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.
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
There’s a 13-foot hole where my front lawn used to be and five guys with big machines tending to it. Junior’s due date is in a week. Yesterday, I stressed. Today, I’m moving on. 🙂
A beautiful friend of mine recently shared this video which is now going viral:
I like a lot of what Logan has to say, especially the attention he brings to Roger Walsh’s eight therapeutical lifestyle changes (or “TLCs”).
That’s my equation for a happy, healthy life… what do you think? 🙂
Happy Tuesday!
mxo
Sunday. Hula Girl. Two lattes, one almond. Three croissants and 2632 steps. Spotted: one red food truck and one loving frog.
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
Here it is, folks. My new bible. Undiet.
I’m 10 pages in and I already feel like Ms. Telpner is writing about me – except the galavanting in Africa part, although that sure would be fun.
Inspired by Telpner, I wrote my very own healthy list.
Now that’s one daily to-do list I can get behind (and will)!
It was a very soggy 10,000 steps today!
Happy April showers!
mxo
Sunday wanders… it appears the plants had a rough night.
I just walked 11.27km around my neighbourhoods… 16,101 steps!
On my boss’s recommendation, I wandered over to Patisserie 27 and ordered the tomato, basil, goat cheese viennoiserie.
O… M… G. I’m in trouble. Delicious trouble!
The only saving grace is that this place is a 4km walk – well worth every step for all of the fluffy, buttery goodness in my future!
Happy Saturday.
mxo
P.S. I’m on instagram now… @maya_jc
Umm… Houston? We have a wee problem.
It seems I did my math wrong. Or rather, I trusted the first site I found on the internet… big mistake.
You see, today I walked and walked… and walked.
I walked around at lunch.
I walked to the dentist, and up and down Roncies before the dentist.
I walked to the store, and passed this thing:
I walked to get a tea and then I walked home.
Every few blocks, I’d check the pedometre and think, “uh oh, either this thing is broken or else I have just publicly committed to walking A LOT each and every single day.”
Turns out it’s the latter. 10,000 steps is not 3km. No siree! It’s actually closer to 5 miles or 8km. EIGHT!
This challenge just got a whole lot more interesting… 🙂
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. 
