Let me tell you folks, this might be the shortest update yet. I think we all needed a bit of a week off from overly contemplating our mission. That being said, I intend to make sure next week's 2 month update will be a bit meatier.
Sam:
This morning was the hardest morning to get up and go for my run. I did it, but I sure didn't run all that quickly. I'm also convinced that my cats didn't want me to leave the bed, let alone the house. Well, they wanted me to leave the bed to feed them, then go back to bed so they could cuddle. Every morning when I put on my running shoes, Vader's convinced we're playing a game, he attacks my hands and shoe laces until I finished tying them up.
Go running?, nah, you wanna play with me, he's says. I ignore him and leave the warm house to join the cold weather outside.
Morning run completed, now it time for kitty cuddles.
Andrea:
Meh. What can I say, it's been a bit of a week. Life did it's best to kick me down, and I had a few moments, but I had my lovely Jedi Council, and my super-awesome mum to lean on.
So, yes, I got up and went for my runs. Other than that life's been a bit of a write off. I ate relatively well, but I certainly didn't put in the effort I normally would into eating well. Blerg.
Also, my home currently looks like a pack of angry dogs rushed through and attempted to 'organise it'. Things are EVERYWHERE. Moving's no fun kids.
My goal for next week is to really get back on track, I'm not letting the universe keep me down!
Kate:
I spent most of January considering creative ways that I could both punish and destroy our bathroom scale. While I know it isn't really at fault for continuing to show me the same numbers, day after day, I was still developing a pretty vengeful attitude towards the damn thing. Douse it in lighter fluid and set it on fire? Stake it out at low tide and cackle while the water gets closer? Feed it to sharks? All of the above?
Anyway, I am finally willing to let go of my murderous fantasies - I am officially down 6lbs! It's funny that such a small number can have such a big impact, but it really does. It makes all of this feel worth it, and makes me double down and want to keep going. Results, no matter how small, are awfully encouraging.
This post was supposed to go up on Friday, but then that thing called life got in the way for me, and since I'm the one doing the posting, it all fell apart a little. So, many apologies to my Council (who are amazing during life crises FYI, not just health/fitness encouragement). Nonetheless here's our 'Valentine's Post' for the Jedi Council.
Since it's Valentine's Day on Saturday, I've challenged the Jedi Council to find something about our bodies that we've grown to love, or loving something you can do now that you couldn't do 6 weeks ago when we began. To be fair, knowing the ladies Jedi, I was sure they'd come up with something poignant and lovely. I wasn't far off. Kate and Sam wrote very different pieces for this update, one short and concise, and one long and proud. Even though I'm the one who suggested the challenge, I find myself struggling with it, I don't know if I quite thought it through, having to find something to love. We live in a society that's constantly bombarding us with images of tiny, happy, girls, trying to convince us it's the ideal. However, I was reminded that ideals are constantly changing when I watched this video that Buzzfeed put together in January, tracking beauty ideals over the course of history.
Let me just people, if I'd lived in the Italian Renaissance, I would have been the talk of the town. Yup this little video is a nice reminder that 'ideal' is a fluid thing, ever changing, just like me. Just like you!
Andrea:
There was a time that if you'd asked me to carry something, I would have internally balked, and then shot out a joke about my 'weak baby bird arms' and then do my best to help carry whatever needed to be carried. Now I'm stronger than I've ever been, ready, eager and willing to lift heavy things. I've learned that my body can do things that I didn't think it could, which is kind of amazing. I'm still not an amazing runner, but I'm working on it.
This week's been a bit of a set back in that area with the unwelcome appearance of vertigo in my life. BPPV (bening paroxysmal positional vertigo) makes the world feel like it's spinning, and makes everything seem a little off kilter. Workouts became a no-no and running was off the list until I could be sure that I wouldn't trip over my own feet.
However, on the upside, here at the end of the first 6 weeks of our little experiment, I'm down 13lbs. True it's not the 15 I'd aimed for, but it's pretty dang close. On top of that I was extremely pleased to find that I can fit into Old Navy pants. I don't know if you've ever tried on their pants, but they fit small. It's been annoying...until now.
