challenge – Sweat & Sparkle

Step Challenge

I’ve been excited for today, because there’s so much going on in May. A friend invited me to join her step challenge that begins today, and I wasn’t too sure about it, but the chart she created to track our steps all month is just too cute to resist.

I downloaded a step-tracking app, Step Up, last month and learned that I am horrible about carrying my phone with me to make sure it tracks all of my steps. I have a bad habit of leaving my phone on the desk, on the table, on the charger, anywhere but on my body to track my steps! So I was surprised when I got this notification this morning about April’s step challenge:

Hey, not bad for someone who didn’t even track all of her steps! It gives me hope for our May challenge.

Normally our Saturdays are all about yard work, but it looks like we are going to be waking up to thunderstorms tomorrow. I am excited about that, too! First, we desperately need the rain, but also, it means my husband and I have an excuse to sleep in, snuggle, spend some time together, lounge in bed as long as we like, listening to the rain. We work hard pretty much every day, even weekends, so I am very much looking forward to our peaceful, relaxed, rainy Saturday morning…with no alarm and nowhere to be until we feel like it!

Mind, Body, Soul

It is very important to me that my weight loss adventure (I hate the overused word “journey”) is built on more than my body, or a number on the scale, or a size on a tag. True change and growth must start inside, or it really doesn’t mean much to me.

My mother was deeply religious, and I was raised Catholic. I haven’t been to church in a long time, but it’s not because I don’t believe; it’s because the typical church just isn’t what I’m looking for. I believe in spirituality, in being good to each other, in love. I don’t believe in grandstanding, plastering pictures on Facebook to demand that others praise how godly you are, in using fake religion for image or self gain. And I see far too much of that in every church I have been inside to feel drawn to try to grow there.

One of the kids recently saw my Bible on the coffee table and apparently was a bit surprised that it was mine. I chuckled when my husband told me. Yeah, I am not a “turn the other cheek” person. I am a “come at me if you want to find out what happens” kind of person. But not being a stereotypical church lady does not mean that I don’t value spirituality or growing as a person.

When I was hunting for a fitness challenge, I came across the Forty Forty Challenge: walk or run one mile a day, for 40 days, with a Bible reading each day. The challenge focuses on “developing our bodies…both physically and mentally”, and I smiled when I read that and knew I had found my challenge.

I started on Sunday. Today is day #6. They shipped my medal to me already, but I don’t want to take it out of the box until day #40 is finished. I want to celebrate completing the challenge by finally hanging up my Forty Forty medal.

I don’t believe it’s a coincidence that this week, the week I started this challenge, is when I finally fell back into step, and things started to click again. Taking care of my mind, body, and soul, all at once–not singling out the body and ignoring the rest–is my goal and my focus from here on out. I really don’t believe lasting, substantive change can happen any other way.

Protected: SWNF Challenge

My Wagon

You know that feeling when you are falling backward, and you fling your arms out and grasp wildly, like frantic windmills, desperately seeking anything and everything to latch onto and break your fall? That is how I have felt the past few weeks.

For some reason, I fell off the wagon right after Thanksgiving. I held it together for the holiday itself, even lost a small bit of weight that week, then burst apart at the seams after that. I keep drifting further and further away from my elusive wagon.

That resulted in the windmilling arms and flinging arms mentioned above. What could I do to motivate myself, relight my spark? I’ll join this challenge, I’ll sign up for that, I’ll promise this.

I am not exactly aiming for a specific weight, though. I weigh in, yes, to monitor my progress (or regression, as the case may be lately), but my ultimate goal is to fit back into a specific pair of jeans in my closet that has been waiting for me for a long time. I figure once those fit comfortably again, I don’t care what the scale says, I am back to my happy weight.

My husband asked me the other day how close I am to my goal. When I asked him why, he said he would honestly be happy if I didn’t lose another ounce. He was quick to add that he wants me to do whatever makes me happy. I had to smile. It’s good to know, while I am wracking my brain how to get back on track with losing weight, that he thinks I look awesome just the way I am.

Back to that quickly disappearing wagon of mine that I fell off weeks ago. I decided a challenge based on weight loss alone will not be very motivating, since my goals also include increasing my fitness and strength, and running a half marathon in 2021. I shifted gears and have decided to hunt for a running challenge instead.

This week, I have back-to-basics goals: logging all my food and drink. Working out at least 30 minutes a day. Drinking more water and easing up on my crack-addict level soda addiction.

The holidays are a tough time to get back on track, but if not now, when?

Beast Mode March

How is it possibly the last day of February already? That means it is officially the last day of our 30-day exercise challenge. How did everyone do? And don’t forget…we have one more day to add just a few more minutes!

I didn’t take into account how long some of my runs are, so I ended up easily reaching and passing my goal of 1100 minutes. If I start up any more fitness challenges, I will focus on miles, not minutes.

Last night, to make up for not hitting the treadmill in the morning, I doubled up and tried two more Peloton treadmill workouts: a 30 minute hills run and a 30 minute 80s music fun run. Both of them were great. The Peloton workouts push me to run faster and on higher inclines than I ever do on my own. I’ll never be in love with treadmill running, but the Peloton workouts help the time go by faster and give me a better workout.

I’ve joined a few challenges on LoseIt that begin tomorrow, and I’m excited to see how much I can accomplish in March. I stumbled around a bit in February and held myself back, but only temporarily. I’ve lost the weight I had gained back, and a little more…and now I am ready for BEAST MODE!

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