FiA Alpha Newsletter – OCTOBER 2019

Wow!  We’ve been busy in FiA Alpha!  And have more fun ahead – join us !
Find out more below about our: 
Socials                            2nd Birthday                   FiA Launch – Birmingham
Challenges                     FiAlanthropy                    FiA Pax Spotlight
FiA Q School                  Ways to Help                   Schedule

Calling all FiA Alphas! Let’s gather, break bread, and enjoy the new season & each other’s company. Bring a dish to share and bring your lovely selves, of course.

 – Friday, October 19th

 – 6pm at Katie / Sonic Boom’s house
 

October Burpee Challenge!
 

We have been challenged by Queso to do 10 Burpees every day in October!

It’s not too late for you to join in the craziness!  The hope is that these things become easier and we get stronger at the same time…

Check in our FiA Facebook Group and/or the General channel (or any of them) in Slack.  We’ll pull you into the accountability group where we remind each other to get to it.  And share our complaints…um, I mean comments!

Invite your friends who haven’t tried FiA to come with you to your next workout!  
 

Sonic Boom made the above flyer that you can leave out at work, church, or wherever women gather.
You can find this FiA Flyer 2 and another flyer on our FiA Alpha website at https://sites.google.com/view/fiaalpha/ on the Resources page.

Another great resource for pax are our M’s who are already in an F3 group – they would love to help with an EH (Emotional Headlock) or two!

FiAlanthropy – Jesse’s House
We enjoyed our time with the teenage girls at Jesse’s House making bead bracelets and sharing a pizza lunch.  Those girls are so creative and fun to be with!  We’ll plan another visit soon, so stay tuned.  More about Jesse’s House here.

SPOTLIGHT on TEX

Name: Angela Dikes
Age: 48
FiA Name: Tex

How did you get that FiA name? I just moved in July to Cumming, GA from Texas where I have lived most of my life. I am a proud Texan! 

What is something your fellow FiAs don’t know about you? I was a competitive ice skater growing up. When people asked what I wanted to be when I was little I always said I wanted to be “an Olympic Ice Skater”, so my parents suggested I start taking lessons when I was 9.   I started competing when I was about 13 and continued til I graduated from high school. I have a few medals, but never could land a single axle. and that is ONE reason why I am a social worker now instead of an Olympian! I still have my skates and like to zip around a rink whenever I get the chance. It is my dream to someday ice skate on an outdoor frozen pond, but alas, I live in the South!

What brought you to FiA, and what keeps you coming back? I had a Health and Wellness group that I worked out with on Saturday mornings in Texas. When I saw an advertisement for the FiA workout in the free Forsyth Herald newspaper in my driveway right after we moved here, I thought I would check it out. Queso and Extra were so kind and welcoming that first day and it was a killer workout on par with my old group. I knew from that first day that I had found my new “workout people”! 

What is your favorite piece of advice or funny anecdote for life?  “Just do the next right thing” – That advice has helped me accomplish a lot without stressing myself out to the max.

FiA Birmingham Launch!

We had the opportunity to help launch the new AO in Birmingham, AL – G.I. Jane.  There were 44 pax for this official launch on September 21st at Spain Park!  What fun!  And what a challenge keeping everyone together for the workout and then naming everyone!  We had to split up into 3 groups for both parts.  Queso, Sonic Boom, and Titanium made the road trip for our first AO launch outside of Alpharetta/Cherokee.  A great way to pay it back for those who traveled to help us launch, and pay it forward to share the fun of FiA.  Next time you can join the clown car trip too!

FiA Alpha Q School

FiA…we are Females in Action
 

We are a community of women whose mission is to make each other stronger in all areas of our lives.

The FiA momentum is so great that it operates with no “leader” in the traditional sense.  FiA is led by all the women who show up and contribute to its success and growth – as well as their own.
 

Since we share in these free, peer led workouts, we also have the opportunity and challenge to share in the leading of those workouts.  It’s pretty easy to be the Q – the leader of a workout.  There are plenty of resources, lots of suggestions, and we all do this together!  To help you get ready to Q, or brush up on tips in Q-ing, we’ll share a “Q School” area in the newsletter.  We’ll also bring some of the Q school to future workouts!  

You can find the full FiA Q School 101 document on our website on the Resources page.  Right next to the Sign Up To Q page!

Remember: The best way to start Q-ing is to co-Q with a FiA friend!

Taken from FiA Nation’s “FiA Q School 101″…
FiA Q Goals:

  • Design & lead a workout that is accessible and challenging for every woman who shows up that morning. 
  • Have fun and build a sense of community among the PAX.

FiA Q Roles & Responsibilities:

  • Leadership to the PAX.
    • Your tone sets the tone for the workout.  Be confident, strong, and spirited!
    • Be particularly mindful of FNG’s or even the newer FiA posting.  The day you Q, you are the face of FiA. 
  • Fostering the future growth and continuation of FiA.
    • Your willingness and interest to Q is what keeps FiA alive and growing. 
    • Keep this in mind as you will be seeking others to join you as a Q in the future.
  • Communication.
    • Don’t forget the Disclaimer.  It protects FiA, you, and those around you!
    • Welcome FNG’s upon arrival.  This is a new and unusual experience for them.  Make them feel important and with a desire to return.
    • Complete the attached FNG form and submit.  That’s it!  The rest is done for you, getting the FNG set up on the webiste, FB, welcome letter, etc. FNG Form
    • Share announcements, lead Name-o-rama and the COT.
    • Post Preblasts and Backblasts encouraging chatter.