All these little things are constant reminders that I'm able to do more and achieve more than I maybe once thought I could. So, what I think I love about my body is that I have it. And that it works, (most of the time) and that I'm learning to use it better. I saw Kingsman: Secret Service on the weekends, and my desire to be able to Parkour has been reignited. It's a lofty (very lofty) goal, but maybe one day, with some serious work, I'll get there.
Kate:
For this weekly update, Andrea challenged us to find something about our bodies that we'd grown to love. It's been surprisingly hard to write this update, because I'm just not used to thinking of my body in terms of approval or satisfaction. I spend far more time focusing on what's wrong with it, even when I know how unhealthy a mindset that is. So, thanks Andrea! Time to send my body a valentine. Dear Body, The thing I've grown to love most about you is how resilient you are. This week has involved a fair bit of increased activity and exercise, and you've handled it with a minimum of complaints. Aside from the occasional tendency to sprain ankles, you've been remarkably good at keeping injuries to a minimum, and even when our inner ear makes poor life choices, you pick yourself back up and don't even bruise. You handle pretty much anything I throw at you, and for that, I love you. Signed, Me.
Sam:
Since it’s Valentine’s day on Saturday, Andrea has challenged us to write about learning to love our bodies or loving something we can do now that we couldn’t do 6 weeks ago when we started this new adventure. What I love now is that my clothes are starting to fit better, and now I can even wear some articles of clothing that had just gotten too small over the last year. One article of clothing in particular is a jacket. A few years ago I volunteered for a curling event (The Continental Cup) and as part of the volunteer package, I got a nice blue jacket. This jacket was perfect, not too hot, not too cold. It has been a staple article of clothing. Last year I grew out of the jacket and was unable to wear it. Well, this past weekend I tried it on, and guess what? It fits! On Wednesday I wore it to curling for the first time in a year. I was sure that it would be a winning game, (It wasn’t). Despite not actually winning the game, it sure felt good to have that jacket on, like all was becoming right in the world again. The other thing that I have noticed that I love is one of my winter jackets that I recently purchased is now just too big. I look silly in it. It’s awesome that it no longer fits, but in some ways I feel that I just wasted the money on that jacket. C’est La Vie. I guess that a good complaint though.
Sometimes it’s hard to stay motivated; to get up for those early morning runs, or the late morning runs, or the exercise of any kind, but I’ve surprised myself and discovered that once my grumbling is done about the morning or the leaving of my house I’m actually enjoying learning to run. The app that I’ve been using (Zombie Run 5K) is definitely a big help.. The uniqueness of the app with their zombie survival story has helped me stay motivate. The other thing that helps me get up and out there are old pictures of myself. Last month I noticed people on facebook posting their very first profile picture. I took a look at mine and almost didn’t recognize myself. This weight thing has been a challenge for many years, and despite my setback over the last year, I have made so many positive changes over the last few years, eating healthier and exercising etc, that is can sometimes be hard to see where I started from. Looking at that old profile picture reminded me that I can do this thing. I can get up early, I can go for my runs, I can put in extra workouts, I can stay away from the chocolate and chips. This time around, It sure is nice to be going through this journey with Andrea and Kate. Being able to send them a picture of the giant Valentine’s Day cookie platter that just arrived in my office as yet another temptation sure helps me keep from breaking down and eating one (or two or three) of these cookies. There isn’t trying any more to make this work. It’s doing that counts.
Here's a little update on how the beginning of our February of Fitness is going!
Kate:
This week has been a great example of real life intruding on your plans (those oh so idealistic things) and saying "oh you think so, do you?" I've recently started on a medication known for causing side effects of sleepiness (wanna go for a walk? no?), and major GI upset (Pro: eating less. Con: still don't want to go for a walk), and then I decided to spend 7 of the first 14 days of this month out of town.
Still, I can't help but feel that these are the kinds of things that goals are made for. It's easy to follow your plans when everything is going smoothly, but it takes dedication to do it when it's not easy! Am I dedicated? Well....somewhat. I've done my 10 minutes of stretching every day, and I'm already noticing that it's starting to feel a little easier. I've not been averaging 12000 steps, but I'm sitting at 9000, which isn't so bad. I haven't made it to the gym yet, but I have put all my scheduled gym days in my calendar so I know when I am going to go.
