Goodbye, Fall

Sadly, today is the last day of fall. I feel like we didn't even really get fall weather! It was really hot and then REALLY rainy and now very cold with accumulated snow last week. (The photo above was a sunrise during one of my walks, and it was actually pretty perfect that day.)

As you may remember, I set up a Cookies Fall Challenge. A lot of people like the summer challenges that I post each year, so I thought I'd try out one for fall (I actually made three different ones to choose from). I don't think it worked out as well as I'd hoped. This is a hard time of year for everyone to do challenges like these. I should have kept it simple (not "easy", but the simplicity of one fun challenge like the summer checklist).

I wish I'd been more attentive to the Facebook groups for the challenges but, because I quickly realized I wasn't going to attempt all three challenges myself, I stuck with the one that I knew I'd be able to make myself do. I did the Cookies Fall Mileage Competition--basically just racking up miles either running or walking and posting a group leaderboard each week.

I'm in awe of how many miles some people run or walk each week! I always had around 35 (walking 5 miles a day, 7 days a week). I was consistently in second place on the leaderboard among the walkers each week (I separated walkers and runners because runners tend to get more mileage in general). Jessica, you are tough competition ;) 

Some quick stats of mine from the challenge (which went from September 22-December 21):

Number of walks: 102
Miles walked: 475.02
Time spent walking: 136 hours and 56 minutes (that also means I listened to 136 hours and 56 minutes of audiobooks!)
Calories burned: 44,275
Average speed: 3.5 mph (17:00/mi pace)
Longest walk: 8.42 miles

I actually didn't do a single walk on the treadmill during the entire challenge! Not that there is anything wrong with using the treadmill; I probably would have used it here and there if Joey wasn't expecting to go for a walk with me every day.

I have seen SO many things throughout the 475 miles walked this fall. I've already written about that a couple of times, so I won't get into it. But I really loved doing this challenge--now that I have a streak going (today was Day 156) I don't want to quit my streak. It's going to get hard to continue throughout the winter, I'm sure, when the temp is in the single digits and there is a ton of snow. 

A few weeks into the fall challenge, Amazon had a sale on the Kindle Paperwhite (which, I'm sure you know by now, is one of my most favorite things ever!) so I bought one to give away. I decided to give it away to someone in the mileage challenge--not the person who racks up the most miles, but via a random drawing for anyone that walks or runs 100 miles for the final 8 weeks of the challenge.

We have 24 people that participated regularly every week. Since today was the last day, I'm going to give them a couple of days to submit their miles and then I'll draw a name for the Kindle. It's been a great group!

As far as the other two challenges (the Fall Hard and the Fall Checklist), I had planned on doing them as well, but I failed early on and it was clear that I wasn't going to focus on it. I'm going to have to check in with the Facebook groups to see how everything went with those challenges.

Moving into winter, I'm not "challenging" myself to do anything--I plan to continue my walking streak as long as I can. I've been writing in my three-month goal journal (Amazon affiliate link) and I'm excited to start working daily on that in January.

The journal is very introspective--the first 10 or so pages are all about achievements and ideals, and then you break it down into smaller sections and eventually a path to meet goals. As you know, I love setting goals! I fail many more times than I succeed, but I continue to set them to always be working on bettering myself.

Thank you to everyone who participated in the fall challenges--I hope you accomplished something you wanted to or at least had fun trying!

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An Update on My Weight Loss and Exercise Efforts

I've been meaning to write this update for a at least a month, but things have been all over the place and I just haven't been sure what to write. Very few things have been going how I had hoped when I started my Cookies Fall Challenges.

First, my exercise... because that's easy to write about.

As I've been sort of mentioning here and there, I've been doing really great with my walk streak. Today was Day 145--I've walked 5+ miles a day for 145 days in a row! And all but a few of them (maybe four?) have been outside.

It's getting harder now that the weather is getting colder. I don't have many winter clothes that fit me (or any clothes at all, really--which I'll write about when I get to my weight). I didn't have a winter coat that fit me, either, but I started wearing one of Jerry's old ones from work. It's definitely too big, but I like that I can wear layers underneath it, there is a lot of pocket room, and it's water resistant). It's rained on several walks I've done, so the water resistance is nice!

Joey has turned into a totally different dog since we started walking. I take him with me every day and he LIVES for it. As soon as I wake up, he's in my face, wagging his tail, excited to go. When we first started walking, we come inside after the walk and he'd plop on the floor, panting, and stay there all day--exhausted.

Now, we get home and he doesn't even want to go in the house. He gets in that play bow position that dogs do, and I play along, so he tears circles around our entire house (outside), runs up and down the dike, and just generally goes nuts with even more energy. I have no idea where it comes from after walking five miles! But I love to see him so happy.

Speaking of which (I know I've written this before so I'll try to keep it brief) he has come to get super excited for the walks because he gets to see his dog friends (and just dogs in general). He knows all the houses where they live and looks excitedly as we walk by.

