November 1 2017 – January 1, 2018
Maintain your motivation
Gain fitness not pounds
Finish 2016 strong
Need a little motivation to stick with your running and fitness routine during the busy holiday season?
Join The Holiday Challenge.
It’s a nine-week motivational program and an easy, low stress way to stay fit (or get fit) during the busy holiday season, win holiday gifts, and connect with other like-minded runners and walkers for accountability and support.
Every mode of activity counts! Run, walk, cycle, elliptical, yoga, strength, swim, hike, row, dance…
Set yourself up for success this season with the accountability of a supportive, fun group of people. As we make our way through the holidays, you’ll receive inspiring weekly emails in your inbox with healthy recipes, tips for staying active, and weekly mini challenges to keep you motivated all season long.
Register for $15 and Receive:
- 9 Weeks Participation in the Holiday Challenge
- Access to the Private Facebook Group
- The Holiday Challenge Log
- Weekly Nutrition, Health and Fitness Mini Challenges
- Entry Into Two Holiday Themed Virtual Races
- Accountability, Support and Holiday Cheer in the Challenge Nation
- Entry to Win Holiday Gifts
- Discounted Entry Into the Challenge 2018 Program
- Merry Active Memories and Good Cheer
Joining the Holiday Challenge is easy. Simply follow the steps below to confirm your spot in the program.
Step 1: Register for the Holiday Challenge
A confirmation email will be sent to you upon registering for the program.
Registration is open here
Step 2: Join the Private Facebook Group
Upon registering, you will receive an email with a link to join the private Facebook group.
In this group you can post your weekly goals, get inspired by the posts, participate in the weekly challenges, and stay tuned in to the giveaways. You can also post in the comments feed of this post.
Step 3: Get Started
Download the easy to use Holiday Challenge Log, set your weekly goals, track your activity, and stay on target. As you run, walk, and get in your activity, post your miles in the Facebook group or below in the post feed comments section.
You’ll learn how to set your goals and track them in the confirmation email.
Hi Coach Jenny! I’m really excited about the Holiday Challenge. I asked to join the FB group yesterday… and my request is still pending. Is it normal? I paid for the challenge… and I can’t wait to get started. I did 30 minutes of crosstraining this morning (a Barre3 workout). 3 miles!
Hi coach Jenny,
I’m excited about this Holidsy Challenge too. I signed up a couple of weeks ago and was told my facebook request would be confirmed on 10/31/16. But as of today I still don’t see where it has been confirmed. Still new to the social media stuff.
My goal for this week is 20 miles.
Coach Jenny, I joined the Holiday Challenge as well, but as I attempt to sign in to the blog site (I don’t use Facebook) for the challenge, I receive this message: ERROR: There is no user registered with that email address.
I have emailed you a couple of times but no response as yet.
My Goal for this week is 6 miles running and 6 miles cross training/12 total.
I achieved 5 miles of the 6 that I had made for my running goal last week. I had 4 1/2 miles of cross training of the 6 that I had made for a goal. So: 9.5/12 completed. Last week’s goal was doable, but I needed to get it done earlier in the day before unexpected developments could derail me. I will focus on that this week.
I have the same goal this week: 6 miles running, 6 miles cross training=12 miles total.
I will strive for regular meals with the suggested portion sizes Jenny gave in this blog.
I am grateful for Mondays. They are a fresh start.
I completed 2 miles of running and one mile of cross training today. 3/12
Today I completed 3.5 miles running/walking program and 1.5 miles cross training for a total 5 miles. So 8/12 for the 2nd week of this challenge.
I am thankful that I am finished with my office work for the day and can spend time with my kids.
Thank you for your kind words! Keep up the good work:) The way I look at it, these first couple of weeks are laying a good groundwork for the weeks of discipline needed for holiday eating and get togethers.
Today I completed 2 miles of Coach Jenny’s Zero to Running program. I am halfway through that training. Thanks for these good programs that actually have me looking forward to going for my runs. I am thankful for that, but what I wrote down today for my gratitude list was that I am thankful for my dad. He called and visited today and I love him.
Hi Coach Jenny, I’m so happy to be a part of the Holiday Challenge. I’m injured right now and having a difficult time staying motivated to get out and move when I can’t run. I’m thinking that setting goals for myself will be a big help and being part of an online community will change my attitude and get me excited about exercising once again.
My #Goal for the week is to be active (walking/working out in our garage gym) for 150 minutes.
