Working it out.

Three years ago, on a cold winter night, some friends and I made a decision to workout regularly, five times a week, 15 minutes minimum.

We were done with the dormant, exhausted by the idle, over the blah.

We set up a secret Facebook page called "just because our husbands think we can't...". We logged in, and workout by workout, recorded the days, posted our activities, checked off the weeks.

(Our husbands are actually quite supportive folk, but at the time, even we couldn't imagine keeping this up for more than 3 weeks, much less 3 years.)

This week marks the end of Week 154. (Somewhere along the way, we lost two weeks...probably, I'm guessing, to the Christmas Flu of 2012.)

770 workouts. Swims, runs, walks, bike rides, yoga classes, living room sweatfests, along with the slightly more obscure paddleboarding, snow shoeing, water aerobics, rock climbing.

Yes, this is a story of physical health -- of muscles and sweat -- and a story of girl power -- of accountability and accomplishment.

But that's just the beginning.

We are fully engaged in the middle of the story now -- and it's getting good. The challenge continues on, but the rules are less rigid, the options are more accessible, the invitation is always on the table.

This story, this middle is about finding rest and seeking balance. It's about community and belonging and showing up. It's about health -- not the way the world defines health (i.e., by the way your pants fit) -- it's about the way your heart feels, the way your mind eases, the way your spirit soars...and calms.

And grace, it's about grace. For you, and for me. It's about asking and extending and receiving and accepting.

For three years, we've been working it out. We've practiced and participated, experienced and engaged. We've used all the parts that have been given to us: mind, body, heart.

From our laps in the pool, we've learned to breathe.

From our runs, both long and short, we've learned to put one foot in front of the other.

From the hills, we've learned to take short, steady steps.

From our long bike rides down country roads, we've learned what it means to be a kid again.

From our workout DVD's in our living rooms, we've learned it isn't always glamorous, sometimes you simply buckle down and do the work.

From our walks, we've learned to slow down and take in the scenery. We've learned there's beauty all around us if we take the time to look.

From spinning our wheels in spin class, we've learned that we can, in fact, do very, very hard things.

From our time on our yoga mats, we've learned to listen to and honor our bodies. (We've learned to be kind.)

From all the times we've walked into a new class, a new activity, a new situation, we've learned that's it OK to try, (and OK to fail), OK to say yes...and OK to say no.

So to the friends and family, instructors and acquaintances, and to the 84 year old woman who stubbornly, yet freely, swims lap after early morning lap in Lane One, thank you for the encouragement, the teaching, the inspiration, and the countless hours logged working it out alongside us.

We recently changed the name of our Facebook group.

Just keep swimming.

Appropriate, wouldn't you say?

We can't wait to see where this story takes us next.

shoes. {Project 52}

For 112 weeks, we have been working out, day in and day out, often side by side. Sometimes we work out our backsides or our extra dessert; sometimes we work out our problems, our frustrations, our burdens.

There are days when we don't want to do the work, but I know if I don't do the work, she won't, and she knows if she doesn't do the work, I won't. So we keep on keeping on, one foot in front of the other.

And we always note as we catch our breath that we're so glad we went.

There are some things in life that are beyond priceless, and I count a reliable, hysterical workout buddy as one of them.

We motivate each other when we're feeling blah. We push each other out of our comfort zones. We extend each other grace when we need it. And perhaps most importantly, we simply show up.

When I thought of this week's Project 52 theme, shoes, I thought of the many places our feet have carried us over the past 555+ workouts, and how I never would have made it this far if I didn't have another pair of shoes plodding alongside me.

Today, in an effort to keep things fresh, we strapped on snow shoes together for the first time. It's on our Year 33 lists {Kt / T}, and we figured if you can't beat winter, you might as well join it.

And we almost didn't go because I said I thought it might rain {winter in Michigan is weird}, and she said who cares, remember how much fun we have in the rain??

In the end, it didn't rain, and we did have fun. We made some new friends, learned a thing or two about the art of snow shoeing, laughed a little, sweated a lot.

And on the drive home, we looked at each other and said, I'm so glad we went.

Walk on over to Charis Images to check out Autumn's shoes this week!

fitness goals {year two}

In the spirit of keeping things fresh, it's time to make some Year Two fitness goals. $20 in a jar got me through Year One, but I'm going to need some extra motivation to make it through another 52 weeks.

Year One brought us these new adventures: yoga, lap swimming, cross country skiing, a pair of 5K's, a 10K, track workouts, water aerobics, road biking, paddle boarding, hill runs, an outside-the-box mud run, and a 15K.