His "best friend" is Roomba, a black German Shepherd. When she's outside, we stop and I let him play while I chat with Roomba's "mom". When Roomba isn't outside, Joey is constantly straining on the leash toward her house--he wants to see her so badly!

I just bought a poster of yoga poses and stretches, which I plan to start doing after my walks. My chronic pain has gotten really bad and I feel like my muscles are tight all the time. I also get a lot of knots in my shoulders and upper back when I am stressed, and they are super painful. Jerry massages them, but I don't think it's enough. I'd like to go for a deep tissue massage, but sadly, I'm ashamed of my body and I'd be embarrassed. 

Yesterday, I tried using my TENS unit (it's a little device that has electrodes that you place on your skin--it delivers small electrical impulses that kind of tingle (or hurt if turned up too high!). Last night, Phoebs was on my lap while I zapped my shoulders for 20 minutes to help break up the knots and tightness.

Anyway, I hope that the stretching and strength training of the yoga poses will help loosen up my muscles and help relieve the pain. I've never been a fan of yoga, so we'll see ;)

So, exercise has been going well! I'm proud of my walking streak. I have no idea if it's making an impact on my health or body, but it's definitely helped me mentally (as best as it can).

As far as my weight loss goals...

I really wish that I had good things to say about this! When I was doing 75 Hard, I lost 13 pounds. I didn't mind the number so much as I was excited about the change in my body composition. You could see visible changes after just a single week (and no weight loss!). I know that it was from intermittent fasting.

I did great on 75 Hard for the first 34(?) days, and then I learned that I may not have been doing it correctly, and it was a struggle after that. 

My eating plan of choice was intermittent fasting, which was FANTASTIC for me. It helped me so much--not just as far as how much and what I eat, but to keep me from thinking about food all the time. I loved not having to worry about what to eat for breakfast, lunch, snacks... I planned a big dinner and a treat or after-dinner snack (I liked decaf coffee with cream and sugar along with something like zucchini bread). 

I loved loved loved the plan--I was eating on a 20:4 schedule (fasting for 20 hours and then having an eating window of 4 hours). It was hard to get into the habit at first--it took me about four days before I got to the point where I loved it.

One day, I ate outside my window, and then I did it again the next day. And then trying to get back to the schedule was SO HARD. I'm able to wait until 3-4:00 to eat, but then I have such a hard time stopping after four hours. I eat not because I'm hungry, but because the food is there and I use it for stress relief. This year (especially this fall) has been really stressful for so many reasons and it threw off my routine (as you know, I strive for routine). 

So as of right now, I'm not doing well with my diet. I'm not doing terrible, thankfully, but I gained back 8 of the 13 pounds I lost and I've been maintaining this for a couple of months. I would really like to get back to the intermittent fasting, because I felt so much better when I was doing it. Like I said, the first four days are the toughest--so I just have to make up my mind to do it. After that, it literally feels EASY. And I love seeing results so quickly (not the numbers, but feeling my clothes getting looser).

I quit taking a daily photo a while ago, considering I wasn't doing good with weight loss. It just seemed pointless to keep taking photos when I could feel my clothes getting tighter again. I'm wondering if it might help me to continue the photos and then I can see what's NOT working. Who knows, maybe it will just be depressing to see!

Here is a photo I took today. I got dressed out of my yoga pants and sweatshirt for the photo and then I changed right back into them, hahaha. Here, I am wearing my size 10 jeans (which are uncomfortably tight!) and my vanity-sized medium shirt. So I am likely a size 12/large right now. It's been more than 10 years since I was this size and it feels uncomfortable.

I'm NOT planning to "wait until the new year" to try to jump back on the wagon. I'm always trying! It wouldn't matter anyways--it's not like there are going to be holiday parties that are tempting me with food, etc. (I've never been big into holiday parties anyway, but with COVID, I imagine that nobody will be getting together.) Starting now is no different than starting in January.

I wrote a post a few years ago about "My Best Advice for Losing Weight in the New Year". Even though I'm far from my goal weight or just happy weight, I stand by the advice and I definitely need to follow it myself.

So, this is my update! I'm not complaining about how things are going, nor am I being negative about it. It just IS. These are the facts. To end on a positive note, I really am happy with myself for my walking streak--for me, that's a big accomplishment! Now if only I can get my eating on track... :)

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A Very Close Call!

Happy Friday the 13th! :)

A couple of days ago, I woke up feeling a little bit sick. Just a runny nose, watery eyes, and sore throat. Very mild, though. Ordinarily, I wouldn't think twice about it, but now I feel like every little symptom of being sick has to do with COVID!

I VERY rarely get sick, so when I am, I definitely notice it. I didn't want to overreact, but I also didn't want to assume that it was "just a cold". My sister works closely with COVID patients and she said that a lot of people who just have typical allergy symptoms are surprised when they test positive for COVID. Since I don't want to risk getting anyone sick with COVID, I decided I'd better get a test.

Ha! Not nearly as easy as I thought it would be. After calling all the locations (within a reasonable distance from here) to get tested, there were no available slots for a test until Saturday. Even the places that accept walk-ins said that it's first-come first-serve and the line is infinitely long each day. I called my general practitioner and she put in a script for me to get the test, but the first available slot was Saturday at 1:40 pm. 

