Halfway to Banff….

We are halfway through the week and it is almost time for me to go on my girl getaway! I am going to something called the Sweat Alberta Retreat with girls from my fitness group! If you are new here, I should backtrack.

A year or two ago now, I bought a fitness program online that you can print out and do at home. It is called “BBG: Bikini Body Guide” by Kayla Itsines. It has an enormous Instagram following and that was a big draw for me because I love IG! I figured it would keep me motivated seeing all the ladies from all over the world doing the workout “with” me. After reading a few encouraging fitness articles about the program, I dived in. Eventually, I found a few Calgary, Alberta girls that were doing BBG on my IG and started to follow their journeys. Just after that, a girl in our group started doing meetups at a community rec center so that we could workout together and meet in person! It was perfect timing- just when I was losing my motivation. Now we are YYC BBG and we meet up every 4 months. Sometimes the girls from Edmonton and surrounding area come down as well and we become a huge Alberta wide group. It is a really supportive and amazing group of girls and I feel lucky that this group has been running for so long.

Lately, even with this amazing support, my motivation has been in the toilet. I think I can blame seasonal depression. The winter really got me down this year! I was really antisocial and grumpy. All I wanted to do was lay in bed or sit in front of the TV and crochet. I didn’t want to have people over or play board games with the family or do ANYTHING. I did push through it as much as possible and got stuff done…but I felt like I was under a cloud like Eeyore the whole time. Plus, we were hit with a lot of colds and flus this season!  Now that the days are getting longer and sunnier, I am starting to feel like myself again and have to force myself to get back into the habit of working out regularly. Over the winter, I did do my workouts but I knew that I wasn’t doing them to my full ability: that’s a crappy feeling. This weekend should get me back on track!

This weekend I am going to something that our Calgary organizer, Kyley, and the Edmonton organizer, Jez, have arranged for us. A huge weekend called the Sweat Alberta Retreat! I never do weekends away, so it will be a great way to bond with the girls from the group and to have some me time away from the kids; because as much as I love them, it will be nice to have a conversation that doesn’t revolve around Harvest Moon or Star Wars or goldfish crackers. (haha!) Plus, I will finally get some time with all of these girls! Being one of the only moms with young kids in our group means I am usually so wrapped up in kid and school obligations that I don’t get as much time hanging out with the girls as they do with each other. I see the invites to spin classes, hikes, outings ….and I am usually too busy (or exhausted) to go. This will be a nice way to chat uninterrupted with these amazing ladies! I am nervous/excited about this! Will I be able to keep up? I’m definitely going to try my best. There are so many fitness activities planned…including yoga, I think. Can you believe I have NEVER done a formal yoga class?! I have done yoga with friends that teach yoga and with my hubby (who grew up doing yoga), but never a class….yeah, I am sheltered. Ha! I am excited to do all the things and be in Banff, which I love, despite its tourist-vibe…maybe because of the tourist vibe that gives it that constant hum of excited visitors discovering the city for the first time? Ah Banff, with your pretty hotels and mountain air and buzz of excitement. I am also excited to put a fire under me, exercise-wise, and get back into my fitness routine, just in time for summer. I am proud of myself for getting this far without quitting: my form is better, my posture improved and my knees getting stronger (much to my doctor’s delight). My current plateau is my fault and this weekend should inspire me to take it next level.

 

How do you push past a plateau? 

Do you ever feel frightened of success, like I do? 

What is your fave tourist town or city to return to?

**UPDATE**: 

I went to Banff! It was wonderful. The weekend was very well thought out and the workouts were great. The addition of yoga and a nutritionist speaker were two of my fave parts of the weekend. I renewed my love of yoga and connected with a couple new BBG girls. I now keep up with those girls on social media! It was really fun and the girls that coordinated it said they intend to do it again. It was a LOT of socializing for my introverted nature and I had a bit of a meltdown when I got home, but it was all worth it. What is life, if you don’t go outside of your comfort zone sometimes. It was worth the new friendships I made- plus, I proved to myself that I can push myself in my workouts and keep up. Here are some of the photos I took of the great group of ladies I got to hang out with all weekend. 🙂

 

You may also want to check out:

My Fitness Journey, The Early Years.

My Fitness Journey- The Rest of It (So Far)

I Am A Fitness Hopper.