Fitness Update

I haven't written about fitness in a while and I do have some readers who follow this blog mainly for that reason. So, today I thought I'd give a little fitness update!

I don't have any races scheduled until late May, when I'm hoping to do the Ulm Buffalo Jump 10K on May 17.  I have still been running, however! My mileage isn't very high right now and I'm only getting in about three days a week, especially since we've been doing more skiing this winter, and travelling. But, when I do get a run in, it has been going well. Yesterday I did 4.6 on our gravel road and it went better than expected, especially since I haven't done anything that long in quite a while. If you're curious about my racing intentions for this year, you can read my post titled Tentative 2015 Race Schedule. 

I am also continuing to work in strength training a few times a week and yoga a few times a week, in addition to planks almost daily. I can REALLY see a difference in my running since I've dedicated myself to additional core work. I'm a complete believer in the plank.

We have ramped up our participation in winter sports this year a bit. Jeff and I have gone skiing five days (six for Jeff) this winter and loved it each and every time! We are both having a ton of fun exploring this winter snowsport hobby and are improving our skills each time we ski. You can read some of my ski posts below:

Getting ready to head down the mountain at Whitefish!
Photo courtesy of Skyler Pester. 

Glacier New Year-- Nordic Skiing in and around Glacier Park.
Snow Fun -- Snowshoeing and Nordic Skiing at our own home!!!
More from Glacier-- Alpine skiing at Whitefish, Nordic skiing at Essex.
Downhill Skiing Like a Local-- Alpine skiing at Showdown and Bridger Bowl.
Red Lodge Weekend-- Alpine skiing with our friends from North Dakota.

So far this winter, Days on Downhill Skis = 5, Days on Nordic Skis = 4, Days on Snowshoes = only 1.

Caught in the action of Nordic skiing at Essex!
Photos courtesy of Skyler Pester.

Something else that's new this year for me is a weekly workout group I have joined with some friends. It was started by my beautiful friend Adria probably about six weeks ago. The idea was to give one another some accountability and social incentive to exercise. We're getting in better shape, but also having a blast together, laughing and joking around the whole time. Since there are no actual gyms within many, many miles of where we live, Adria had to get a little creative. We are meeting in the gymnasium of one of the old school buildings in our small town. The school is no longer in use, thanks to school consolidations, but the gym is still used occasionally as a sort of community hall for weddings and events. For us, it is being used as an actual gym to workout once a week! Adria devised five different stations, with two exercises at each station. Each station focuses on a different part of the body-- core, arms, more arms, legs/cardo, legs. We rotate between the stations and jog two laps around the gym between each one, while rockin' out to 80s music on Pandora! It takes us about 40 minutes to get through the whole workout. It's really a blast and a good workout, too!

Lastly, again this year, Jeff and I are participating in Shape Up Montana.  SUM runs for three months, February -April. This is our third year on a team. We are with his parents, his sister and her husband, my friend Adria, one of her friends from her hometown, and another local friend named Sarah. With this being the third year, we really knew what to expect from the program and how we can maximize our success. Basically, each person on a team earns points for the activity they do. As a team, we are actually competing against other teams from all over the state, based on how many points per person our team scores. The competition aspect does create a bit more motivation, but for me, my goals are thus:

- Score more points each week than in the previous week.
- Score more total points this year than I did last year (Last year I scored 492 points).
- Continue to motivate our team as a Team Captain.
- Have fun and find new ways to be active and healthy!

SUM also has weekly does weekly challenges that are either activity based or focused on healthy eating. If a person completes the challenge, they earn a bonus 10 points for that week and are entered into a drawing for prizes. Last week our challenge was to get together with some teammates for a healthy potluck. I did the challenge, and guess what.... I won a prize!

In my third year doing SUM I finally won a prize! ha!

So, that's the skinny on what I'm doing to stay in shape as 2015 begins to unfurl! As my 10K race in May gets closer, I'll make a specific training plan probably when it gets to be about 8 weeks out.