All in all, I'd say I'm telling real life to suck it.
Sam:
There is something fundamentally wrong about being awake for three hours before you even start work. Especially when you start work at 8:00am. This is now my life? What did I sign up for? I am glad that I only have to get up at 4:30am twice a week. Thankfully my third mandatory run of the week can be a bit later in the morning, and any other exercise I might do on my non-running days will not be at 5am. Things I have noticed on my 5am runs: It’s dark. Like really dark. Like so dark I feel like I must have been captured by the Vashta Nerada (hey, who turned out the lights?) It’s also cold and foggy and wet and quiet. No one else is running at this time. The cars on the road are very limited and I might only see one or two other people walking their dogs, but that’s about it for human life. This can be somewhat disconcerting as the zombie noises coming from my Zombie Run app can make the imagination run a little bit wild.
Andrea:
It’s official, I’m in love with spaghetti squash. I cooked it for myself last night for the first time, and it’s amazing.
Apart from fun new recipes, I’m also cleaning up in the steps department. My UP band is trying really hard to convince me I should up my goal to 13,000 since I regularly hit that, I haven’t yet, but we’ll see. It also means that I’m almost in Rivendell. I’m doing the Eowyn Walk to Mordor challenge. That’s right, someone mapped out how many KMs it took Frodo and company to walk to Mordor and back and made a challenge out of it. Let me tell you, those hobbits walked WAY more than me. I should finally hit this first milestone of Rivendell on the weekend, and then on to Lothlorien!
I’m also doing the Zombies 5k training, although I’m not up at 4:30 for my runs, usually 6-6:30, a much more reasonable time, not nearly as dark, although I do get to run through a graveyard…
WE DID IT! We made through January! One of the reasons we’re not calling this adventure in health ‘resolutions’ is because all three of us would’ve already broken them by now. The nice thing with goals is that they can be worked towards, re-jigged, and amended. We’re building new habits here folks! That’s going to take some time!
For the end of our first month the ladies of the Council went over their goals and made sure that they were SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable/Attainable, Realistic and Timely). Sam went specific, for her new goal of learning to run, and Kate went broad, making sure that all the things she’s trying to do in this upcoming month are SMART. I think I’m somewhere in between. Which brings me to an observation I’ve made over the course of the first month. Having the Jedi Council has been absolutely indispensible. I know that Weight Watchers has recently introduced a chat feature to their program, but I don’t think it could compare to our Jedi Council conversation. Being able to turn to friends who are battling the same mini-bosses as you for support is amazing. Being able to see Sam’s super-dedication and Kate’s amazing insights on a daily basis is just great. I feel like in the past, trudging through it alone, feeling like no one really understands how you’re feeling (even though I’m sure there are many who do) made being healthier so hard. Having these cool ladies around has made this thing so much more fun and easy. If you’re going to do something like this, I’d really recommend forming your own Council.
OKAY! On top of making sure we haven’t gone too crazy with our goals, I’ve also challenged the Council to be selfish in February and put Fitness First. You’ll be unsurprised that I got this idea from my favourite nerdy fitness site, nerdfitness.com. Here’s the general idea from nerdfitness.com founder, Steve Kamb:
“That’s right, you get to be as selfish as you need to be in order to accomplish three goals:
· You do NOT miss a workout. No matter what.
· You consume healthy calories that allow you to reach your goal.
· You can say no to any obligation that would keep you from getting enough sleep or working out.
When you are trying to build healthy habits, especially if you are going all in, it’s often quite difficult to give yourself permission to “be selfish” when society and your duties tell you “fitness isn’t a priority.”
We all say “I’d love to exercise more,” but the reality is this: it’s not what we say is a priority, but rather what we DO that’s the real priority. This is me giving you permission to give yourself permission to be selfish for a month while you’re getting the ball rolling. Because it’s going to be a challenge to bust through bad habits and societal pressures, this might be what you need to finally build that habit.”
