Hello, Striders!

Today is day 7 of the Primal Stride Week 2 Challenge. You’ve been crunching on fruits and vegetables and your abs all week.

Are you glad you did it? Have you learned anything about yourself in the past week? Will you keep eating vegetables and doing crunches now that the weeks is over?

My update: Green beans and crunches go well together. =)

And now for the bad news: I won’t have time to coordinate challenges over the next two weeks. What I can do is check in you every so often to make sure you’re doing well. I’ll also continue to update with letters for the 100lbs project. I’ve lost some weight in 2010 and I want to get those break-up letters written! =) So, beyond your normal check-in for the challenge, make sure to let me know if you’re doing anything in the next two weeks you’d like me to check in on you for.

Thank you all for your loving kindness and enthusiastic support! I have a feeling that come February 1st some of you newly-minted early risers will need a check-up challenge. =)

I’m glad for your thoughts.

beans

Hello Striders!

How often do you take naps?

I grew up taking naps each afternoon but “grew out of them” by the time I was 8. I have since reimplemented them as part of a (I hate the word “diet” … what to call it?) concerted weight-loss effort. Resting for 30 minutes, even if I can’t fall asleep, has changed the way I view the middle of my day.

I good nap can make the day seem like I got two chances at making it great. =)

My challenge update:

• Crunches: 250 is turning out to be easier than I thought it would be. Magnificent!
• Vegetable: Broccoli, of course!

How’s your week going?

broccoli

Good Morning, Striders!

Where do you get your power from?

Are you able to survive, to thrive, and to flourish through the strength of your friendships with others? Do you have a deep religious fervor that keeps you going? Perhaps you just know, deep within yourself, that you are able to do whatever you wish?

I’d like to know.

My update:

• Crunches – My stomach aches. The major muscle groups are worn out so the smaller ones have been working overtime. That’s good. I’m glad of it. I’ll keep going. 250 seems like a lot until I get to 220-30 and realize I could probably keep going. I didn’t feel that way last Thursday. Improvement? Possibly. =)
• Vegetables – Cabbage. Raw. With a bit of salt. It was good. =)

P.s. I’m open to ideas for next week’s challenge. Is there something you’d like to try?

cabbage

Good Morning, Striders!

I’m sure I’m not the only one with a busy Monday so I’ll keep this short. I’ll give a quick update on my progress and ask you a question that you can answer with your update.

My Update:

• Crunches – 250 each day didn’t seem like a lot at first because I split them up. The area-specific workout caught up to me yesterday evening and I had a solid abdominal ache burning strong. It was gone when I woke at 5am today and 150 into today’s 250 I’m still feeling good. I continue to be thrilled at how quickly my body responds and adjusts to new things. Unfortunately, it also responds quickly to unhealthy food and a sedentary lifestyle. That’s what got me here in the first place!
• Green Vegetables – Today I tossed some celery into my green smoothie. I’m not sure that celery has much nutritive value beyond fiber. That’s okay though. This week is all about variety!

The Question:

What do you look forward to most when you imagine yourself living a truly healthy lifestyle?

Check in, Striders!

Ps. If you haven’t already seen it, make sure you take a look at Carla’s awesome video on how to do a perfect crunch!

celery

Good morning, Striders!

I tossed a leaf of kale into my green smoothie this morning (I have it growing on my patio) to mix things up from the collards yesterday. (I’m doing something separate with green smoothies I’ll tell you about soon. In the meantime, eat your veggies!)

50 more crunches to go and I’m done for the day. Doing crunches inside would have been a nice respite from jogging in the cold… had I stopped jogging in the cold. But I didn’t! Here’s a video I made for you all on the frosty (yet sunny) Mississippi beach:

It’s check-in time, Striders! Don’t forget to visit and encourage those blogging about their challenge experiences. If you’re blogging about your experience, make sure you leave a link in a comment so I can come visit you, too!

Image: kale