Today I am grateful for the Holiday Challenge!!
I had plantar fasciitis last year, and did a lot of cross-training to stay fit. Sometimes I felt a little blue because I wasn’t running, but the cross-training put me in a good place when I was able to start running again. Hang in there! It’ll be worth it when you’re healed and still physically fit:)
My goal for this Challenge is to run 3X/week, maintain my current weight, and generally be consistent during the holidays while keeping perspective on my family life. I set a #goal of 12.5 miles for the week of Nov 1-6, and got four miles in this morning. It was a glorious day for running on the Big Creek Greenway in Cumming, Ga! Thanks Coach Jenny!
Three more miles today at the gym! Rising at 4:30 am hurt a little, but felt good that it was under my belt before work.
I completed my goal for the week yesterday by finishing with a 5.5 mile run. I had a stressful week, and it felt good to run it off!
Nov 7-13 #goal- 13 miles and stay consistent:)
Thanks for consistently posting then achieving you goal, Misty. I’m looking to others as inspiration for myself and I appreciate your posts.
Ran 4 miles this morning, and got to spend a little of it with my hubby (rare time sharing exercise). I love the crisp mornings right now! I’m having a hard time in the evenings with cravings for sweets and feeling hungry, but standing strong with my weight.
11/10/16-ran 3.5 m at the gym before work, and I set up my long run Saturday with a neighbor. Planning ahead definitely helps keep me consistent. My times are still as slow as when it was hot outside, but I’m not focused on time right now, just consistency.
I completed my goal of 13 miles for the week on Saturday (despite getting called into work at 5:30 am)! My #goal for the week of Nov 15-20 is 13.5 miles. I’m very thankful for a supportive husband who shares in the responsibility of our 3 busy sons so I can run at least 3x/week. Running helps me keep perspective, and it’s also a great stress reliever!
My goal for this week is fifteen. Nine miles running. The rest cross training. I got three miles in tonight.
Didn’t know I needed to break out my goal. I will do 30-40 strength training 2X this week, run 2-3 X for 25-30 minutes, and fill in the rest with walking or something else.
I am grateful for all the good in the world
Goal for Tuesday they Sunday. Climb the college m x5= roughly 12.5 miles. Hot yoga 50 min x2 and 80 min x 3.=6-7ish miles. I
Happy day everyone!
My goal for the week is to walk 20 miles and to give away the left over Halloween candy.
I had a rest day today. Not intentionally, but I did. I have completed 4.5 of the 12 miles I have for a goal this week, but will have to figure out how to accomplish the remaining 6.5 hrs. while traveling hundreds of miles, attending my son’s wedding and a special family celebration for a daughter. I will have to see how much roadside exercise I can get in 10 minute increments when we make rest stops, I guess.
It’s my wedding anniversary today. I am grateful for 26 years of marriage to a good man who I love and who loves me back. I tell myself that if I can work consistently at a marriage, then I certainly can work consistently at becoming fit.
Happy late anniversary! How was the wedding?! Sounds like a stressful but fun week. Hope you can look back with fond memories;)
It was a nice day and the newly weds were so happy and fun to be with.
Driving home we did two minutes of air squats as a family before we got back into the car at a rest stop. Exercise time is limited on these trips and it’s amazing how our attitudes improve just doing a simple thing like that. It makes it fun because my husband is a good sport about things like that and the kids get a laugh out of watching the “old people” bend and stretch.
I hope Georgia is cooling off for you some.
Lol! I bet you’re entertaining the other travelers too! That’s awesome:)
I am thankful for a co-worker friend that walks with me once or twice a week after work. The hour that we spend walking together flies by as we share about our lives and our families. I usually get most of my exercise time in by walking, but this morning I did 30 minutes of weight training and a 30 minute fitness video. It was fun to change up my fitness routine a little. I think I need to focus a little bit more time into cross training activities.
The first week of the challenge my goal was 15 miles total. I ran three miles Tuesday, did an hour of cross training Wednesday, 40 minute bike ride on Friday and ran three miles on Saturday. I did a total of 16 miles. This week my goal is a total of 12 miles, three running miles. I am grateful for pretty fall temperatures.
I did 36 miles last week my goal for this week is 35!
