Guest Blogger - Beej moves in - and moves on - in the MNB Challenge!

So I’ve made a few guest appearances on Kirsty’s blog before, but as you’ll be seeing a bit more of me over the coming weeks I thought I’d introduce myself again.

Belinda-Jane. 6 foot. Farmer’s wife on the Eyre Peninsula. Trashy TV tragic. Love to write. Don’t do enough of it. Love to play piano. Don’t do enough of it. Love to read….that I do a lot of! I’m involved in local community groups, work for the Cummins Community Bank (until March) and Jade Norwood Photography (but I’m not a photographer) and if I’m not physically active for over 2 days….I go a bit crazy. And that brings me to my guest blogging!

Over 3 weeks in February, I am taking part in the Move Nourish Believe Challenge run by Fit Approach in conjunction with Lorna Jane. It was something that popped up in my Twitter feed the week before it started and I thought ‘now that’s a great way to find some different motivation for 3 weeks.’

So after saying I can’t go 2 full days without being active or I will turn a little grumpy, why would I need to find extra motivation? Because even when getting out for a walk or working with weights makes you feel really good, even when that day after soreness makes you proud of your efforts, even when you gain extra confidence from going to a session and making it through when you didn’t think you could or reaching a goal, sometimes you don’t want to get up and do it again, and the couch calls your name instead. Oh, and this Friday I will be 6 months pregnant, so I’m always on the lookout for motivation before my belly gets too far in the way!

Week one of the challenge was all about moving (as per the Move Nourish Believe philosophy)– each day I’d complete the challenge and upload a picture to my social feeds using the tags #mnbchallenge #sweatpink #lornajane.

Monday was all about showing a favourite way to sweat – as I have to take it somewhat easier than I used to, and the weather has been fairly warm, water aerobics was the exercise of choice!

Tuesday – Mix it up! After visiting www.movenourishbelieve.com I found a circuit to follow and altered it slightly to suit my pregnant body, buddied up and visited the gym equipment at the school.

Wednesday – well, after getting home late and to sleep around midnight the night before, I wasn’t all that energetic on Wednesday, but that’s half the point of the challenge, to motivate and challenge us when we would otherwise give in. So while I watched my recording of Keeping Up With The Kardashians, I split up 5 minutes of planks into manageable amounts, it took a lot of will power, I had a shaking body and I grizzled and grumbled but I did it, and I was proud (and slept like a dream!).

Thursday – Buddy Up! When everyone else was so busy on the farm, my buddy was our dog, Dusty. Nobody is ever as excited as he gets to go for a walk, so he probably was the best buddy I could take for my 3km morning stroll for an active rest day!

Friday – Five Fitness Favs – luckily not an active challenge given it needed to be a rest day for me ahead of a circuit class at the gym Saturday morning!

1.              There are so many things that inspire me to get out and be active, feeling good in my LJ gear is one of them, I’m sure that when I feel like I look good, I work harder!

2.              I have a large canvas that sits above my office desk covered in motivational quotes and sayings; some days when I can’t find it in myself to get motivated I stand in front of the canvas, close my eyes and swing my finger around until I land on the one that destiny wants me to be inspired by!

3.              Women’s Fitness is my favourite mag. I also rate Women’s Health right up there, but seem to connect with the more ‘real’ feeling of Women’s Fitness, and have just bought myself a subscription!

4.              Motivating buddies; whether it’s my husband Luke, the gym instructor or people in my class/team, I am much more able to stay motivated when I am with someone who is supporting me.

5.              Location, location, location – it helps when I love the places I am in, it makes me want to get out more! Running around the Eiffel Tower will probably never be beaten for me, but being by the beach really makes me want to get out and about, and there is nothing quite like the vast open spaces of the farm in the golden light of early morning or dusk for a rejuvenating walk or run.

So I made it through this week  of moving and had an epiphany. With pregnancy forcing me to be creative but more passive in my active living, I don’t have to cover 3km in a 20 minute run, I don’t have to try and make it through a set of burpees without giving up, I just have to get out there, move my body, and enjoy my ability to do so. I do it because I want to, not because I have to. I hope this epiphany lasts well after the pregnancy is over, and my week of activities motivates someone else to make their way to their own epiphany.

This weeks set of challenges revolve around ‘Nourish’. I’ll update you on the challenge later in the week, until then – get moving because you want to, not because you have to!