Year Two promises to be about continuing the adventure: pushing, strengthening, growing and refining what we learned in Year 1, as well as looking for new (crazy?) ways to stay fit and have fun.

Year Two Fitness Goals:

• Try five new forms of exercise (including a spin class, a suspension class, indoor rock climbing...plus two others).
• Swim 24 consecutive laps in Lake HHS (I'm up to about 12 right now but there is a lot of pausing and gasping for air between laps).
• Master that darn flip turn. Not because I need to know how to do it, but because I want to say I can do it. And to prove that you can teach an old dog new tricks.
• Run with our church's running group.
• Attend a running clinic.
• Improve my 5K and 10K times.
• Run a race longer than a 15K. I know, right?? This is crazy talk, but I really believe this is within my reach - I'm going to start looking for a nice half marathon for 2012 (and girls, you know this means you're committed too!)
• Complete a sprint tri.
• Share the love - encourage other moms to get (and keep) moving.

52 weeks later...

We did it!

It's the one year anniversary of the workout journey that started with four friends, $80 and a jar.

I'm happy to report that the money and the jar are gathering dust in a bottom drawer in my kitchen and that we are all still standing.

[Fine print: well, technically, B is taking a brief hiatus until the arrival of Baby Girl O. But she did make it through week 30 of her pregnancy and she will be rejoining us right after her six-week postpartum check-up, right B??]

Our story started one cold, dark, snowy December night when we said yes to something that sounded crazy at the time: work out five times a week, 15 minutes minimum for as long as it takes...for what, we weren't sure. All we knew was that our money, pride and extra mommy pounds were on the line.

52 weeks later, we ended up with way more than we bargained for.

Yes, we are more fit and we're better runners, swimmers, and yogis. We're stronger, we breath easier and our pants fit better. We've met some goals, crossed some finish lines, and made some memories.

More importantly, we've learned some lessons that reach way beyond the realm of the workout world. Life lessons learned:

Yes is more fun than no. I'm a logical sort of gal and if something doesn't make tons of sense to me, I will probably say no. 5:30am swimming, you say? No, thank you. Errr, I mean, OK. Laughing hysterically with your best friends before the sun rises and then flying high on swim endorphins for the rest of the day?? Yes, please. Case in point: yes is more fun than no. The next time the word 'no' is on the tip of your tongue, try saying 'yes' instead. (Unless someone is asking you to jump off a cliff or bake four dozen cookies for a bake sale. In those instances, you should still say 'no.')

We were created to live in community. Stop trying to do things on your own. Seriously. Stop it. It's exhausting and not near as much fun. In a group, you can push each other, cheer for each other, lean on each other, celebrate together. Gather up some sisters, neighbors, MOPSers, same-church-section-sitters or random strangers and start living life. Together.

You is kind. You is smart. You is important. OK, maybe I learned that one from reading The Help, but it applies here too. It's easy in MommyLand to get caught up with everyone else's needs - which is admirable - and in the process we forget about ourselves - which is not so cool. This past year, I have realized that MeMyself&I have actual goals and dreams, and I have done things just for me. Revolutionary. It might sound selfish, but I would argue that taking care of yourself will in turn make you a better wife, mother, friend, worker, etc.

Be the change. I know it's cliche, but it's true. You can complain about being bored, unhappy or unhealthy. Or you can get up and do something about it. Which option will you pick? Do you want to run a 5K? You're going to have to get off the couch. Do you want to start your own business, make some new friends, or find a way to serve in your community? Make a plan, set a goal, and for goodness sake, just start.

Choose grace. Some days you're feeling it and you can run the extra mile. Some days you're not. Mama said there'd be days like this and (all together now) it's O...K... When you can't quite get it all together, extend yourself grace. And when you have extra love, energy, encouragement to spare, extend grace to others. Stop beating yourself up, stop judging others. Tomorrow is a new day. I promise.

* * * * *

One of my favorite pins reads: A year from now, you will wish you had started today.

It's one year later {260 workouts each, for those of you keeping track at home} and I am so, so glad we started.

Year Two and the journey continues...

{Previous Posts}

The post that started it all

Eight week update

Holy Exercise

Morale Boost

5K

Six month update

10K

Paddleboarding

Mud Run

15K

the adventure continues...

Thanks to Groupon

...and girlfriends

another adventure 

(and workout) 

is in the books.

