd like to keep it that way.
ReplyDeleteLet's do this.
I just wanna be like you lot! Mostly I need to learn better models for balancing lawyering and living and health. The idea of that makes me so happy.
ReplyDeleteI'm 41 (and feel it) and I used to be a fit person. I used to run 40 miles a week, much of it in the mountains, climb in the gym, and I was pretty regularly climbing 13-14k peaks, both technical and not. I was vegan for 17 years. Then life took a left turn when I had my daughter (10 years ago next week) and between a femur stress fracture hypothyroidism and not knowing how to cope with my career without running meditation, I went just off the rails altogether.
In the last four years I have started my own law practice and focussing intensely on that made me strong in many ways but completely unbalanced in terms of taking care of myself. I have somewhat gotten my head better together and love spending outdoor time with my daughter and her passions (horses, birds, anything involving mud). She needs me a lot less these days. And now I'm just coming out of a cast on my right hand, after breaking many little bones and demonstrating that my bones are about as strong these days as balsa wood. Splintery balsa wood.
Long story short: I've always thought of myself as a strong person, but really at this point I need to work to make it so.
I'd like to lose some fat pounds but also I need to up the muscle mass. I'd like to learn how you intensely busy women do this paleo thing, and whether it is possible to reconcile paleo with dark chocolate. I am deeply afraid I cannot even begin to keep up with you Crossfit machines, so my workout plans will be relatively wimpy to you all. Riding horses with my daughter is one of my replacements for my beloved running, and it is deceiving how much fitness it takes to actually ride well.
I've never been prouder to be included in such a great group of women. (Hey dudes, you're welcome to join, too!) Honestly, y'all are already badasses; I feel like I've gained XP just being associated with you. Look out August! We are going to destroy you!
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