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Day 29. Last day.... and the first day. Huge thanks to everyone for your participation in this Fresh Start Challenge. I have really enjoyed sharing this month with all of you, and whether you posted, liked, emailed or followed along silently, I'm grateful for your interest and energy. We have a few tasks left for today.... 1. Walking lunges and jumping jacks are part of your 30 minutes of movement. 2. Eating just a few pieces of Halloween candy. :-) 3. 8 hours of sleep. Looking back on this month, we have done so much together! We set intentions, practiced getting more sleep, explored some nutrition options, included movement in our day and more. I hope that as the challenge comes to an end today, you can view this as an opportunity for more new beginnings. We were all about fresh starts this month, and even though the challenge is over, remember that we can have a "Day One" every day. Today, tomorrow and the next day, take time for awareness, presence and small changes. You can totally do it. You have done it! Please let me know if you would like to see another challenge in the coming weeks/month. I can't believe that we are almost at our year anniversary of our first challenge from 2015 (the resolution challenge!). If you have feedback, comments, or interest in a new challenge as we approach the holiday season, please reach out. Thank you again for making this group so successful, fun and supportive. I'm thankful for each of you. Happy Halloween! #freshstartseveryday #dayoneistoday #youCANdothis 
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Day 28. Happy weekend everyone. Today is a rest/stretch and meal prep day. And I hope you can get out and enjoy this weather. We've got almost summer-like weather here in NC. Amazing for Halloween Eve! We started this challenge back on October 3rd. My motivation for offering this challenge was two-fold. The first reason was that many of my local clients/friends expressed that they were feeling unmotivated, lethargic, in need of a boost to get "back on track" with exercise, diet, etc. I was very happy to provide a boost by creating this fresh start challenge to encourage us all to make some small tweaks and intentions surrounding fitness, diet and sleep. The second reason for this challenge was very personal. I've shared my second reason here in a 200-word story...my favorite and preferred way to share a journey.
I've waited all month to share this as it has been a month filled with a lot of emotion and self-reflection.
Thanks to all of you for reading, participating and creating space in your day and life for fresh starts....for Day One. Have an amazing day friends. # yougotthis Day 26. Happy Friday. Think about your intentions. Breathe in, breathe out. Look around...Look inside. Try to be present today friends. Our calendar shows 2 healthy between-meal snacks today. Apple, carrot sticks, cheese cubes, peanut butter and celery, pretzels, yogurt....so many good choices to make. Back to the push ups and bridge lifts today for part of our 30 minutes of movement. And of course....8 hours of sleep! #freshstartfriday #youCANdothis   Day 25 It may be Day 25, but with a gentle perspective change, today can be your Day One. As you are getting ready for work, school, the day ahead, take a few moments to be aware of your intentions or even just your schedule. If your schedule is packed today, can you still find moments to be present? It's soooo easy to go through the motions of life, especially when we have habits and routines that we experience every single day. Whether you are driving carpool, grabbing a Starbucks, hitting the gym, walking the dog, doing the laundry, see if you can be MINDFUL today of your actions, your thoughts, your surroundings. It's gorgeous here in NC this week and every now and then I find myself "seeing" the blue sky for the first time in the day. And then the colors of the changing leaves start to come into my line of vision and I appreciate, even for just a little bit, the beauty of the world around me. Like I wrote a few days ago....try today to "look up" and notice. After we are aware and present, see what kind of change can occur. Is there somewhere in this morning or afternoon when you can carve out 10-15 minutes for yourself or for something that brings you joy, satisfaction, peace? Maybe it's 10 minutes of movement or chatting in person with a friend. Maybe it's tidying up your office for 10 minutes so you can feel a sense of accomplishment. Or perhaps it's playing a game with your children. Let's be aware and be present today friends and observe the little changes that occur. We are going to look for lots of fruit in our diet and try for 30 minutes of movement. We have plank and side-lying leg lifts on the calendar and a whopping 8 hours of sleep! Good luck! Stay in touch. #everyonehasaDayOe #youCANdothis  Day 24. Middle of the week. Fresh start attitude is on! You got this.  Day 23. Wayyyyy late in the afternoon check-in. How are we doing friends? We have 6 more days left in the challenge and I hope that no matter where you are with your sleep, exercise, nutrition and intentions, you are able to keep up the Fresh Start mentality we have been discussing all month. Even this late in the day, there is still time to do something. If you rushed through breakfast and lunch, see if you can take a few slow bites at dinner tonight and really taste and enjoy your food. Still need to get some exercise? Rally the kids, your spouse, the dog, and/or a neighbor and get a 15 minute walk in before or after dinner. Or get them all doing some mountain climbers and v-sit twists! Keep up the great work everyone. Keep posting, sharing and reflecting. I am inspired by all of you and proud of you for your efforts. #dayoneistoday #yougotthis  Days 20 and 21 - Happy Weekend. Good morning friends. Hope this weekend is a good one for all of you.  