Have I mentioned I love this site? I HAVE? For reals though, it's great. You should TOTALLY sign up for their newsletters. So, Steve challenged nerdfitness readers (ie: me, and Sam), I’ve challenged the Jedi Council, and Craig from thenoblehero.com. Are YOU going to accept the challenge?!
NOW! On to the Council’s updates!
Kate:
Ah, February. Cold, rainy, icky. The month where I most want to curl up under the covers with some tea, cookies, my cat and a book. So what am I going to do?
Exercise.
Yeah.
The Jedi Council has decided that we're taking this whole February Fitness thing seriously, so instead of snoozing the month away, I will be spending it becoming a fitter version of me. And oh, do I need it. Without further ado, here are this month's quests:
1) I'm buying a one month pass to the rec center. That's not the quest though. The quest is that I must get my money's worth out of it. Given the cost of the pass and the cost of a drop-in visit to the gym, I need to go at least 9 times this month. Even if I just go and walk on the treadmill for 20 minutes, I must walk through those doors 9 times.
2) Increase my daily steps on my pedometer. I've been averaging 6000 steps per day, which is nowehere near enough. Next month I would like to average 12000 steps per day.
3) I have never been able to touch my toes. So, this month I will stretch every day, for at least 10 minutes. Yoga counts, but so does just standing there and reaching for my toes for 10 minutes!
Andrea has challenged us to make sure our goals this month are SMART, and I've made sure mine are! I've been focusing more on picking goals that outline a process, rather than a result, as I feel that it's less likely to set me up for disappointment. If I go to the gym 9 times this month, I've made progress, even if the scale doesn't budge at all.
Andrea: I’m amping up my goals this month! (But making sure they’re still within the SMART parameters, of course!)
My big quest is staying the same: 75lbs by the end of the year. And the first two sub-quests are staying the same: 1).eating 80% Paleo (ps, the recipes I’m trying? SO FUN!) 2) working out 3x a week (I wasn’t 100% great at this in January, but since we’re putting fitness first in February, it’s the top priority).
This is where I’m upping my game, sub-quest 3. I was extremely successful in upping my steps in January, only missing the 10,500 mark twice. So now we’re going to run. Wellll, kinda. I’m restarting (for like, the fourth time) the Zombies Run 5K training app (which is AMAZING! But I apparently suck at the follow through). And signed up for the Sun Run. Yup, cardio, you and I are going to be friends if it kills me! Last year, it kinda did, I signed up for Sun Run in 2014 as well, but got walking pneumonia, and was advised that it was probably in my best interest to not try and even walk the 10K…BUT THIS YEAR?! This year, I’m Sun Running.
Sam:
The first month of any life change is hard, and this month has been no exception. I was successful in losing some weight this month, so that is something for me to be proud of. I brought my lunch to work everyday except for one and I got up early enough every day to eat breakfast. I accomplished two out of three of my goals. Of the third goal, making sure I get in 10, 000 steps per day, well, I didn’t do so great on that. Some days were amazing, almost 20,000 steps, other days, I was lucky to break 6000.
Even though I didn’t get in my steps per day in January, I’m ok with this as my ONE AND ONLY goal for February is to exercise more. Bringing my lunch to work and getting up early are now my dailies, no longer first time quests I have to complete. So for February, I will rock those dailies and concentrate my efforts on the biggest badass boss there is, exercise, and I will be SMART about this exercise thing.
S(pecific) = Learn to Run 5K without stopping.
M(easurable) = I have my vivofit & various apps on my iPhone to help me keep track.
A(chievable) = Getting out there at least 3 times a week to train.
R(ealistic) = I’ve never been able to run (even as a kid), so even being able to run a little bit without losing my breath and needing to slow down will be an improvement.
T(imley) = The training program I have chosen is 8 weeks long.
To help me motivate myself I have done what I may later consider to be an insane act of my part and I signed up for not only the Vancouver Sun Run in April but also the Whistler Mudderella event in September.
Yeah. That’s right, we’re going to Mudderella it up in September. Yes, we may in fact be crazy people, but after reading about the event, and their motto of “Own Your Strong” sounds like it’s right up our crazy alley. See you on Friday, for your regularly scheduled mini-update!
