Burpee Challenge

Ask me what day it is and I know. Because I challenged my immediate family to a burpee challenge. My middle sister who has a February birthday thought it would be a good idea to start it straight away. February, afterall is the shortest month.

A burpee is a decent exercise that involves a push-up and a squat thrust. The idea was one on the 1st, four on the 4th, you get the hint. So today is the 27th. And on day 11 I completely forgot to do them. So on day 12, I did 23. And on day 22 I only did  7. So guess what I did on day 23? 38! And my middle sister who had this great idea to start in in February quit on day 16. The rest of my family???? Crickets. Yes - I am talking to an echo in the room. And the echo is mine.

So here we are at the end of the month and Miss Janie is is RELIGIOUS with her burpees. Am I getting any satisfaction out of this? Well yes I am.

Moving on from the burpee challenge that only yours truly is sticking to, I decided to run in one race per month. I proudly came in second in my age group in my most recent race. This is not just about running. Because since I was 26 [and  Iam almost 29], I have run 6 days a week. But now, this is about running competitively.

So when the new year sprang, I chose to run fast in a race/month. And I am well on my way.

Not a PR but second in my age group at a 7:40 pace. Someone in my immediate family has to be talented in running. We just don't know who.


And the more I have given thought to my girlfriend Liz's blog comment, the more I have thought about the inspiration that is much needed.

Here is what I advise you do to get in shape:

Do you have a song that gets you moving?

You know that song that gets you out into a dance move??

Well, download that song. And think about other songs that do the same thing.

Now wake up in the morning and jog to those songs. Or run to them. Whatever you can do. Just go for 30 minutes. I don't care if you jog for 30 seconds and walk for 1 minute. Just keep going. Aerobic activity is all about moving to the music.

See if that helps. Give it a try. I want to inspire someone. Anyone! I am here for you. Although I do love running by myself and always have.

Here we are doing the Valentines Day 5K in the bitter cold Wisconsin weather.

Beazy on the sidelines waiting for her favorite runner to run by. Oops! She decided to chase after her when she saw her!

A Daunting Comment About Weight

While I think this is a crappy, no-frills kind of blog, I was disheartened when my dear old friend whom I share the happiest and funniest memories with shared her struggle with weight loss in a comment to me last week.

So I first want to apologize. Please accept my apologies. I would never look at someone who I know is working hard to lose weight and accuse them of being lazy.

I'm also surprised that anyone really reads what I say because I get about two comments a day from some another country trying to advertise their rugs or fake Prada bags.

First I want to say that when I write about a healthy lifestyle, Liz's situation is not one that crosses my mind. [Which she points out to me] And her comments have stuck with me since I read them. The people I refer to are the ones who say "I need to lose xx pounds" but eat wings and drink beer and don't do jack squat and then complain about their health conditions - bad knees, high glucose levels, having to drive somewhere that is walkable due to lack of energy. These are the people I wonder about.

I also get very irritated when the same people who tell me they want to get fit make excuses for why they can't alter their habits just slightly. For example, not being able to train for 10K because it's raining out is just such a poor excuse.

My boyfriend and I are unusual with our exercise regimens. He - training for an ironman. Me - a sheer dedication to maintaining my daily runs. However - in his running world, where he is friends with elite runners and is considered sub-elite in many races doesn't see our exercise pattern as anything unusual.

And while I planned to blog in February about my goals and challenges, I wanted to address Liz's comment.

I am sorry. I would never think of you as lazy, Liz. Or anyone out there who cares about their health and does something about it.

It is true that eating some fresh fruits and veggies and exercising are not going to result in a size zero. But I can say that for me, I have maintained a healthy weight as an adult. The mileage I get in every week and the amount of "real food" I eat have to be a huge factor here. Genetics? Who knows. And who's to say I won't be blogging about cancer in a few years? All I can do is what I know works for me.

My goal is to inspire. Not deflate. If I could get everyone reading this blog to run four miles every morning, I would. But sadly, my attempts at getting people to put their ass in gear have failed over and over. That's not to say that the Liz's in this world aren't trying.

I value your comments and hope to see more of them about this topic besides some guy from another continent trying to get me to advertise his discounted rugs.

Until then, I leave you with a photo of my extremely athletic dog.