I meet my goal of walking 20 miles last week. This week my goal is 22 miles. I really want to get back into my twice a week weight training routine which I do in addition to walking. When life gets busy, it is the first thing that I drop, but as I get older, it is more important for me to build muscle. I am grateful that I live close to so many family and extended family members. We have started planning our big Thanksgiving celebration, and there will be a large gathering!
My goal for this week is 30 miles! Yesterday strength training I did 6/30. Today walk-run 2 miles for 8/30. I am thankful for a supportive husband and family. Excited to be a part of this Holiday Challenge!
Thanks Coach Jenny
Monday I did an hour of zumba with my niece . Tuesday I got in a 4 mile afternoon walk before the sun went down. It was a glorious day! Today I set my alarm early to get up and do 30 minutes of weight training before work. Doing more cross training was one of my goals this week, and so far I am on the right track.
Yesterday I did strength training for one hour ten minutes. Today I did a run-walk for thirty minutes.
So far this week 16/30. I am thankful for the fall season with its bold colors and crisp air.
This has been a good week for me to meet my exercise goals. I was able to do two thirty minute sessions of weight training in addition to 17 miles of walking and one hour of zumba. Since I have a wonderful golden retriever to walk, I really like to make sure I have time to walk her, but now for the Holiday Challenge, I am really going to work on getting in 2 weight training sessions a week. I am thankful that I ran into a friend this morning on my 6 mile walk on the trail near my house and that we were able to walk together. I plan on making the delicious Elf in the Kitchen recipe of banana chocolate chip cookies and bringing them to a family dinner so that I can share them and not eat all of them by myself. I don’t think that there is a healthy portion control amount for cookies except to eat them sparingly! I really love a good piece of dark chocolate, and now I can think about a dental floss case to give me an image of the correct serving size.
I know I need to do weight training, but I get overwhelmed and a little confused when I look online. Any suggestions where I could start?
I own a lot of weight training DVDs, and there are so many to look at that it can be confusing. Some programs mix weight training with cardio, which can be a good thing. I do a lot of walking, however, so when I put in a weight training DVD I usually do weight training only. One of my favorites is CHALEAN Extreme. The instructor has you lift heavy weights with fewer reps rather than lighter weights with many reps. It saves you time. You do have to invest in some heavy weights such as 8, 10, 15, 20 pound weights, but it is a good investment! There is always one exerciser who is modifying the workout, so a beginner weight trainer can still follow along and get a good workout as well as a more advanced exerciser.
Thanks Stacy! I’ll check it out! Happy Thanksgiving to you and your family.
My total for week two included strength training and run-walk for a total of 24 miles. Celebrated my grandsons birthday. Thankful for my grandchildren! Trying to set a good example for them. My grandson will participate with me in the Thanksgiving virtual race.
I am grateful for beautiful autumn days like today.
I like Veronica’s idea to have her grandson participate with her in the Thanksgiving Virtual Race. I think I will invite family members to do the same, and those who stay home get to peel the potatoes.
This week I have the goal to complete 12 miles with a minimum of 8 miles being running miles. I also want to make the Elf Recipes in advance to see if they will be something I bring to our Thanksgiving meals.
Today I completed 2.5 running miles and 1 mile cross training. 3.5/12
Today I completed 7.1 of the Zero To Run program. I was able to stay in my proper heart rate zones and it felt very good. I also did some cross training, so for the week to date I have 10/12 miles completed and am still looking forward to trying out one of Coach Jenny’s Fat Blaster workouts.
I am grateful today for the PEAR app and a bluetooth heart rate monitor and a set of blue tooth ear buds that don’t fall out when I run. I love the coaching in my ear and the things I learn and how it keeps me from getting burned out. I have also started listening to the podcast while I run and find that I relax more as I do. I live in a place where cell reception ceases as soon as I leave my yard, so the podcasts downloaded to my phone are nice.
So today I thought I’d try a FatBlaster workout. All of Coach Jenny’s Fat Blaster workouts that I found on PEAR were for a treadmill and I don’t have access to one, so I looked for another and got what was a frenetic, desperate run:D. I may have the calibration off a bit for my monitor, but I never once made it to zone 5 and zone four–well.
I love looking at the charts showing my heart rate after the workout to see how close I come to the desired level. That squiggly line really tells a story. I realize that I am not really fit enough yet to do a #FatBlaster, but I am still glad I did. I am proud of me:).