{Week 34 & going strong}

let's take the "work" out of workout {Six Month Mark!}

Today marks the end of Week 26 of our workout challenge.

26 weeks, 5 workouts per week, 4 friends: 520 workouts in all!

Everyone is still standing and it's been quite a ride.

I have a feeling we are just getting started.

Here is some of what I have learned in the past six months:

1. Just start. If we hadn't made the choice to say yes 6 months ago, we wouldn't be where we are now. Take it one step at a time. Even when it's hard, overwhelming or scary. Especially then. 
2. It really does take a village. In our culture, we are very individual-based and it seems weak to depend on other people. Let me be very clear: I would NOT have made it past week one without these girls. Get yourself a community. Now.
3. The clothes matter. This might be a girl thing, but you feel better when you workout in something that makes you feel good. Added bonus: great workout clothes don't have to be expensive (Target and Old Navy are two of my favorite sources).
4. I DO have 15 minutes a day. One of the biggest excuses out there is that there isn't enough time. I have found out that I really do have more than enough time especially when I manage my time well. I have more energy and am usually more productive on the days I workout as well.
5. Variety is the spice of life. Since my last update, we have also discovered bike riding, walking, canoe-ing, hula hooping, and 10K training. We have paddle boarding and water aerobics on our summer to-do list as well.
6. Everything exercise is spiritual. True story. We are meant to live our lives as whole beings - it doesn't work to segment things off and pretend one area of our life doesn't effect the others.
7. Yep, I'm worth it. To all you moms: we pour a lot of ourselves into other people. This sounds so cliche, but you need to invest in yourself too. You'll be a better wife, mom, worker, friend, I promise.

The first one of us had a birthday this week which means our 31st year is winding down and we're looking ahead to 32. We were discussing over dinner last night what the past 6 months has meant to us. We have all grown a lot and some of that is due to our experiment with exercise. We started out by wanting to push ourselves physically and ended up pushing ourselves mentally and spiritually as well.

Year 31 means something different to each one of us but some common themes are...

saying yes

becoming aware of the possibilities

intentional living

finding our true selves

giving, choosing & living life.

Proud of what we have accomplished in the past six months. Proud to call these girls friends.

And really, really excited to see what is next.

{holy} exercise

In January I tried yoga for the first time. I signed up because of a Living Social deal and because I figured variety was the spice of life and if I wanted to make a go of this exercise thing I needed all the help I could get.

I went and I really liked it. The only drawback was the extra effort it took to change "life force" (their term) to "Jesus" (mine), however, I appreciated the link between the physical and the spiritual.

When someone started up Holy Yoga at our church a few weeks later I got very, very excited. Jesus + an amazing workout = one very happy girl.

I soon figured out that Jesus wasn't just showing up at yoga.

I found Him in the beauty of the snow covered trees while we cross country skied.

And in my prayers while I ran along country roads. My old running thoughts: Ihaterunning Ihaterunning (gasp) Ihaterunning. My new thoughts: Thank You for the gift of exercise. Thank You that I am even able to run.

And a few times I've even spotted Him beneath the water at the Hudsonville High School swimming pool. The first time I swam with goggles this winter, I started my first lap and put my face in the water - the way the water was lit up, the way the bubbles came up around my face, and the rhythm of my body working together was enough to take my breath away (along with the fact that my head was underwater in an icey cold pool at dawn).

The point is everything we do is connected. We like to compartmentalize our lives but the truth is our physical self is connected to our spiritual self which is connected to our mental self and so on. What we do (or don't do) in one area of our life affects all the other areas.

This has been a turning point for me. It's something I have heard before and even known already but it's an entirely different thing to be living it out day in and day out.

Holy exercise.

Thank you, Jesus.

let's take the "work" out of workout {update}

It's a big week: Week 8 of our workout challenge.

This deserves a post because I had no idea what was going to happen when we started this two months ago, and I'm pretty darn proud of ourselves for making it this far.

Our hubby's gave us two weeks (and whole lot of extra motivation when we heard them say that!) 

I might have been slightly more generous and given us 3-4 weeks.

B, T, KMac and KT are all still standing. 5 workouts a week for 8 weeks.

The real kicker is that we're not just doing this, but somewhere along the line we actually started enjoying ourselves.

Shocking, I know.

So we've had some people ask...and sometimes we tell people who didn't ask (we can't help it, we're kind of excited)...and the big questions we usually get are Why?!?!  How?  When?  What? and Where?

