We are Helping the A21 Campaign this November!

I’m thrilled to announce for the month of November, 30% of my sales will be donated to an organization called the A21 Campaign. Pioneered by Christine Caine, who hails from Hillsong Australia, the A21 Campaign provides tangible ways for human trafficking victims in Greece, Ukranine, and Bulgaria to be loved and comforted through shelter and transition homes.

Their first shelter was opened in Greece in 2008 and now provides medical care, psychological care, vocational training, education assistance, counseling, and legal assistance. Encouraged by the words of Margaret Mead, “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful committed people can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has,” the A21 Campaign continues to expand their offices (now in three continents, including North America) and work with justice systems to see new victims rescued each month.

With the words of Margaret Mead in mind, Today is a SunnyDay will be doing its part to help this cause. The A21 Campaign has a list of ways to help here. Here is how Today is a Sunny Day will be helping and I welcome you to join me:

• Donate. 30% of Today is a Sunny Day’s profits will be collected to donate items and gift cards for the Greece transition home. If you are already planning to shop with Today is a Sunny Day this month, you are already doing your part! If you would like to donate any additional funds, donate through this listing.

• Write a letter. I’m writing at least 4 letters this month to the victims who will be rescued in Greece as an act of encouragement to let them know that someone was praying for them. If you would like to write a letter, feel free to send your words of encouragement to me and I will print them out (and make them look pretty). I must receive them digitally before Nov. 19.

• Pray. This month I’m dedicating a portion of my daily prayer time to specifically praying for safety, comfort, and hope for the future rescuees in Greece.

• Get social. I’m doing my part, through my Etsyshop, blog, Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook to promote for this cause. If nothing else, feel free to repost or use your social media platforms to partner with me.

• Send stuff. Today is a Sunny Day will be donating a few boxes of supplies to the Greece transition home. The excess of funds will be used to purchase gift cards for the transition home to use (since there are weight restrictions for mail). If you would like to make your own donation box, learn more about it here. 

If you would like to learn more about the A21 Campaign, visit www.thea21campaign.org.

How Rock Climbing Helped My Pregnancy

As I’m nearing the end of my third trimester, I’m truly realizing how blessed I have been to have such a smooth pregnancy. First, I can’t continue without thanking God for this amazing miracle that we have been praying for and the blessing to have such a worry-free 9 months!

After escaping the first trimester yuckies of complete exhaustion and all-day nausea, I’ve really had a wonderful experience. I keep joking that currently my “worst” symptom is this little girl moving so much!

I’ve read a lot online about remaining active during your pregnancy. The general consensus is to continue with the physical activities you were doing on a regular basis before you became pregnant, with the exception of combative sports or anything with a risk of falling. For instance, if you went to a weekly yoga class, you should continue to do so while listening to your body and learning about what positions to avoid, such as twisting, especially as your belly grows.

Working out at 5 months pregnant. 

If you have never been indoor rock climbing, it probably seems impossible to continue this during pregnancy. However, I’ve made many adjustments to keep it safe and healthy, including:

·        Remaining low to the ground during bouldering

·        Switching from small, difficult holds to larger jug holds (similar to handles) while completing routes

·        Avoiding moves that stretch my torso

·        Not top-roping, which requires a harness (This is only safe if a pregnant climber invests in a full body harness, which distributes the weight.)

·        Focusing on traverse routes (side to side, rather than vertical)

Me climbing in Chattanooga. Around 2-3 months pregnant.  

Since Corey and I had been climbing weekly for almost a year and a half before I became pregnant, we felt comfortable for me to keep a regular climbing routine. For the past few months, I’ve been climbing about once a month and here’s how it has helped my pregnancy:

·        A challenge with pregnancy is remaining active. My center of gravity has shifted and my body’s job changed from burning calories and staying fit to, ya know, building a person! So coping with physical limitations was definitely difficult. Climbing has definitely helped me fulfill a physical need while I’m otherwise limited.

·        This may sound silly, but even before pregnancy, climbing technique has made me realize more things about my physical limits in my everyday life. Since I’m on the short side, things often seemed out of reach. But after learning climbing technique, my body knows how to distribute weight better. For instance, hiking myself onto a counter is quite graceful now! While my center of gravity is definitely getting messed with as this belly continues to grow, I believe my body is far more capable then if I wasn’t a climber.

·        Climbing requires small, specific muscles. As I was advancing into V2 and V3s (I know, I know, I’m talking climber speak. V2 and V3s are intermediate routes at my gym), I was finding that curling my toe on a hold and engaging my calf muscle helped. I found that learning to grip a hold with one finger on top of another gave me added strength on some routes. I found that my core muscles were extremely important, especially because of my height and the techniques I needed to use to complete routes. FitPregnancy suggests having a strong core will prevent back pain during pregnancy and help control contractions during labor.

Corey rocking some routes I wish I could tackle! V2/3 above V4/5 below. 

·        Finally, loving to climb has allowed me to think about getting back into shape once our little girl arrives. While a climber is training he/she might put on a weighted vest for added resistance during a climbing session. Now I jokingly say when I climb at my gym, it’s like I have 3 vests on! However, all that weight is not baby and I’ll be responsible to eat healthy and workout once I’m a new mom. Looking ahead now, climbing is definitely a motivation to get to my pre-pregnancy weight.

My recommendation for those newly pregnant ladies out there is keep doing what you are doing. Keep dancing, keep running, keep Zumba-ing. But, do your research about what restrictions you should place on yourself and talk to your doctor. One caution I have for you, is don’t start something new. If you don’t have a physical activity you enjoy, talk to your doctor first, but walking or yoga might be a perfect fit.

For more information on climbing while pregnant, check out this video of Carrie Cooper climbing at 39 weeks pregnant!