I didn’t drive myself so harshly that I crumpled, but my exhales where a shrill “wheeeeeee”. The coaching for this particular workout had just a 30 second HIIT interval opposite a 30 second recovery. This is something I may try once a month until I get the rest of the Zero To Run training completed, but I have had a marked improvement in my fitness since I began using Coach Jenny’s programs just one month ago. I am having fun with this challenge and my new running habit.
Oh, yeah. I’m down almost 4 lbs and my clothes fit better. #IAmGrateful #HolidayChallenge2016
Great job!! Congratulations!!
Thank you, Misty! I love that I look forward to running. I cannot say that I have felt like that since I was 12:).
I completed the week with 14 /12 . This is the first week I met and surpassed my goal.:)
Last week I ran three miles on Tuesday, walked thirty minutes one day(Thursday), and got thirty minutes of cross training on Wednesday, making a total of nine miles out of twelve. I ran three miles yesterday, plan to run three on Tuesday, cross train thirty minutes on Wednesday and run three miles on Saturday. Total goal is fifteen including the three miles run yesterday. Today I am grateful for a few days of sunshine.
My goal for this week is 24 miles, 10 will be running, the rest will be cross training. Today I ran three miles. Grateful for everyone participating in the Holiday Challenge!
My goal this week is 23 miles with 17 miles walking and the rest weight training. I need to focus on getting to bed at a reasonable time so that when my alarm goes off early to get up and exercise, I feel like I have had enough sleep and I will be more enthused to exercise. I set out to do a 3 mile walk after work today, and I actually got in 4 since the rain stopped and I had a little extra time. I am grateful that one of my sons will have a few days off of work and be able to come home for the Thanksgiving holiday.
Your Thanksgiving sounds like it will be a good one. I’m glad your boy will be home.
Thanks for your info on weight training you posted above. I’m going to mix some in tomorrow. Heavier weights and fewer reps. I’m going to try that.
I’m sorry you feel that way, Kate! I have enjoyed this challenge and haven’t felt competitive pressure from anyone. It has been a convenient way to keep track of and be accountable for my personal goals. I read other people’s posts and feel a sense of community although I don’t really visit much. Is that what you are hoping for? I’d love to encourage or help you if I can.
Hi Kate! Try posting to this website “comment” section instead of FB. Those who have been posting here are positive, encouraging, and offer good ideas.
I finished my goal of 13.5 miles this week! My eating habits haven’t been the best, but the scale is staying steady thanks to my consistent running and hydration. I need to remember that today’s eating fuels my run tomorrow. I did my long run today at the Big Creek Greenway, 6 miles! I am thankful for a neighbor who likes to run, and shares my values. She makes a great running partner when our schedules allow. My goal for the week of Nov. 21-26 is 14 miles. I want to eat all my favorites Thursday, but in small portions and without feeling overstuffed. Happy Thanksgiving everyone!!
Wow! I am going to run the Virtual Race this week and that will be the longest run I’ve attempted. Good job on the six mile run!
I have a daughter participating in this challenge as well, but she posts on the Facebook page. She will be home for Thanksgiving, so she and I are planning to run our Virtual Race on Friday, then we are going to enjoy a nice day of visiting. I want to invite other family members to participate with us. Veronica’s grandson has motivated this:).
Hey, you mentioned that you had plantar fasciitis last year, and Stacy has had a flair up. I have been suffering from this since last May. I tried to walk too far too fast with shoes that were too worn with a body that is too heavy. I know that fit and thin people are afflicted as well. I have mainly rested this past summer and I wear shoes that support my foot well. The improvement is huge, but I feel as though it will be a long time yet before it goes away completely. I did do the FatBlaster run and frightened myself because the next day my right foot, the good foot, was starting to hurt as well. I will not do that again until my foot heals more completely. I would appreciate any advice from you or Stacy or anyone else who has dealt with this problem.
I will do my best to remember, but time has a way of making bad memories fade;) I will say, I fought it on my own too long. A trip to the podiatrist was very helpful. I didn’t buy the expensive orthotic, but I wore the “boot” faithfully at night for a couple of months. More simple advice- to this day I don’t go anywhere barefoot! My house slippers are now last year’s sandals with good arch support. They sit by my bed, and I put them on as soon as I’m up. Ice your affected foot/feet after every run, and 3-4X throughout the day if possible for 15 mins minimum. If it’s really hurting, take Alieve twice a day (with food), because it’s an anti-inflammatory. Hope that helps! Oh, and I did lots of “cross training” to stay in good fitness when I couldn’t run. I prefer swimming, rowing, and elliptical.
