Free Fitness Movement. All you need to do is show up!
Photography taken with phone, dope DLSR camera or disposable $10 camera. Bottom line is all these photos are rad!
Like our twin in Oakland, today is our pledgeversary in Providence (Happy birthday Oakland!)
On January 10, 2018, two Wednesday workouts took place. A 5:27, we had a total of 3 people. All of them are still with us (we love you Katie, Brett, and Adam). At 6:27am, we had 8, of which five still greet us with hugs and smiles every Wednesday (we love you Darran, Meghan, John, Kim, and Lauren).
Things learned:
2018 was so great for many reasons, many roses, perhaps a couple thorns and buds to look forward to in 2019.
– At some point, people think you are too loud and that’s okay
– NP Ottawa does a GREAT NINGA workout
– We are still really great at being weatherproof, remember the rainstorm stadium workout? Or the -37 on the bridge?
I am excited for you to meet one of the most cheerful members of NP Canada. While most people do not choose the coldest time of the year to join an outdoor fitness group, Joel did! I clearly remember that workout – one of our most difficult Monday circuits that included stairs, bridge sprints, and body weight exercises…I’m really glad we didn’t scare him off! A special memory I cherish is having Joel join me for my 40k 40th birthday run. Take some time to read and watch why Joel is hooked on NP!
December 7, 2016: I sat anxiously on the steps of Champions Square, surrounded by a bunch of sweaty friends as we had just completed another hard morning workout. While they sat nonchalantly as Lou and Booher began announcements, I was freaking out. Today was the day they brought me on as their third co-leader.
“Pump up the jam, pump it up, pump it up! Pump up the jam, pump it up, pump it up”
That’s 2 bounces in a row that have been influenced by our love of music. Andrew and I can’t wait to see what Nadim brings Friday!
You all braved the icy conditions crushed race day! I challenged you to think of your bounce legs as “the jam” and turn them into jelly while you climbed up the river valley. There may have been a time when someone challenged you and said, “I don’t think you’re ready for this jelly” but I’m pretty sure you proved them wrong!
Wisconsin Notes:
The past few Wednesday’s have been a bit of a battle for me- I keep telling myself that I’m not actually sick and to keep moving and going with what ever I have going on, because I don’t want to let the little barriers or excuses slow me down. So I want to thank you all for each and every Wednesday that you are there bright and early with your warm hugs, hi5’s, smiles and loud voices, because I know that no matter what, my day will be better by showing up.
If you were working out by yourself, would you have stopped after the first song? Would you have held that plank as long as you did during cha-cha slide? Would you have done that extra pushup when Sally told you come up?
The effects of being around others goes beyond just showing up. First, it’s knowing others are going to be there when you show up- that gets you out of bed. Second, it’s knowing that others are going to hold you to a higher standard- that keeps you pushing a little harder. Third, it’s knowing that being around other positive people is going to start the first hour of your day the right way- that keeps you spreading positivity into your world for the rest of the day.
In discussing the upcoming NP Snow Globe event (previously Snow Summit – in Syracuse, NY this January 18-20, 2019), some prospective participants identified that dressing for a winter event felt daunting. Now, I’m from the prairies where we like to extol our “dry cold”, but the fact of the matter is, I’d rather run in the sunshine, dressed in shorts, with a cool spring breeze. But I live in Canada, so those ideal running conditions have a restricted window.
No point dwelling over the past. If you missed the Leftover Turkey Trot last friday, then you’ll have to wait til next year to strut off the thanksgiving turkey and whiskey and dessert.
The wait is almost over. After what feels like a long-ass weekend apart, Monday morning is almost here. We’ve had a few days to kick that tryptophan out of our system we’re ready to kick our Monday square in the face. Let’s milk it for everything it’s worth. See you tomorrow morning. Murray Field. 6:29AM. Heads up – – it’s gunna start raining at 10am. Get your outdoors in before….
But assigning meaning to our weekly workouts is a special endeavor, and sometimes the message is about fun (baseball opening day, talk like a pirate day, national penguin day) and other times it’s about grinding out repeats for time or quantity (PR day, beast ladder, everest).
We’re thankful to have a tribe that welcomes whatever we throw at them, and this week was a bounce to celebrate M-I-C-K-E-Y’s 90th Birthday, followed by “pass the potatoes” relay warmup, a T-H-A-N-K-S circuit that brought back an old favorite (for some of you) in #bojans, and then a #planksgiving trivia burnout to start our holiday weekend off right (Who knew that it originated as Gimbel’s Thanksgiving Day Parade?!).
So enjoy time with your loved ones, tell them that you’re glad they’re here, and take whatever life throws at you this weekend (racing, shopping, napping…) and #makeitbetter.
notes:
we expect to receive them sometime at the beginning of next year ($5 each, quantities limited, 3 max, design tbd, eta sometime in 2019, paypal/venmo link enclosed).
Look out on the Social page for black Friday race deals and recruit friends or cheergangs!