On the first Monday of every month, we take on a ‘mission’ – a shift or habit or inspiration – to work on together. There’s strength (and support) in numbers! On the last Thursday of the month, we reconvene to see how far we’ve come.
#22
Oh man, I am SORE!
Today, for the first time, I did a real work out. None of this cutesy “happy healthy mama” stuff. No way. Today . . . I met Jillian.
I’m a pretty dang active lady. I do my little videos a few times each week. I walk the dogs almost every day, while wearing a toddler on my back. I go for a bike ride almost every afternoon, while carting a toddler on my handlebars. I walk said toddler to sleep every night, for about 45 minutes, while wearing him on my chest. And you know, this particular toddler never. stops. moving. so I’m also running around constantly, in between all those activities.
So I maintain my weight pretty easily, I have some lean muscle, and my heart is fairly strong, I think. But still, I’m not necessarily toned. I’m not even as strong as I’d like to be. Mostly, I’ve never, in my whole life, attempted to get “cut”. By which I mean, to *really* get into shape.
But lately I’ve been thinking a lot about health outside of diet. About wellness beyond nutrition. About holistic healing, and whole-person happiness.
This month, I’m going to focus on fitness. I’m going to strive for strength. Build muscle. Feel my body become powerful. Challenge my own physical limits. Heighten my metabolism . . . and my abilities. Sweat out some toxins. Increase endorphins. Combat cortisol and, hopefully, help to manage my stress.
I’ll be working through Jillian’s 30-Day Shred, – a serious ass-kicking of a workout – with the end goal of completing level 3 without stopping, at the end of the month. And I’m really excited for this one, guys!
So what about you? Do you accept this mission? Do you already have a fitness routine that you’re ready to take to the next level, or will you be starting from square one and jumping in for the first time?
***As an aside, remember you can always hit your local library for awesome workout videos/dvds without spending any money. Or, check out tons of great options on youtube.
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Next month will be the second installment of the Bonzai Book Club, which switches off with the Monday Monthly Mission, alternating every other month. I know that reading can be time-intensive, and we’re a very busy bunch of movers and shakes around here. So I always give you the reading assignment a month ahead, at the end of the MMM post, in case you want to get a head start:
Our next BBC selection is Ellen J. Langer’s Counter Clockwise: Mindful Health and the Power of Possibility. I’m so excited to read this book! I’ve been dying to get my hands on it ever since I heard the author interviewed a few years ago. She’s brilliant and whip-smart with a wonderful sense of storytelling, and I think we’ll all learn so much from her. See you next month!
If you want to support the work I do here, please consider purchasing Counter Clockwise through my Amazon Store. Buy used to go green!
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