Company Challenge & Sweating Pink!

4 days into week 1 of Boise 70.3 training. It's a bit of a shock to the system, but that's what I get for staying away from the pool and bike these past 3 months. I've been able to stay on schedule so far, getting all but 1 of my workouts in. This week is focused mainly on getting back into the swing of things and trying to keep up on sleep in order to prepare for round 2 next week.Total hours of training = 7.08, so no complaining allowed here. I'll have a better recap on numbers come Monday. 

In the meantime we have some pretty fun events happening at work that are fitness/health related. Our "Wellness Team" has put together all kinds of great options for the new year....

1. Step Challenge - Teams of 5 individuals will wear a pedometer from now until the end of March and record their weekly steps on Friday. As there are quite a few of us who do other activities that don't necessarily involve "steps" (i.e. swimming, biking, pilates, yoga etc.) we were given a conversion chart to properly record how many steps our additional activities would come out to be. That being said, we formed an awesome team made up of 1 multiple marathoner, 1 crazy fitness guru, 1 consistently runs 4 miles each day guy, 1 triathlete (me!) and 1 guy who walks at least 6 miles a day and never sits down, even when at home (that would be P!). Needless to say I really like our odds......will definitely keep you posted on how we are dominating the field as the weeks go by.........

2. Another great option our work will start to provide is lunchtime yoga! I am super excited about this one as it is so hard for me to fit in yoga sessions during the week with my crazy schedule. This form of stretch and relaxation is vital to my training and though I am not all that thrilled to be in "happy baby" next to my co-workers, the benefits far outweigh any inhibitions I may have.

Feels oh so good, but oh so not the most flattering position to be in around your work bros.

3.We now also have a "Wellness" site on our company intranet that will be used to share healthy recipes, schedule group runs/rides etc. 

All in all, I am very excited for these changes. It's great when you can work for a company that takes your health and wellness seriously enough to actually provide these kind of services. Now, if we can only convince them to pay for our gym memberships.......or perhaps a race entry or two...... :)

In other great news, I am now an official Ambassador of Sweat Pink! Wohoo!

 Sweat Pink is an awesome movement geared towards bringing the "tough" and "girly" together. This movement holds very dear to my heart as growing up I was always considered "just one of the guys". The idea that I would much rather be playing hockey, football etc. instead of painting my nails and going shopping was frowned upon. For a young woman  trying her best to figure out how she fit into this world in the first place, being made to feel that my need and drive to be active wasn't ladylike was extremely frustrating.  The perception that I wasn't acting "appropriately" seemed to be a recurring theme.

Well I am here to tell you that by all means it is more than OK to get out there and sweat your butt off, by any means possible. Wanting to be out on the field instead of sitting on the sidelines does not in any way diminish your femininity! Heck, if anything, your desire to improve, go hard and push limits can be one of the most attractive qualities a woman will ever posses! Do I love getting dressed up and enjoying an evening at the opera? Heck yes - but you'd better believe that I am just as girly the next day when I wake up and sweat out a 5 mile run.
I am proud to join this group of women as we move forward with determination and encourage other young women  to believe that sweat is amazing.....and pink sweat is even better!

For more information on the Sweat Pink revolution and how you can get involved, click on the badge I've added to the left hand side of my page.