I would like to take on the fat blaster challenge, but since my plantar fasciitis is acting up, I’ll have to wait until it subsides. I did a 6 mile walk on the trail near my house today, so I got in all my miles for the week and the 2 weight sessions that were part of my goal for the week. I hope Ellen P. will enjoy her weight training session and find it beneficial. Adding weight training to an exercise routine is really good for the body. I made the Elf in the Kitchen banana chocolate chip cookies today, and they were delicious. They edges of the cookies never browned, but I did not want to over bake them and make them dry, so I pulled them out and noticed that the bottom of the cookies were lightly browned, so I figured they were done. I will be sharing them with my extended family tomorrow. I am grateful that my husband supports my exercise efforts and he likes to buy me exercise gear as gifts. Yeah!
Ok, I will bake those cookies, too.
I am excited to mix in more strength training this week! I have my weights gathered together and some training sessions downloaded.
Please send any pointers on helping to heal or improve plantar fasciitis! I read things on the internet and mostly I have rested my foot this past summer, but my fitness has suffered. Only this past month have I pushed forward with a running regimen. My main questions are: How long has plantar fasciitis been a problem for you, and Does it ever go away?
I have suffered from plantar fasciitis off and on for many years. The problem normally starts when I am training for a race such as a half marathon and I try to go too far or too fast. Jogging seems to make it worse, so I walk and don’t run when it is bothering me. Twice it has been so bad that I had to go to physical therapy to treat it. A great website to go to for help is “Heel that Pain”. It shows many different exercises that you can do to try to make your feet better. They also sell heel cups and insoles, but they encourage you to try the free exercises on their website. I have found that icing my feet when I get back from a long walk really helps. You can simply freeze a water bottle and roll the arch of your foot over the bottle. Heel that Pain also sells “ice slippers” that I keep in the freezer and put on my feet when my PF is acting up. I also have a small massage ball that I roll under my foot to help it feel better. I really think that the Heel that Pain website would help you find some good exercises to help you. Let me know when you have a chance to look at it and tell me what you think.
I was able to reach my goal of 24 miles. Cross training and running. I look forward to posting, it does help keep me accountable! I enjoy reading all the posts because they are encouraging. Plan to make the cookies this coming week. Looking forward to the virtual race. Incorporating fat blaster workouts into training and loving it. Thankful for my grand babies hugs today !!
I look forward to hearing about your run, Veronica!
My goal for this week is 15 miles of walking and 6 of cross training (weight lifting) for a total of 21 miles. For the first 3 weeks of the challenge, I have exceeded my fitness goals, but now it will be more challenging to get in my workouts as Christmas approaches and my to-do list gets longer. I will try to be realistic about how much I can do each week. I like looking at my week on Sunday and seeing when I can fit in my exercise. I always try to have one day a week when I can get in a longer walk (usually 6 miles) instead of my typical 3-4, but it does take a bit of planning. I am so thankful for my wonderful family and the gift of loving support.
I will do 9 miles running this week to keep current with my Zero to Running training plan and to complete the Virtual Race. I will squeeze in 2 miles strength training as well. I have my weights all gathered up and will be focusing on upper body. I will have 3 miles of cross training on my run days, even if they are active stretch and flexibility routines. It is a busy week getting ready for company.
I am grateful to be able to move better. I am grateful for being able to breathe better.
I completed 3 miles running yesterday and 1 mile cross training. 4/14. Today is my strength training day. It is also my son’s birthday and he does cross fit, so he sent me his birthday WOD to modify and complete. I work from home, so will have to get all my urgent business tasks out of the way today so I can complete this workout before leaving for a meeting at 11 am. I am really feeling the rush today. Makes me a bit anxious.
I am thankful that my kids want to support my in my fitness efforts.#IAmGrateful.
Last week I ran three miles Sunday, Tuesday and Saturday. I cross trained for thirty minutes each Thursday and Friday. This is a total of fifteen miles. This week my goal is six miles running and three miles of cross training for a total of nine miles.
I live where it rains a lot, and I am used to walking in the rain, but today after working and going to the grocery, I just did not feel like going outside in the dark and raining weather. I have tomorrow off of work, so I will make sure I get a morning walk in. It will still be raining, but at least it won’t be dark. I work at a school as a staff assistant in special education, and when the students had P.E. today, I made sure I ran around the gym with them instead of sitting in a chair at the side of the gym like some of the staff assistants do. The kids love to run, so I join in the fun!
