Free Fitness Movement. All you need to do is show up!
🎶 It was raining 🌧 , it was pouring 🌧 but no on was snoring 💤💤🎶
I have been known to complain sometimes when I wake up and it is raining on an NP morning. I don’t love getting wet, or having my jacket cling to my arms, or having raindrops sting my eyes, or having sopping wet feet…yeah, rainy days are not my favourite. However, I have slowly come to appreciate them as I see them through a different lens.
The future is bright and so was this morning. As I walked out to the upper bowl today I was captivated by the incredible colours of the morning sky. This morning’s sunrise was off the charts!! While there are so many things that make my early morning alarm worth it, today’s stadium views took the credit (and the fact that I could share them with each of you who showed up of course!)
First, a few quick announcements:
& now…the main attraction…BEN!
Ben’s dedicated work ethic, kind spirit, and generous nature make him a cornerstone of our November Project Canada community. You can count on Ben to give 100% every morning and still find a way to dig a little deeper and inspire others to do the same. I am confident that as you read Ben’s NP journey you will connect to many of his experiences. I am excited for him as he will be lacing his sneakers Sunday morning, ready to light up the marathon course for his marathon debut. Whether you are on course or at the cheer station, cheer on Ben and the many other community members who will be hitting the Edmonton Marathon pavement. NP will be joining the lululemon community at 111 street & 102 ave (dress code: wear black).
Wow! Another amazing morning at Commonwealth! With a zzzzipp & an ooooohhhhh–ohhh you all flew around the stadium and kicked off your Wednesday the best way possible – with community and a good old sweat!
This afternoon Nadim, Rob and I are headed to Seattle for NP’s MOM – Meeting of the Minds Leadership Summit. Leaders from all 51 cities will be gathering to share stories, create more stories, have a few laughs, and learn from one another.
In the summer I love that I have more time to read. Some of my favourite moments during my summer break are the times when I can sit outside in the sun with my book and get lost in the story.
Right now I am ready Daisy Jones & The Six and I am totally captivated! Using the accounts of the band members, the novel describes the musical journey of the Daisy and the Six. What I love is the fact that the details of the story are not aligned, that each band member remembers the experience differently.
…but it was also awesome to be away!
While I often follow up the previous statement with a message talking about how time away allows one to have a greater appreciation for what you have when you return, while that may be true, today’s message is a little different.
I didn’t spend my time away reflecting on what I was missing at home. And there was a lot going on in Edmonton and it looked like fun…Taste of Edmonton, K-Days, concerts, hot weather, NP, etc. And while I checked in (meaning I dropped into Instagram once in the morning and once in the evening) I made a conscious effort to truly be away even though the opportunities to experience FOMO could have been in full effect. I chose to leave my phone in our room for our trip to Sandpoint. It was actually a really nice break. I was glad that my cousin enjoyed being on picture duty to capture our joy. And it was joyful – laughing, boating, floating, eating ice cream, BBQing, and sharing time with family and friends.
There’s no better way to kick off a 6th birthday than with a 6 AM slip n slide party! Right?! Right!
6 years ago, at the invitation of a newly signed Oiler, about 20 people chose to show up in the early morning at Kinsmen Park for an unknown fitness thing. We flipped through a deck of cards, slid down some really fast slides, and posed for a photo.
I know that regardless of the weather when I wake up, I will roll out of bed and make my way to November Project. Even knowing that the weather doesn’t impact my decision to just show up, I will still check the forecast the night before to see what conditions I can expect at 6 AM. There’s a practical purpose for this as I lay out all of my clothes the night before so that there is minimal brain activity required at 5 AM. There is also a psychological purpose as I want to know what to prepare myself for. The sunny forecasts are easy, the cold not quite so much, and for me, the rainy forecasts are the hardest to prepare for. I hate being wet! Sometimes I am pleasantly surprised in the morning when I wake expecting rain and it’s sunny and sometimes somewhat disappointed when I plan for a sunny morning and I get wind and snow.
Wow! First off, for each and every one of you who showed up this morning, thank you!!! The collective energy was invigorating and whether you were tackling the gristle, the old 96er, a 59-minute stadium tour, a 30-minute stadium tour, or supporting your community, you had an impact!!
These Commonwealth challenges, along with others like the Walter, were dreamed up by us to provide our community with crazy, fun physical feats. They are truly a piece of our imaginations combined with our NP grassroots roots that seem to take on a life of their own.
This morning’s workout was as much about the message as it was about the workout. While I don’t want to diminish all of the pushups, squats, lunges, burpees, planks and mountain climbers that you completed, I hope that you also took away the message that you can do anything for 5 minutes…or 10 minutes…or 30 seconds…or one week…or one year. It’s all about perspective.