The Why:

• We are all moms. We have birthed babies. We love those babies but they put our bodies through the ringer. 
• We are all over 30. As far as we can tell, we're not getting any younger. We also hear rumors of things like metabolism drop-offs and heart disease.
• We want to sleep better, stand taller, breath easier, and feel happier. AND we want our pants to fit.
• We like each other. Exercise gives us a good reason to get together once or twice a week, strengthen our bond, and laugh our tails off (all while we're working those tails off).

The How:

Our guidelines:

• Challenge begins December 6 [important! start right away! don't think about it!] 
• $20 to start!
• Workout 5 days a week, two free days per week
• A workout means you are breathing hard, heart's a pumping, sweating or otherwise exerting yourself!
• $5 for every missed workout if you want to stay in
• Last girl standing takes the pot!

Other words of advice:

• A group of 4 girls works great. 3 or 5 would also work well too.
• You can all be at different fitness levels and I think it would still work.
• We say 15 minutes but most always, we go over that. It was important to us that it seemed doable to start so we wouldn't get overwhelmed and quit.
• The 4 of us all live relatively close to each other and that helps but isn't necessary.
• We created a group on Facebook, set the settings to Secret, and then use that space to post our workouts each day. One girl creates a post "week 1 {workout 1}" and then everyone posts their workouts underneath and so on. We also coordinate group workouts here and post words of encouragement and as well as some friendly trash talk.
• It's important that there is money involved. Talk it over with your group, set an amount that is just painful enough that you really don't want to lose that money. At this point it's more about honor than money but I think that really lit a fire under us to begin with. Get a jar. Have everyone put the money in it. Take a picture or keep it on your kitchen counter. Dream about what you will do with the money once you win.
• Big keys: make it doable (but be ready to push yourself), keep each other accountable, take it one day at a time. Get creative.

The When:

• Whenever! Everyone's schedule is different. You have to plan ahead, at least a little, to stay on track. 
• Regarding time-related excuses: I have heard a lot of these. All I can say is the problem probably isn't not having enough time, it's not making good use of your time. Everyone has an extra 15-30 minutes a day you might just have to go looking for it. In our group, KMac and I both stay home with three kids and B and T both work full-time while raising two little boys each. We are not exactly the poster children for extra time, but we have made it work. Don't try to argue. You can do it.
• I don't work out at the same time every day - sometimes it's 6am, sometimes it's 9pm. Think your day through the night before and make some plans.
• It has helped us to plan a few group workouts each week whether it's just doing a DVD in someone's living room, swimming before our days start, or meeting for a yoga class.

The What:

• We have tried just about everything under the sun! Somewhere along the line we also made a commitment to try new things even if they were outside of our comfort zones. In the past 8 weeks have done around-the-house circuit training, Jillian DVD's, swimming, Wii Fit, P90X, yoga, pilates, tae bo, running, the elliptical, and cross country skiing (our latest adventure - we all loved it!)
• Get creative. I know a lot of us don't have tons of money to spare. I will say 1) it's worth it to invest a little into this venture (and by that I mean the $2.50 for open swim and the $9 for a new Jillian DVD is totally worth it) and 2) you can come up with free workouts if you get a little creative (look on-line, borrow DVD's, walk/run outside).

The Where:

Here are a few resources we have found:

• Open swims. Check with your local high school.
• Church programs. In the past week, I have discovered Holy Yoga at our church and a fitness class that meets at another local church three mornings a week (with $1 per kid childcare!). Look around, I'm sure there are more.
• Gym/class deals. This isn't necessary (one of our girls goes to the Y regularly, the rest of us do not belong to a gym). We are able to get a great deal on yoga classes though through Living Social (check Groupon too). 
• The great outdoors. Our skiing adventure was amazing and the park was a mere 15 minutes away from our house.
• Your living room. This is probably your best bet if you are a busy mom with little kids. We have had all four of us girls in my living room sweating to Jillian and it works. I have also worked out with kids napping upstairs, watching Curious George in the other room and busting a move beside me. You might have to move furniture, but you can make it work.

Bottom line: this challenge started as a little what-if conversation one weekend night and it has completely transformed our day to day lives. I feel like since I am able to stick with this, I might be able to stick with some other things too. I sleep better, stand taller, breath easier, and feel happier.

Oh, and my pants fit.

let's take the "work" out of work out

4 friends.

20 dollars each.

5 days a week.

15 minute minimum.

Miss a work out, 5 dollars buys you back in.

Last one standing takes the jar.

What motivates you?