Week 1: The Fitness Challenge is On!

What a great week right?  Most seem to be off to a great start!  I LOVED hearing from all of you and all about your week.  I just want to go over a few things though:

1. Goals — let’s take a moment and break down our goals a bit.  After doing this for 4 years, one thing always happens, people tend to slack off all summer, then cram miles in at the end.  Guys, this isn’t want the challenge is about.  It’s about forming new fitness habits, getting healthy, and reaching goals in healthy, fun ways.  There is no long term win for those who cram.  I get LOTS of “I will do better next week”s.  There is nothing wrong with having a slow week now and then, and hey, last year, I did it EVERY week.  But I learned something: Good intentions pave the way to failure. (I know the quote is a little different, but I like it this way better).  If you don’t step it up, now, you are going to be making excuses for yourself all summer long, and keep putting it off until at the end, you didn’t make it.  Then I get a bunch of emails “I will do better next year”.  I know summers are busy!  I haven’t had a husband home for the summer in 4 years!  I have been doing this challenge with kiddos.  It gets hot, my kids keep me from getting to the gym or going on long runs, BUT they love to ride their bikes while I walk with the stroller.  Be creative, there are ways around this.  It’s called a “challenge” for a reason.

Don’t look at the big picture.  The 120, 170, and 220 is a big goal to have!!  There are exactly 13 weeks in the summer.  Let’s break it up, alright. Let’s look at some weekly goals:

2. Don’t Compare Yourself with Others – I post the list of the challengers updates, not so you can feel bad about yourself, but so you can see what other’s are up to and see where you are with the others that have the same goals.  I want you to feel like part of a team.  This is not a competition, it’s a challenge for yourself.  This year, I have added the goals on the chart so people can see who is reaching for what.  Last year, someone told me that it was depressing to see people doing 20-30 miles a week when they were only managing 5-10.  I had to remind them that some people here are marathon runners.  They go out for a “little” run and run 5-10 miles just for their morning workout!  Then there are MANY of you who are just beginners.  Getting out and walking a mile or two a day is all you can do.  And that’s great!  But honestly, it isn’t fair to yourself to compare.  Everyone is on their own journey, accept that and focus on your own goals.  Those of you who did this last year, make it a goal to just do better than you did then.  Those of you who are new, do your best and “forget the rest”.

3.  Challenge yourself!  – I think that each and every one of you can make it a goal to walk/run an OFFICIAL 5K this summer.  There are LOTS of them!!  Sign up for one and DO IT!!  I have NEVER heard anyone regret they did a 5K… not ever.  Then send us a picture and a story and we will post it!!!

4.  Never EVER be Embarrassed of your Achievements!! – You all know I’m not! lol.  I have the littlest conquests and to many they might not be anything.  So what, she ran up a hill, whoopty flippin’ do.  Well, that was HUGE for me and I am going to celebrate it!  Celebrate every little victory!

5. Make it fun!! – I love my Mapmyrun app.  I use it on my walks and hikes too.  Get some cute shoes or a cute outfit to work out in.  I just bought a cute pick hydration pack designed for runners.  I am totally pumped to get out and try it!

6. Let your kids participate – mine like to ride their bikes next to me or ride their scooters.  They love it!

7.  Exercise is great, but so is Nutrition – Watch those calories!  Use myfitnesspal and make sure you keep within your limits so you eat enough but not too much.  You will get the max results by doing both together.  You can even friend me on there if you want: Catanne81 is my user name. I know what’s it like to be overweight… morbidly obese even… I even know how discouraging it is to plateau for a million years, doing that now.  We are on this journey together, let’s help each other out!

8. Enjoy the Journey – Fitness and health is a journey.  And it’s an amazing one!!  Nothing has taught me more about myself then discovering of what my body is capable.  Let me give you a little perspective about yourself.  The human body can go places and do things that no vehicle EVER made could do.  Let me tell you a little about my Mormon perspective.  Mormon’s believe that our spirits are LITERAL children of God.  That our spirits, therefore, are divine, with god-like potential.  When we are sent here to Earth to gain imperfect moral bodies to be tested, we are supposed to overcome those physical imperfections and challenges and become the best that we can — more like the divine-self we have the potential to come.  A strong body and a strong spirit make for an AMAZING soul.  The journey will be hard, you will cry, you will want to quit, but don’t let the physical aspect of it bring you down, if everything you are inside wants this, GO FOR IT!  You will see amazing miracles!  I know, because I have been there! Work hard in a way that when you look back, you will have NO regrets!

So get out there Challengers and work it this week!!!

-Cat

Wow! 506 miles (489 when this map was made) and 5 states under our collective belt, and it’s only the first week! Even if you completed just one mile this week, it helped our group get that much closer to our goal of running through the 48 contiguous states. Keep it up! I hope you enjoyed a Florida orange, a Georgia peach, and (if you were feeling adventurous) tried some of South Carolina’s famous boiled peanuts. I loved traveling through Andy Griffith’s hometown, Mount Airy, North Carolina (the real-life Mayberry). And, I must say I’ve never seen anything like the tiny, mysterious fairy stones that we saw during our hike through Fairy Stone State Park in Virginia. I’m excited to continue our trek!