Progress

I have been somewhat absent online for a while. I needed some time to focus on work and study deadlines. Then a little break to relax and spend time with family. All very important things and though it was good, I did miss this blog. I was also not completely remiss in my workouts, though I have been less than half as active as I would like.

I have also not been idle regarding my progress on the A21 "Walk For Freedom". I have collected all the information I need from the website and corresponded with my local municipality regarding the permit for permission to host the event in my town.

I am very happy to note that I have also been corresponding with the Mayor's office and they not only support the cause, but we will be meeting as he wishes to support us and even give a short address to highlight the importance of events such as these.

I have also been planning and scheduling meetings to invite and discuss the Walk with various other key people to ensure maximum exposure in our area.

I am super excited now that things are starting to take shape and I invite you to register today for the Walk For Freedom in your city:

• SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA  
• SOFIA, BULGARIA
• THESSALONIKI, GREECE 
• STAVANGER, NORWAY 
• CAPE TOWN, SOUTH AFRICA 
• KIEV, UKRAINE 
• LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM 
• UNITED STATES 
• OTHER LOCATIONS

If you don't see yours here, follow the link to find out more: A21 Walk For Freedom

Changing Daily Routines

So how to get fit from scratch? Not sure what to do or where to start so Googled it :)

I found a running routine for beginners, which I believe will be a good start. I don't want injuries but I want to see some sort of measurable results.

I started my first 20 minute "Running" session yesterday.

I also found this site called Nerd Fitness which I believe might help me. I am a real nerd and I just had to smile and will enjoy it all more when I get Quests, a cool Character and advice with lines like: "YOUR FIRST QUEST: Find time to go for another 10 minute walk today, and repeat the process tomorrow. You did it yesterday, why not make it two days in a row? If hobbits can walk to Mordor, you can walk for a few minutes around the block, right?"

There was more advice about slowly changing diet habits, so over the weekend I have now made my first meal of the day a bowl of oats. I now want to start drinking a glass of water before drinking or eating anything else, to increase my water intake.

I have danced my whole life,  modern, choreography, worship, ballroom, latins.. Just about everything. So I will be refreshing some of my dancing skills for extra exercise: core, strength, cardio, etc.

Then last but certainly not least, last year I started doing some basic self-defense training with a friend but he has now moved away. Sadly there isn't anyone in our area that offers Krav Maga classes, but we'll just continue using a DVD set I received, called Ultimate Krav Maga. I will train with my son using a punching bag, the DVDs as instructions and the basic skills we have learned so far.


I like to have tangible goals with steps to achieve them, so this is the outline of my plan. I will run every other day and alternate days I will do dancing and Krav Maga, with one day a week off.

I'm super excited and have also set up a twitter account for My Walk In Her Shoes experience. You can follow @mywalkinhershoe for updates of my blog and tweets about raising awareness for the 27 Million Slaves in the world today.

In the beginning...

So I have had the idea for this blog and this project for a while. I have thought about it and dreamed about it and deliberated and finally I feel ready to start. Not because everything magically fell into place, but because it didn't. I realised that I will need to "just do it" :) Yes that was a Nike reference, for no other reason than it's punny.. I will have lots of those and just so you know: I am not even sorry.

So Here Is The Plan:
 
  1)  To get fit

  2)  Run the Comrades 

  3) Keep a blog diary of the whole process to help raise 
       awareness, and hopefully, funds for the A21 Campaign.

Why Fitness?

I am completely unfit and really need to fix that. There are a variety of contributing factors to this state and I will probably mention some as time passes, but it's past time! I need to lose weight, build muscle and general fitness, all of it.I also desperately want to help make a difference for some people who really need it. I am naturally drawn to the A21 campaign, being a woman and a Christian.

Why The A21 Campaign?

Click on the above link for more information but shortly A21 is a non-profit organization who believes that together, we can end human trafficking. So under their list of "21 Ways To Help" two stood out for me: 11 is "Show Your Stuff" which suggests writing a blog to help raise awareness of human trafficking and 18 is "Walk In Her Shoes" which suggests using some sport activity to raise funds or awareness as well. Also where I got the name for the blog. There are others that I will also be incorporating into my life but this blog and my goal is linked to these two.

Why the Comrades?

The Comrades Marathon is the world's oldest and largest ultramarathon run over a distance of approximately 90 km | 56.1 miles between the capital of the Kwazulu-Natal Province of South Africa, Pietermaritzburg, and the coastal city of Durban. Running this marathon is on my Bucket List, so I will be ticking that off along with another goal of contributing to a worthy cause. After a year or so of gaining general fitness, I will start a programme specifically to get Comrades ready. I will also start looking for sponsors to donate, for every km I run, towards the Campaign and just to raise general awareness through the publicity through the media.

So welcome and I hope and pray you become inspired to find your own "Walk In Her Shoes" experience.