We are busy people

I don’t want to brag but the ladies of the Jedi Council are not only the type of people who try to make positive changes in their lives, but sometimes they’re also so GODDAMN busy that writing a coherent sentence is an impossibility. Or at least that’s the excuse I’m going with for this ridiculously late blog post (after accidentally skipping a week of posting…) First we were waiting on Kate, then it came down to me throwing it all together and putting it out and I just so dang busy that that didn’t happen until now…Luckily Sam’s usually on top of things, one of us should be semi-responsible.

Kate

I am such a slacker.

Holy crap, I have been so bad at this! I mean, I know the whole jedi council has been a little hit or miss on updating lately, but I gotta say, a lot of the lateness falls squarely on me. I can partially blame it on abruptly switching to a much busier and bigger work schedule, but I also have to admit my own slack-ass nature had something to do with it.

I apologize!

That said, this has been a pretty good couple of weeks. I've continued with my "walk to work" initiative, and while I haven't really increased the distance yet, I'm still getting several km in every morning, which makes me feel good.

Morning Milkshake

I've also been getting back into green smoothies, and most mornings I'm making one for breakfast and drinking it as I walk. I've developed a habit of buying greens like sprout, mache, kale, and spinach when they're on sale, taking them home, and whirling them up in the blender with some water. I pour that lovely green liquid into ice cube trays and boom - easy green smoothie ingredients! I've kinda nailed it down to my favourite recipe, and while I can't give you amounts (measure stuff? Ain't nobody got time for that), this is what I'm using:

Milk kefir
ice cubes
frozen mango or pineapple
frozen kale
frozen green cubes
1 tbsp fruit syrup or jam

So tasty! So filling!

Sam

Achievement Unlocked! A couple of weeks ago Andrea and I completed the 31st Annual Vancouver 10 km Sun Run. Our official finishing time was one hour and fourty seven mins. It was really amazing to see the city (of Vancouver) from a different perspective. I’ve been everywhere we walked before, but it was always in a car or walking on the sidewalk, but seeing them from the middle of the road, gives you a different view of your home. There was a ton on random people just cheering on the runners. I think my favourite sign I saw was from this one girl that said "Way to go random strangers". I was a little bit sore for the few days after the Sun Run, but now a few weeks later I’m ready to go again. Our next marathon like activity will be the Mudderella up in Whistler in September. So I’ve got to find some monkey bars and re-learn how to use them. Apparently you forget how to swing on monkey bars once you leave the playground.

theawkwardyeti.com

Andrea


Oh hi there May. How the hell did you manage to sneak up on me? It was probably in between moving, being busy, doing the Sun Run with Sam, and generally being my busy self.

The Sun Run was one of the most fascinating experiences I’ve ever had. There’s nothing quite like feeling the energy of all your fellow Sun Runners, along with the folks along the side, cheering you on, well, it was all a bit surreal. It’s also a completely unique way to see Vancouver; from the middle of the road, not having to worry about traffic. It was amazing. My goal was to finish in less than two hours, and Sam and I finished in an hour forty-seven, so mission accomplished!

I’m not going to lie, the rest of my health endeavours have kind of fallen by the wayside. I’m not exactly sure what happened, but I guess it means I need to dig back through my inventory of potions (yes, I’m always going to make this a video game reference) and find a way to strengthen my resolve and get back on track.

Sam & Andrea after the Sun Run 2015

The Jedi Council loves Star Wars

I bet after taking our little break, and then being all introspective last week you thought that this week’s blog intro was all going to be about how we’ve built on last week and are back in the swing of things, making progress and blah, blah, blah.

It was.

And then this happened.

And then we, all three of us, FREAKED THE HELL OUT WITH EXCITEMENT! I mean, there’s a reason this little adventure in health is called ‘A New Hope’ and we refer to ourselves as the Jedi Council!

So, now that we’ve all watched that trailer again (for the 40th or 50th time), let’s get down to the business at hand.

Sam

Well March is over and now April is almost half over? Where on earth does the time go? Wibbly Wobbly I guess. The Sun Run is fastly approaching (this weekend) and I'm looking forward to it, however woefully underprepared I am. I've done the Sun Run once before, and I know that I will do a lot better this time and with Andrea by my side, we will at least have some fun while doing it. Now what should I put on my Sun Run play list? 

Andrea

More than anything, I really spent the last week refocusing on the ‘you can’t outrun your fork’ concept. My lovely mother was in town last week, and as much as I love her, we really don’t eat great when she’s here. We spend all of our time out adventuring, and that leaves little time for cooking a good, healthy meal.

 This week, I made some Scotch eggs, they’re tasty, but didn’t quite turn out the way I wanted. I’m not generally a fan of hard-boiled eggs, and definitely didn’t know how long to boil them for, thus breaking a few along the way. Slight kitchen disasters aside, I’ve found having a protein-rich breakfast has really helped bolster my willpower throughout the rest of the day. I don’t know what kind of Jedi mind trick I’m pulling on myself, but it’s making me feel pretty awesome.

Finally, (and unbelievably) the Vancouver Sun Run is this weekend. And I’m so not ready. Luckily I’ll have Sam with me to make it a fun experience. I figure, no matter how long it takes me this year, I’ll have a time to try and beat next year. In fact, just making it TO the race this year is better than last year. Last year at this time I was informed by a doctor that I had walking pneumonia. When I jokingly said, “I guess I shouldn’t do the Sun Run on Sunday then.”  He immediately responded with, “Don’t do that. No, definitely not.” So, I’m taking it as a win! Just need to fill up a playlist and try and outsmart Vancouver weather with whatever I decide to wear.

Kate

Hello, spring! I feel like it's actually here this time. No really. All this gorgeous sun, the flowers blooming, the way the air smells.....I don't think this one is a trick! So, accordingly, I've started my new "walk to work" initiative. I just transitioned to working 5 days a week, and work is 5.9km from home. Walking all of it every day is a bit daunting, so I've sectioned off the middle bit and given myself permission to take the bus through that part if I need to. So far I haven't walked the whole thing yet (I also transitioned to starting work at 8am. There's only so early I can handle in the morning, guys, jeez), but I have been averaging 3.5km every morning. And damn does it feel good! What a fantastic way to start out my day and get me on the right track to good decisions, right from the get go. Between the extra exercise, and the novelty of actually delivering oxygen to my poor body while sleeping, I've been full of energy and positive vibes this whole past week, and I love it!

And on a totally non - health note, that new Star Wars trailer? Yeah, not hurting this mood any.

We ARE The Jedi Council, after all.

February = Fitness First. (or alliteration is awesome)

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!