What all do you have planned to be active in 2015?

Green Machine!

The things we do to *win*... 

For the second time this year, my Montana family and I are participating in a program called Shape Up Montana. We did it last year and really enjoyed it. This year, we had such enthusiasm that we had to break our team up into two teams because so many more people wanted to do it. We participate as a team because Shape Up Montana, or SUM, is actually a team competition. Teams can register from all over the state of Montana and we compete with each other for the most points per person on our team. This year the team I am on consists of me and Jeff, Tom and Carol (my in-laws), Katie and Josh (Jeff's sister and her husband), and Tia. Tia is actually not biologically related to anyone else on our team, but the first time I met her she introduced herself to me as "practically a sister" to Katie and Jeff. Good enough for me! Our Team name is WeBangs! If you're familiar with Ricky Martin songs from the 90's, you'll understand the pun. As I've mentioned, I do so love puns. 

So, as a team, we earn points for activity/exercise we do. This can be anything from walking and running, to cleaning and housework, to farm chores... and many activities in between. The nice thing about SUM is that they have done a great job coming up with many, many ways to give people credit for activity they are already doing in their daily lives.

The competition runs from February through April. At the end of this time period, the teams who have the most points per person win prizes. Most of all, it's a great program to challenge yourself to be more active, live a healthy lifestyle, and just to give yourself credit for what you may already be doing. I also like it because it has been a really fun way to do something as a family, and especially with Jeff, who has taken a very strong interest in the program. He told me yesterday that he is "competing to win this thing!"  

I guess we all have been competing to win this year. SUM has weekly challenges for participants to try. If they do the challenge, they earn 10 bonus points apiece. This past week, the challenge was to make a special smoothie according to a recipe they had on their website. This was no ordinary smoothie and was somewhat of a stretch for our rural Montana taste buds in some cases.  Nevertheless, I am proud of our team members because we ALL gave it a try! 

The smoothie has earned two nicknames in my vernacular: The Weird Green Smoothie, and Green Machine. They can be used interchangeably. The recipe is pretty simple. Throw a big handful of spinach, a chopped head of romaine lettuce, some celery stalks, an apple, a pair, and a banana in blender with a little water and lemon juice. Blend to perfection... or something like it. 

Jeff, Tom and I made the smoothie this past weekend right after spending all of Saturday morning doing cow work outside.  I wouldn't necessarily say we were looking forward to the smoothie or that it was really a "reward" after completing some hard work...but it was fun all the same. Jeff and Tom are such great sports!  We had a little difficulty getting past the look of the smoothie. Might have had something to do with being in the corrals prior to eating them. Calf poo has a certain color to it... 

Anyway, here's some photos of the whole crazy experience!

Some of the ingredients- awaiting their blended fate!

Mmmmmm.... See why we called it the Weird Green Smoothie?

"You want me to drink this?"

Down the hatch!

Part of a healthy post-chores lunch: Tomato soup, multigrain crackers, and Green Machine.
I had already finished my delicious roast beef sandwich.

Carol was in Bozeman visiting Katie and Josh for the weekend. They mixed their smoothie up on Saturday, too. I have to say they were much, much classier about it in their approach than we were. Thanks to Katie for sending me the photos of their experience!

They were missing the celery, but close enough!

Doesn't that make the smoothies look more appetizing?!
Nice work, guys!

I think I see the hint of a smile on her face...

That might be the look of skepticism... 

As if she's saying, "wow... I just ate that!"

I think for the most part the consensus was that the smoothie was not that bad... but not really that good either. It was overall kind of bland. There were more than a few comparisons to the smell of grass. Jeff said it reminded him of the compost heap. Appetizing, right? Maybe next time (if there is a next time!) we should blend in some flavorful herbs or some sweeter fruits or green tea. Or some honey... or yogurt.. ice cream...rum... All the same, great work WeBangs!