Free Fitness Movement. All you need to do is show up!
Oh, PR Day. The most dreadful, but rewarding day of the month. Today, we set out to crush our PRs, create puddles of sweat, and even Bring Sally Up.
“But it’s so hot and humid in NOLA… I don’t know if I can do it,” some may say.
You know what our response is?
Oh, Dory – so inspirational, so positive, so happy. Today I witnessed multiple cases of that “just keep swimming” moment.
Wisconsin Notes
This morning was pretty epic, if I do say so myself. We first began with an interesting rendition of Rebecca Black’s Friday – fun. fun. fun. fun. looking forward to the weekend!!! (Enjoy having that one stuck in your head). Then post-warmup yog, we got to work on the levees. But not just
any kind of work… it was BOJAN time. 2 partners: 1 planking, 1runs down the levee, 5 pushups, then back up, to then do 3 bojans before they switched.
Wisconsin Notes:
When asked to describe November Project or the reasons why I like attending NP, I tend to always find myself using one word consistently…
“It’s a group of really fun and fit people who curse and give sweaty hugs and they don’t mind being a little weird at 6am in the morning together.”
Oh, Monday Mornings,
We dread you all weekend long,
But not this Monday.
Up the stairs we went,
Around Crescent Park we ran,
High fives all around.
Destination Deck,
Push-ups, Dips, box jumps, sit ups,
Cursing the face cards.
“CHAOS” Glenn would shout,
Pausing what we were doing,
Circles we then ran.
Alright people. The day is finally here. The dynamic duo is officially the triumphant trio. We couldn’t be more stoked. And there’s no better way to introduce the NEWEST CO-LEADER, GLENN BUCK, than by forcing him into putting all of his feelings into a blog post. So, without further ado, we introduce you to Glenn.
One year ago to this day, I had a decision to make: to snooze or not to snooze. I had been in New Orleans for a mere two weeks now, and on my first day in this new city, my mom took me to meet an old friend named Linda – one of the OG members of NP NOLA. Upon our introduction, she suggested I #justshowup for one of November Project’s famed Champions Square workouts. When she told me the time, I remember thinking to myself, “ha! nope.”
Something important happened this morning. Something we all needed to hear. Something I clearly need to remember. It pains me to say this, but Louis, you’ve done good.
As I finished explaining the main part of the workout (for anyone who was wondering: side lunges & frog jumps up the stairs, 10 burpees at the top, a run down the ramp, 10 dips at the bottom, a skip back to the start, and 10 sit-ups before you do it all over again), Louis interrupted me. Now, typically this is the point where I begin to roll my eyes because he always gets the attention, but today, his interruption was welcome. His interruption was important.
If you’ve shown up to a workout in the past couple of months, you’ve probably heard me say it. It’s my motto. It’s my version of a mic drop. It’s the “fuck yeah” for the end of the workout. It’s the “until next time.” It’s the reminder that no matter what is in store for you today, you’ve already taken the first step towards winning your day.
As one of my favorite Disney characters once said, “Ohana means family. Family means nobody gets left behind or forgotten.” -Lilo & Stitch
No one ever prepares for tragedy; that’s why it is what it is – tragic. But one thing this family of ours knows how to do well is respond when faced with tragedy. This past weekend, we lost one of the most loyal, kind-hearted, enthusiastic, caring, loving, genuine, happy tribe members to ever just show up. Ben O’Meara came into the lives of so many members of this movement for a reason. To make his mark. To make sure nobody was left behind or forgotten.
Mondays, man. They’re rough. If you’re anything like me, you’re still not over the shock you experienced yesterday when you realized you had to go to work today (except for Louis because #funemployment). But since the inception of Monday Pop-Ups here in NOLA (CREDIT TO TWO-A-DAY TODD FOR THE ORIGINAL IDEA), Mondays aren’t so terrible anymore. I mean, who wouldn’t want to start off their Monday with hugs, sweat and FREE coffee & bagels?!