I wish we could have some of your rain in Georgia! We are so dry right now! Way to go on the gym participation!!
So far this week I have completed 18/24 miles running and cross training. Planning to do virtual race on Saturday! Had a wonderful time with family today. Dinner was great. I focused on eating turkey and veggies along with small portions of dressing and sweet potato casserole. I got in a 3 mile run today after putting turkey in the oven. Grateful for my couch and blanket!
#EatMindfully I ate my breakfast very slowly without distractions and chewed each bite thoroughly Thursday morning so that I could set the stage for good eating habits on Thanksgiving Day. I did a 5.5 virtual walk after breakfast, and to be honest, it was quite challenging. It was very windy and raining, and my music stopped working, and when I got home to check my fitbit, I saw that the battery had died. Bummer! Oh well, I felt thankful that I had done the race, and I felt better after a warm shower. My younger son has ulcerative coltitis, so now on Thanksgiving day I do a virtual race for Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation of America. I had my CCFA bib on the front of my shirt, and my Thankful5 bib on the back of my shirt, and I felt thankful for my health and ability to get out and walk Thanksgiving morning. I have completed my walking and weight training goals for the week.
Last week I got 6 miles of running, I did not get the three miles of cross training. This week my goal is the same-six miles of running and three miles of cross training. I am grateful for my family and friends.
#MyView My goal this week is 18 walking miles and 10 cross training for a total of 28. I don’t know if I will get there, but I am going to try! I saw that the Elf Spirit winner was Melissa Thompson, and I was wondering if that is the same Melissa that posts here in the comments blog. I hope so! I am glad that I decided to join the Holiday Challenge. At first I was not going to do it because I thought it would be one more thing on my to do list, and it would stress me out. However, I have decided that I enjoy sitting down and writing about my goals and activities, and I enjoy reading about what others are doing. Keep up the good work everyone! I used to plank, but haven’t done it in a long time, so I am glad that there is a plank challenge to encourage me to do it again.
I completed my 5K virtual run on Saturday. My grandson rode his bike with me. We had a great time! We passed some people out walking who smiled and waved when they saw the Thankful bibs. I exceeded my goal for the week with 27/24 miles. My goal for this week is 24 miles. Today I did 6/24 cross training. I am also focusing on getting adequate sleep (7-8 hrs) which is so important for recovery. Grateful for today!
#PlankChallenge Since I used to do a one minute plank every evening before I went to bed, I thought that it would be rather easy to get back to planking. However, I discovered it to be a nice challenge for me. I am doing the level 2 challenge with a hold of about 35 seconds between sets. I like the fact that I can do them anytime or any place in the house. Yesterday I had a lot of fun with my niece at our one hour zumba class. Today I did a 5 mile walk. I am pleased with the amount of exercise I have been getting during the holiday challenge, but I have not seen the scale budge at all. At least I have not gained any weight!
Not gaining weight this time of year is a great accomplishment! I got called in to work this past Saturday and it foiled my long run. I felt very deflated. I ended up finishing it Sunday though! I’ve got three different things to do this coming Saturday so I’m running smaller amounts during the week to get my 14.5 miles in and meet my #Goal!
Misty, you are doing a good job of looking ahead when possible and trying to figure out a fitness schedule that can work for you. My mom and my sister both have birthday celebrations in December, and mine is too, so December is always an extra busy, but fun time for the family. We all love sweets, and especially chocolate, so I just have to try to enjoy birthday desserts without going too overboard! I think I will go plank now instead of thinking more about sweets!
I met my goal of 24 miles running plus cross training! Also added planks to my works this past week. For week six my goal is 24 miles. Started the #Mindful Minute Challenge today. Focusing on positive thoughts and how grateful I am for my wonderful family.
#goal I had a good fitness week last week by walking 20 miles, doing one hour of zumba and one hour of weight training plus planks, This week we are getting a cold front and it will be a mix of rain and snow, but I’m still going to try to walk 18 miles and do two thirty minute sessions of weight training. The #Mindful Minute challenge is a good one for me because right now I am full steam into my Christmas decorating and Christmas shopping, and I need a minute to just breathe, relax, be calm, and focus on the positive things in my life.
Last week I did 6 miles of running and seven miles of cross training. I did forty minutes of cross training-walking one day and thirty minutes another day. This week I hope to do six miles of running total over two days(3 miles each day) and total of 60 minutes of cross training.
