I’m not usually one to participate in group challenges, online or otherwise, but when Oiselle’s “Chase the Bird Challenge” popped up on my Twitter feed, it hit me at just the right time. We’re in the middle of selling our house and I’ve also taken on a boatload of new responsibilities this fall, so getting my workouts in has been a challenge. Throw in the “sugarfest” that starts at Halloween, I knew I needed to grab onto something so my fitness didn’t come completely off the rails.

Oiselle’s Chase the Bird Challenge is simple enough: it’s a 26-day fitness streak to help prevent us from rolling into Thanksgiving feeling like a stuffed turkey, and to reinforce the habit of making health and fitness a priority even in the midst of all our holiday madness fun. All you have to do is some type of exercise for at least 15 minutes every day until Thanksgiving.

In order to hold us accountable and share our fitness mojo with others, Oiselle is asking us to post our workouts on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram. I thought I’d post the first 5 days here too. It would be fun if you’d join the challenge with me. It’s never too late as far as I’m concerned.

DAY ONE: Squeeeeeezed in a quick little 3-mile run through the neighborhood on a beautiful autumn day. This was between 5 loads of laundry, dishes, homework help, house hunting and grocery shopping. Sometimes we have to take what we can get, right? The best part of my day was a sunset stroll on the beach with my sweet girl. I have to admit, I was highly unmotivated to make this happen after a busy day, but thankfully my daughter was persistent. It was gorgeous and relaxing and a wonderful time to enjoy each other’s company without distractions. Aaaahh.

I also loved watching my carefree little dancer take flight.

Love this girl!

DAY TWO: 40 Minute trail run, push-ups and core. Nothing complicated about this workout. Just a nice cruise and time to chill out in my own little world, forgetting everything on my To Do List. It was also fun to bump into a flock of friends on the trail today!

DAY THREE: 60 minute spinning class with my favorite instructor, Kristine. Love her energy, humor, and choice of music. Knocked out 22 miles in the blink of an eye. She even had us participating in a Blues Brothers’ sing-along in between huffing and puffing. “You make me want to SHOUT.” This is me, the last one standing (sitting) getting in a full hour (the class is only 45 minutes).

Whoa, the crazy chiquita on the right is WAY whooped after Kristine’s class. I’m not even sure who that person is. :-). Clearly time to hit the shower.

DAY FOUR: 60 minute yoga class with my favorite instructor Erin. In the midst of all our house hullabaloo, my Wednesday morning yoga class had gone by the wayside until the Chase the Bird Challenge brought it back on my radar and reminded me that I needed to make this happen again. I LOVE this class and I always leave feeling better than when I walked in. I feel like Erin can read my mind because no matter what is going on with my body, she always seems to have the perfect pose for me. She must have known my back and shoulders had been doing way too much writing and design work sitting at my computer for hours because we did a lot of shoulder work. Aaaah.

Later in the afternoon, I had the joy of coaching our Roosevelt Running Club with my husband, Jeffrey. We have 28 kids on the team this season and they are bundles of energy. I was glad I went to yoga in the morning so I could keep up with these rascals.

“Coach Becky” mode, taking flight with our flock of awesome runners.

DAY FIVE: Feeling the pull of my To Do List today big time. Trying to keep the cray cray at bay though with a quick jaunt through the woods near my house. A little time in nature makes all the difference.

I combined errands with the rest of my run, something I rarely ever do, but it worked out well. My dentist was surprised when I  stopped in to make a long overdue cleaning appointment. Check. One more thing off my To Do List. I even swung by our little neighborhood lending library to borrow a book.

I chose Dave Eggers’ book, A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius. The title alone sucked me in, not to mention his book, What is the What, kept me up late at night turning pages. Let’s hope this one does too.

On to DAY SIX of the Chase the Bird Challenge tomorrow. What will it hold in store? I’m not sure yet, but I do know I’m already looking forward to it. Thank you Oiselle for giving me the tiny kick in the pants I needed to keep me flying in the midst of this busy time!

Bird is the Word!

Dear readers, how are all of you staying on track this fall? Want to fly along with me?