This quote about intentions and energy reminds me of something that I taught this week in one of my yoga classes. We were exploring parsva bakasana (side crow/crane pose), which is a pretty challenging arm balance. So many muscles and joints are involved in executing this pose, as well as a ton of confidence, trust and self-belief. It also requires us to establish an intention of lift and "flight." If we stare down at the floor, then that is likely where our energy is going to go, and a face plant might be imminent. When we lift our eyes and gaze forward or up, we send our energy in the direction we want to go....in the direction that allows us to fly.  For some of us, the weekend is a time of rest. For others, it's our time to get things done. Most of us are probably in the middle ... looking for productivity and downtime. Whatever the case, focus for a moment on your #freshstart intention. Focus on that thought or that goal you set a few weeks ago. Pick one aspect of that intention that you CAN do. Rather than wasting energy on stress, worry, or negative self-talk about what we cannot do, pick something you CAN do. Let your energy (and your time and effort) flow in that positive direction. Drink another glass of water, go for a walk, get a 15 minute nap, etc. Rather than "looking down" ... try looking up. If you are following the calendar, today is a rest/stretch day. If you are thinking to yourself that you would like to get some movement today, then go for it and add in any of the exercises we have worked on this month.
Today is meal-planning for the week (definitely one of my biggest challenges). Take 30 minutes today to look at your week ahead, your fridge and pantry, and write a menu and shopping list that will work for you and your family. If you head to the store with a list, you will be way more efficient and focused in your shopping, and your future self will be so thankful this week when she/he finds the ingredients for your pre-planned dinner! Finally, let's remember the value of sleep. We have been working this whole month to train our bodies and minds to get more sleep. It's Sunday morning...11:45am.....what time do you need to get to bed to get 8 hours of sleep tonight. What do you have to do today to make that happen? Friends...YOU can do this. WE can do this. Day One. Reset. Fresh Start. Have a lovely day. Day 19. Fresh Start Friday. How are you doing today? Feeling psyched up for Friday and the weekend? Anyone feeling sluggish? Usually about midway during these challenges, it's easy to lose steam, to forget why we started, to lose interest. I get that. I'm right there with you. Sometimes we are super-motivated and then other times, not so much. If today is one of those days....please be good to yourself in your thoughts and actions. Recognize that you are having an off-day and then make a commitment to get back to it, later today or tomorrow. Go back to your ideas and thoughts from October 3rd and reflect on what gave you that push to participate in this challenge. Remember that you can always focus on something really small and attainable that you can still do today. Now if you are pumped up and having a great Day One.....a fabulous Fresh Start today....then rock on. Own it and stay focused. Get your greens in today....and your exercise....and your water...and your sleep. You got this!!!!!! Have a lovely day.  Day 18. Good morning. Heading to class soon, so forgive the brief post. Today's nutrition focus is preparing a healthy dinner for you and your family. If you look in the fridge and say "yikes...I got nothing"...then take a few moments to plan out a quick trip to the store today, or get creative with the items that you have. Healthy doesn't have to be complex. Sometimes the best meals have the fewest ingredients. Today I would love love love to hear from you and what you prepare. If you have a moment to post either a recipe, the name of what you make, or a picture, please do share it here. Exercise-wise...you have push ups and bridge lifts. Thirty minutes of movement too. Sleep....8 hours. Believe in yourself today friends. What CAN you do? It's a new day. Fresh start happens now. Day one. Have a terrific Thursday.  Day 17. How are you doing ? What is your "fresh start" for today? If you are keeping up with the calendar....today we are eating a piece of fruit at every meal. Yum! We are also getting our 30 minutes of movement and incorporating 1 minute of planks and side-lying leg lifts (maybe 1 or 2 or 3 rounds!) And finally ... SLEEP ... 8 hours tonight. Keep up the great posts and shares. Love hearing what you are doing to stick with your fresh start goals and intentions. Have a fantastic Wednesday everyone. #dayoneistoday #youCANdothis  |
Maria FinneganWelcome and thank you for visiting this site. I'm happy and grateful to have a place where I can write about fitness and wellness. In addition to blogging about exercise and sharing workouts, I also use this space to tell 200-word stories about the inspiring and amazing people I encounter in this career. I look forward to sharing as many of these journeys as possible, and would love to hear from you if you would like me to tell your story. You can contact me anytime. Thank you so much for your interest and your effort. Think fit...be fit...stay fit! You are stronger than you think. #STYT Archives
March 2020
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