So I've completed my first full week of exercising and I am getting more and more motivated every day!
A friend gave me a PowerPlate machine that she has in storage and just doesn't use. It's so impressive how it will help my existing stretching and strength routines. It doesn't add time to my workouts, only effectiveness. And if that isn't enough it has added bonuses of increasing circulation, weight-loss and reducing cellulite.
Aside from just completing workouts, my other NerdFitness quests this week were:
- Take a before photo - Check
- Change my thinking to see workouts as gaining points for skills - Check. My points stand as follows:
- STA (Stamina) + 3
- WP (Will Power) + 6
- STR (Strength) + 3
- DX (Dexterity) - Will start incorporating this training next week.
- Make one dietary change for the better - Check.
- Drinking 2 litres of water a day, by drinking a glass of water before other drinks and meals.
- Temptation Bundling - Check
- Socialising + Running: Arranged to start running with a friend from next week to do socialising while exercising.
- Studying + Exercising: I have a brutal study schedule at the moment, so doing exercises like squats while watching the video portions mean I study and train.
What a first week and next week will only be better with the measures in place to be even more effective.
Aside from twitter and this blog I have also spoken to people (in real life) about how I'm integrating my desire to raise awareness for The A21 Campaign with my new work out routine. It is a great way to introduce people to the very real problem of human trafficking and how we can use our everyday lives to help.
So am I pumped after finishing my first strength training exercise session today? Day 4 of my Nerd Fitness programme and having a blast!
Yesterday I chose my character: a monk :) This was an easy choice since I am doing Krav Maga, which strictly speaking isn't Martial Arts, but it is contact combat so it's essentially the same physically.
I completed another 20 minute "Run" yesterday, although according to my programme it's still speed walking and not running yet.
Then I just have to mention that I have been meeting lots of amazing people on my twitter account (@mywalkinhershoe). So I want to take a moment to say a sincere thank you to everyone supporting me and our cause to stand against the injustice of human trafficking.
To all the individuals who make up The A21 Campaign and all the other organisations involved with this worthy cause: Thank you and we will not stop until every last human being is free!
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.
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.