Planning the Workout:
Creating a safe yet challenging workout for all women of the PAX ranging in fitness levels is a challenge.  Preparation and flexibility are KEY.
 
A well-balanced workout will typically include a quick warmup, cardio, strength, core & basic stretching.  Ideally, it will encompass all or most of the major body muscle groups (legs, arms, abs).  Here are some tips in creating your ideal workout.

  1. Map out the course:
  • Know the terrain and obstacles to expect
  • Ensure that there will be sufficient lighting during the workout
  • Have a backup plan for bad weather
  1. Thoughtfully plan timing:
  • How long will it take to travel between points?  How long do you estimate it will take to complete various portions of the workout?  If running is involved, think about the average pace of the PAX. 
  • It is always a good idea to practice your workout once or twice if able.  However, be mindful that when you add several other women at various paces, you may find that some things take more, or even less time than anticipated.  Be prepared to provide modifications, and have backup exercises for the potential situation. 
  • It is always better to have too much prepared than to be surprised with 9 “leftover” minutes.  (Though 9 minutes of burpees ain’t a bad call…hey, it’s been done before.)
  • Regardless, remember the tip your drama teacher taught you.  If you make a mistake or have time leftover, don’t make a big deal just pick up and keep moving – they might never notice.
  1. Decide the workout pattern:
  • While it is recommended to provide an entire body workout, some Q’s like to focus on certain body parts from time to time.  Know your plan and deliver.  If you decide to focus on a particular body muscle group, it is a good idea to share that in your preblast.
  • How many sets of each exercise and how many repetitions? 
  • It’s never wrong to scour F3/FiA nation backblasts for workout ideas.  There are some good ones out there.  Seasoned or experienced Q’s are also a great reference for ideas or maybe an already planned workout that just needs execution.
  • Maybe choose a theme:
    • Stations
    • Point-to-Point
    • Ladders/11’s/7’s
    • Partner work
    • Tabatas
  • Know whether or not you are going to count exercises in cadence.  Not all exercises or workouts warrant such counting, but when the opportunity to count in cadence is there, SEIZE IT!  Counting in cadence is a good way to keep the PAX engaged and focused on the task.  It does require extra work on the part of the Q and can be exhausting, leaving the Q breathless.  Don’t hesitate to ask another seasoned Q, or the rest of the PAX for that matter, to lead the count for a few reps.  (Who knows, you may be breeding the next new Q, and this is good practice.)  F3 has put together an excellent video on cadence counting. 
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xRTitxnE-mIWatch this F3 video      
  1. Keep it simple:     
  • Don’t spend too much time explaining a workout.  No one rolled out of bed in the dark to listen to a speech – they came to work out. 
  • If you introduce new exercises, try to introduce no more than two at any given workout – go back to the basics (pushup, squat, etc.) so that you’re not wasting precious time explaining form.  Some of the best workouts are the most simple to execute!
  1. Go with your strengths:       
  • “Don’t Q it if you can’t do it.”  Meaning, if you cannot do a wall jump yourself, don’t call it.  But do not be afraid to design a workout that you will have to modify parts of yourself.  Do not be afraid to design a workout in which you will finish in the middle of the PAX.
  • FiA embraces ALL athletic abilities.  “No woman left behind.”  Therefore each Q should be mindful that their workout needs to be accessible and challenging for every woman who shows up that morning, even if that means others are presently stronger than you.  Everyone starts somewhere! 
  • Offer more reps to faster/stronger PAX who may be moving through workout more quickly (burpee “penalty” for the gals who run faster than 8 minute miles to keep the PAX together)
  1. Engage the group:
  • Pass off counting to PAX to help with breathing or engage the group
  • Ask PAX to share “favorite” exercises (typically done abs session – pass it around)

FiA Alpha Celebrated Our 2nd Birthday!
Can you believe it’s been 2 years since FiA Alpha was launched?  Time has flown!  It’s been a fabulous 2 years shared with great friends and stronger bodies.  Looking forward to many more years sharing workouts, FiAlanthropy, socials, launches…
FiA Alpha – we’re better together!
WE NEED YOU!

Want to join in the FiA team fun?  There are many ways to become more involved in this terrific FiA Alpha group. For example:
> Volunteer Coordinating – Such as Jesse’s House
> Socials – Come up with ideas for get-togethers
> Advertising – Create/distribute/communicate with community
> FiA Fun – Activities to engage in such as workout challenges, monthly “FiA Bingo”, etc.
> Anything else you can think of!

Contact [email protected] 

For a complete listing of FiA opportunities, click HERE

Workout Schedule for FiA Alpha
 

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If you have news to share, send it to to [email protected]


FiA’s mission is accomplished through ‘Actions’ which are focused on our:

Bodies – We organize FREE, peer-led workouts most days of the week

Minds – We get together for book clubs, career and family discussion groups, and faith interactions

Hearts – We give our time and resources to the community and invest in each other by joining together for coffee, weekday lunches, and FiA socials

From FiA Nation’s website – www.fianation.com

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