#MyFavoriteMoment As I reflect back over 2016, I think that one of my favorite moments was spent with my three girlfriends that were staying with me for our annual girlfriends’ reunion weekend. We had all taught elementary school together when our kids were little, but then at one point we all left teaching, and I moved out of state. Over time, we all went back to teaching, and made a point of getting together once a year to see each other. One of my friends had a liver transplant this year after being sick for a very long time. It was such a wonderful celebration to be together and to see her healthy again. I surprised the friends by making an appointment for us to go to a nice spa salon and we all had wonderful and relaxing foot and leg massages while we caught up on each others lives. It was a wonderful weekend! School was closed for two days this week because of icy weather, but I was still able to work out to a DVD, and I even walked on our treadmill, which I only do when it is icy because I would rather walk outside with my dog.
This week will probably be the toughest week of the challenge for me to get my fitness in my schedule, but I am still going to aim for 12 miles of walking and 12 cross training. This week I have my staff evening Christmas party, my husband’s staff dinner/dance party, my bible study dinner Christmas party, my volunteer day at the library with my therapy dog after work, and my staff morning breakfast Christmas party. All of these events landed on the same week, so my life will be extra busy this week. I would also like to try the Charlie Challenge, so if we are having some really nasty outside weather, I might substitute it for some of my walking.
Last week I ran three miles on Tuesday, cross trained for thirty minutes on Thursday and thirty minutes on Friday. Total of nine miles. This week I hope to run three miles on Tuesday and Saturday. I ran three miles yesterday. I hope to cross train 30 minutes Wednesday and Thursday. That would be fifteen miles.
Hi Melissa!
I saw that the ELF Spirit winner at the end of November was Melissa Thompson, and I was wondering if you were that winner. If not, I am hoping that one of the participants that is posting in the comments section gets picked soon. It sounds like you have a good mix of running and cross training in your fitness schedule. Good for you!
#CharlieChallenge Yesterday we had another snow day, so school was cancelled. I walked for an hour on my treadmill, I lifted weights, and I did the Charlie Challenge. It was a good day to get in a lot of exercise since I was stuck inside because of the icy roads.
#goal My goal this week is to walk 12 miles and to do two 30 minute weight training sessions . Although last week started out crazy busy, the snow cancelled two days of school, so I was actually able to jump on the treadmill and get in some exercise. The roads are still a little icy, but the rain is here now and temperatures are warming up, so I hope to be outside to exercise soon.
Last week I got thirty minutes of running Sunday, thirty minutes of cross training during the week and a three mile run on Saturday. This week my goal is 6 miles, three running and three cross training-it is a busy week for me with Saturday being Christmas eve.
Last week was very busy with work and Christmas. I was also tired from being so busy. I did thirty minutes of cross training one day. This week I hope to be more active with two days with three mile runs and two days of thirty minute cross training each day. If I do this it would be a total of 12 miles, 6 running and 6 cross training.
I forgot-I got a four mile walk in today, so I need to increase goal by 4 miles.
#goal My goal this week is to get in some “better than nothing” workouts. My wonderful dad, who was 92, passed away yesterday. I spent the last week of his life here on earth with him in a hospice house. He is in heaven now looking down on me and having the time of his life. Love you dad!
#vision2017challenge For the past 5 years I have selected a word to focus on for the year. My words have been dream, joy, family, prayer, and service. For 2017 my word is going to be HOPE. For my vision board, HOPE will be at the center. I can then have pictures or words that speak to me about the meaning of the word hope and the things that I hope for in 2017.
My goal this upcoming week is 35, 30 miles running or walking and a spin class. We are finally getting slightly cooler mornings in Florida so it seems possible to enjoy the running. This weekend I got in 20 over the two days which was the most I have done in a LOONNNNGGG time so I am happy and hoping to watch some of NYC Marathon today. I love to EAT and just made my second set of raspberry scones for the week (https://artfulparent.com/2016/03/raspberry-oatmeal-scones-recipe.html) but I do use tiny plates mostly because I just like them and I have a random collection so that’s my shoutout for #healthyportions I do think it makes going for seconds possible without going crazy. #iamgrateful for good friends to run with, coffee, and comedy movies!
The holiday challenge is just the motivator I needed. A brisk but beautiful run today. Looking forward to tomorrow😊 and grateful for all of the blessings in my life.