In the land of danishes, rye bread, and happy people, babies nap exclusively in strollers…. while their parents dine peacefully inside! In this magical land, they also say:
There is no bad weather, only bad clothing.
And so, with that in mind, barring total weather disaster, my exercise routine is moving outside for the summer!
Hills, stairs, pushups, planks, burpees, yoga… all outside. Kid loves it (trees!) and so do I.
mxo
P.S. The magical land is Denmark.
After many iterations and (too) much thought, here is my 6ish-month, doable-yet-challenging plan:
More details on each pillar to come…
mxo 💕
P.S. Thank you so very much for the tremendous amount of support! Wow. 🙏
Nothing happens unless first a dream…
Fact: I have spent 40 of the last 48 months either pregnant or breastfeeding, or both. The other 8 months, I was recovering from lost pregnancies or trying to get pregnant… or both.
I am physically, emotionally, and spiritually spent.
But all of that is behind me now (except the breastfeeding part)! Two beautiful boys chose me to be their momma – I know I am blessed. Now it’s time to replenish my reserves and fill up my cup so that I can be the best momma possible to these two souls.
Enter project nourish: 6 months of nourishment to set the foundation of a lifetime of self-care and love. Starting today.
5 pillars:
… all to be explained in time. And a weekly status update right here.
This is bold and a bit scary, but it’s also necessary. It’s time to commit. Join me on this journey (and keep me accountable!). 🙂
mxo 💕
P.S. This will also force me to update this blog – painfully out of date. 🙃
A friend of mine just completed a 100 day challenge of exercising, eating well, and generally being great to himself.
It has inspired me to do the same.
My diet is pretty good and I don’t want to mess with it right now as I’m nursing my little peanut… BUT I could certainly use more exercise in my life!
So here’s my 108-day challenge:
These are all moves that can be done anywhere with no equipment and don’t take very long – this last point is especially important when you have a fussy baby that likes to be held constantly and only naps in 30-minute chunks. 🙂
Why 108 days? 108 is a very auspicious number and I like the idea of a day for every bead in my beautiful mala. 108 days brings me to August 3rd… Let’s do this!
What can you do for yourself in 108 days?
mxo
Some 17 days ago, I started my 10,000 step challenge. And then I learned just how far that is…
But I didn’t quit! No siree!
I can proudly say that with the exception of two days – one due to bad shoes and one due to ice pellets – I have walked an average of 11,000 steps each and every day.
And honestly, it’s one of the best decisions I have made in a long time.
In my two weeks of walking, I have:
Walking is my exercise. It is my stress-relief and elixir. I cannot recommend it enough.
And after Monday’s incredible tragedy, I have taken each and every step with immense gratitude.
mxo
Today was better. Significantly so.
Here’s why:
I ate every meal at a table (NOT a desk), sitting down, doing nothing else but eating. Who knew?!
I deleted all of the social media apps on my phone (except Instagram – I like taking pictures!) I need more quiet moments to notice the raindrops and let magic in.
I logged out of every social media site on my computer. It seems I check them mostly out of habit. When I navigate to one without thinking and stumble upon a login page, 9 times out of 10, I don’t care enough to log in.
I ate tremendous amounts of greens. Tremendous.
I left work at 5:30 and got my steps in. I love the rain.
mxo
With my trip to Poland looming, I’ve been fretting about my fitness level these past few days. I’m a little concerned that my dziadek is going to put me through drills the way he used to when I was 10…
I love fitness, I do. I love yoga and spinning and swimming and all of that great stuff. I love it when I’m there… in class… halfway through. What I struggle with is actually getting out the door. Every night I have grand plans of going to yoga but by the end of my busy days, all I can think is HOMMMEEEE… NOOOWWWW.
I vowed to be kind to myself this year and so trying to ram in another morning bootcamp or concoct some sort of typical Maya torture schedule just isn’t going to do.
Today, it dawned on me… If my grandpa can walk 6km each and every single day, I can walk some too!
Now, the trick with effective goal setting is to make them challenging but realistic. Very few of us can go from being total couch potatoes to training for a marathon the very next day. For changes to stick, you need to lean into them. Baby steps.
So, without further ado, here is my goal for April.
Every day from today until April 30th, I will walk 10,000 steps. (Until I find my pedometre, that’s going to equate to 3km).
I can walk to work, or home, or around the block at lunch. It doesn’t matter. It’s about moving each and every single day. I started today and it was lovely, despite the completely impractical shoes.
You have to start somewhere… want to join me? 🙂
Happy spring!
mxo
P.S. Here’s a great booklet for getting started with your own 10,000 step challenge.
maya c. 
