#walk400

#walk400 – the final tally

OperationMove · January 31, 2014 · 4 Comments

I am having issues with the fact that we are a month into 2014 already. My brain has really not caught up to the idea that the year is well and truly underway. But regardless, time marches on and we try to keep up with it.

I’ve mentioned a few times how much I’ve enjoyed the #walk400 challenge, and I’ve loved following you all on Instagram too. It is so interesting checking out the scenery where YOU walk!

For me, walking with my kids and taking the time to enjoy the gorgeous countryside where I live has been a great way to start the year. I smashed through the 400 minute target, but by the last couple of weeks I was barely even thinking about minutes. I was too busy enjoying myself.

So here we are at the end of the month already, and well done to Anita @FitMotherHubbard who is our fourth She Science winner!

To pick up your 20% Rockwear voucher and be in the running for the major prizes, please email kate@operationmove.com.au with your email address, mobile number, longest distance walked, your fastest pace, your total distance and your greatest elevation. Details must be in by February 7 to be considered for these great prizes so hop to it!

So how about you? Did you make your target? Has #walk400 helped set you up for a brilliant year too?

And where will you go from here? Are you ready to take on #Feb450 and keep up the walking, or will you join our Learn to Run group?

The choice is yours, just keep moving.

#walk400 – moving on and moving up!

OperationMove · January 25, 2014 · 8 Comments

We are rapidly reaching the end of January, despite my best efforts to drag out the long days of Summer holidays with my kids.

I will admit that I didn’t think #walk400 would be that much fun for me. I’d been sulking about not being able to run and I felt like it would be a pretty poor second best to my usual running training.

I could not have been more wrong. I have spent hours enjoying the sunshine and the countryside where I live. I have listened to fabulous podcasts, I have had beautiful conversations with my children when they’ve joined me, and I’ve been able to take some gorgeous photos as well. All things that I can’t do when I run.

So many of you have already smashed through 400 minutes of walking, which is fantastic! I know many are very close to it and some may not quite get there this month. But isn’t the very best thing about goals that whether you reach them or not, you always have the ability to make new ones?

So as we wind up the challenge for this month, we are asking you where you want to go next.

We have two options for you to think about over the next few days.

Maybe you are loving walking and want to keep going. Fantastic! In February we’ll be asking you to extend yourself a little with #Feb450. Our current forum group will continue but be renamed #Feb450 because we know you have that extra 50 minutes in you! And just like this month we will have some prizes on offer too, stay tuned for more details on those.

Maybe having walked for the month you think you might like to learn to run? Guess what! Our wonderful life coach Lee from Brightside Coaching will be running a group just for you! And it is for EVERYONE and ANYONE who wants to give it a try. You do not have to have run a day in your life before, you just have to be willing to try something new. Who knows, you may end up as crazy about it as Zoey and I are! And if you don’t that’s fine too, because you will know you tried something different and challenged yourself.

So what amazing thing are you going to attempt in February? For me, February will see a return to running training and I’ll be sharing that in the Moving Machines section for the loopers who are going a bit hard core. If you’re a casual mover you might like to jump in to I like to move and make some friends there, and if you are brand new to this moving gig you can find your crew at New Movers.

So what is your February plan?

Congratulations Michelle @twolilcrickets who has won the #walk400 She Science gift voucher this week! We’ve loved watching you smash this challenge!

#walk400 – creating habits

OperationMove · January 18, 2014 · 12 Comments

We’re at that stage of the month where many of our #walk400 participants will start to do one of two things;

1) They will realise that walking more is making them feel really good, and find ways to prioritise and keep going with it

2) They will quietly slip away from the group, and stop making the time for themselves.

Wisdom is that it takes three weeks to break a habit. As a 20 year smoker who quite last September I can tell you that isn’t always true, but let’s go with the idea that the converse IS true: that it takes three weeks to create a habit.

We’ve been walking for around three weeks now. Most of you who are new to moving will be at the crossroads where YOU decide the value of it within your life. You might be starting to see and feel the physical benefits (which increase greatly the longer you go on) and maybe you are reaping some emotional rewards as well.

But it is still easy to put yourself back at the bottom of the list. I know, I’ve spent a long time doing that too.

Here’s the thing that gets me out the door every morning right now, even when it is crazy hot… I am worth it.

That half hour of repetitive motion can be enough to set my mood for the entire day. I may walk out the door cranky at everyone but I’ve never walked back in feeling that way.

My family deserve a wife and Mum who is calm and happy and feels good about herself.

Your family does too.

Do you feel like you are embracing the moving habit? If you are finding it tricky, pop into the forums and yell out… we’ve all been there too and want to support your moving journey!

To help support this new fabulous habit of yours, we will be sharing two new challenges for February. Be sure to check in next weekend to find out more about those!

And congratulations Amy (Mrs Smyth) you’ve won our She Science gift voucher this week! Thanks for sharing such fabulous #walk400 photos and joining in the forums with us!

With just over a week to go, will you reach your 400 minutes?

#Walk400 – Start as you mean to go on.

OperationMove · January 5, 2014 · 7 Comments

I can’t speak for anyone else, but I am LOVING the #walk400 challenge so far!

I will freely admit I overindulged during the silly season and being unable to run gave me an excuse to sit around and, you know, not run.

In fairness I think my body really needed a decent break after the rigours of last year, but by January 1st I was SO READY to get moving and have a plan again.

I’ve not walked for a while, having favoured running, so I’d forgotten some of the awesome things about it.

Being low impact it isn’t causing me any pain in my bodgy ankle, hooray! I’ve had a gorgeous walk with my 10 year old and we just chatted and laughed in a way that was different to how we would at home. I’ve also been listening to podcasts when I walk on my own… I prefer music when I run but gosh have I listened to some inspiring conversations this week. Lots of food for thought as I enjoyed the feeling of working my body, but not pushing it like running does.

I’m super excited to share with you some of the great prizes you can win as part of #walk400 as well! To be eligible you just need to have joined our group in the forum (be sure to say hi and tell us how you are going with it!) and have shared an update via your social media with the hashtags #walk400 and #operationmove. Easy!

Each week starting next Saturday, we will announce a weekly prize of a $25 Gift Voucher thanks to our friends at She Science. If you are a woman who moves you want to get acquainted with this crew! We’ll be sharing more about them in a few weeks, but I’m super excited to be working with this brilliant young business in 2014.

AND we have some specific challenge prizes from the great crew at Rockwear too! These will be judged based on Strava data so be sure to have joined the Operation Move Strava club. Alternatively if you don’t use Strava, you can take a photo of your tracking device and share that via your social media with our hashtags to be in the running.

Rockwear are happy to be supporting #walk400 with the following prizes:

Longest Distance: Rockwear Drink Bottle, Headband & 30% off voucher

Fastest Pace: Rockwear Visor, Socks & 30% off voucher

Longest Overall Distance: Rockwear Fit Pack consisting of Towel, Drink Bottle, Headband & 30% off voucher

Greatest Elevation: Rockwear Headband, Socks & 30% off voucher

All Participants: 20% off voucher

To receive your Rockwear voucher (which may be used instore or online) please email kate@operationmove.com.au with your full name, email address and contact number. You will then receive the Rockwear newsletter and be in the draw to win a $250 voucher each three months as well!

Hope you’re having as much fun as I am! Just keep walking!