2016 Cancer Fundraiser

Last year, my girlfriend completed a no makeup challenge to raise funds & awareness for the BC Cancer Foundation. It was the inaugural fundraising challenge for the female chapter of Family Photos Kelowna. The “family” shares the same fundraising & awareness goal across all chapters.

When this years’ challenge opened, I decided I wanted to take part. This September, FFPK is committing to 30 days of healthy living. As summer is my favourite time to indulge a little more, this challenge seemed like the perfect fit. The added bonus of raising money for a good cause made it a no brainer.

There are some general guidelines for the challenge, but everyone has been encouraged to make it their own. I love reading everyone’s personal goals & outlook on what a month of healthy living means to them. You can check out all the campaigns here; there’s an awesome assortment of things going down this month.

For me, I’ve noticed I feel my best when I’m not eating gluten, soy, or dairy. I know Paleo can be a little controversial sometimes, but I’ve never felt better than when I eliminated those few things from my diet. I also find it keeps my psoriasis in check, which is an amazing side effect. I’m excited to get back on track for a full month. Although we’ve never fully gone back to our old way of eating, I’ve enjoyed a lot of cheese & a fair bit of beer over the summer.

In addition to eating Paleo this month, I’ll be severely cutting alcohol. The challenge allows for half a glass of red wine a day. There’s a penalty if we cheat on this rule so I will be donating $20 for the two days I’m in Kelowna this month for a wine tasting & a wedding. Aside from that, my goal is to stick to no drinking.

Fitness-wise, I’m endeavoring to get my sweat on 3x a week for at least 30 minutes. I’ve been meaning to check out the November Project for a while & this is the perfect opportunity to get my butt in gear. I’m kicking it off tomorrow at McMahon Stadium, & I’d love to see some of my lovely friends out there if they’re up for it. (Meet at the SE Gate at 6:13 AM!) I’ll also be biking, running, spinning, swimming, & getting my gymnastics on this month!

You can find my personal campaign here, but a donation isn’t the only way you can support me this month. Cheerleaders are just as valuable in a challenge of this kind, so I hope at least some of you are willing to join me in a workout from time to time (or simply remind me to get my ass out of bed & to November Project). Let’s get after it, friends!