I'm feeling 99% back to normal now (my symptoms only lasted a couple of days and I never had a fever or cough--the only thing lingering is the watery eyes and mild exhaustion), but I'm still going to get the test tomorrow just to be safe. I've been self-quarantining for the past few days to stay on the safe side.

I've still gone for my five-mile walk with Joey each morning, though, and today I witnessed a very close call between an eagle and a cat!

Joey and I were just approaching my house after the walk when I saw a bald eagle swoop down in front of my house to grab one of the feral cats I complained about. As annoying as the feral cats are, I would have been HORRIFIED to see an eagle grab it and carry it away!

Thankfully, right at that moment, Joey ran toward the cat (he's gotten used to chasing them away from our house) and it scared the eagle. The eagle flew away and the cat immediately ran up a tree, terrified. That cat had no idea just how lucky it was!

This particular cat is solid black and likes to hang out in front of my house. Every time I see him, I immediately think it's Duck--but then remember that it couldn't be my little Duckling. Duck is terrified of the outdoors and would never even try to sneak out.

I've been going really strong on my walking streak. I was about to write here that today is Day 124 of my walk streak, and then I realized that the math wasn't adding up in my Garmin Connect account. I started re-labeling my walks to "Day X" for each day. I discovered that it's only Day 117 and not Day 124! I was off by a week, so I'm assuming that I just miscounted the weeks when I started counting my streak.

So, while I'm "only" on Day 117, I'm proud of that! When I look at the monthly calendars, I love seeing that starting on July 20, there aren't any missing days.

Some stats since July 20th: I've walked 185 times; a total of 602 miles; 174 hours and 41 minutes; and burned 60,000 calories from the walks. It's gone by so fast! 

October 3rd is when I switched to doing a five-mile walk in the morning instead of doing two 45-minute walks per day. I like it much better! I feel like Joey and I have bonded quite a bit since we've been walking together every morning, too ;) 

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Walk Streak: Day 100!

I'm just going to do a short recap of exercise this week. I had no idea that it's already 9:45 PM! Here is my "progress photo" for the end of four weeks of my Cookies Fall Hard Challenge.

I'm wearing heavier clothes now, because of the colder weather, so it's harder to see any difference. I may pick a more form-fitting outfit to wear every Tuesday morning in order to see any changes better.

The weather was pretty rainy for a few days this week, which made me tempted to skip my morning walk; but Joey is SO used to going that I just didn't have the heart. Also, I'm on a long walking streak... 

Today marks 100 days of walking a minimum of 80 minutes per day! The first 75 days, I walked 45+ minutes twice a day; and ever since then, I have walked in the mornings for 5+ miles (taking roughly 85 minutes, give or take). A few times, I've walked even farther--my longest being nearly 8.5 miles.

Even when I was running regularly, I never had a run streak like this. I didn't really believe in run streaks (because of fear of injury). Even now, if I was running, I would definitely take rest days. But with walking, I don't feel I need rest days. I just walk very easy sometimes when I feel I need to.

A couple of days ago, I was out for my morning walk and as I approached the last half mile or so, I just had this spontaneous feeling of wanting to run. So, I started running. It felt a little awkward, considering I had Joey on a leash and I hadn't run in a very long time so my legs felt rusty. However, I felt MUCH better than I expected to.

When I got home, I saw that my pace was about two minutes per mile slower than I'd thought, hahaha. It was 11:45-ish. I could have sworn I was running at about a 10:00 pace, considering it was only half a mile.

Yesterday, it was raining for my entire walk. When I looked outside in the morning, I was so mad that it wasn't just sprinkling, but raining. I was already freezing and the thought of walking in the cold rain sounded miserable. But Joey was more than ready. I just decided to go and get it over with. 

(You might be wondering why I don't just go later in the day... I feel like I have to do it in the morning or I won't do it at all. Besides, the forecast predicted rain all day anyway.)

After a mile and a half or so, I started walking faster--knowing that the faster I went, the sooner I'd be done and out of the rain. Then it occurred to me to try running for a mile. So, when my watched beeped that I hit two miles, I started running and I ran until I hit mile three, and then walked again. Call me crazy, but I actually decided to run my fifth mile as well! I don't know what came over me.

I think I did it partly to see if I could, but partly because it just sounded good to me. It's so weird! I still prefer walking for sure, but if I ever get the urge to run a little, I'll go for it. I felt really happy with myself when I was done.

My pace was slow--12:15-ish for each of the miles I ran--but just the fact that I was able to run them (and still feel good!) was a big deal. I think that all of the walking definitely helped me.

I'm super excited to have hit 100 days--I wasn't aiming for it, but now that I have this streak going, I just don't want to stop :)

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Feeling Ready to Focus on Weight Loss

Today is the final day of Week 3 of my Cookies Fall Challenge. I had attempted to take on all three challenges, but I haven't been keeping up with the Run/Walk Checklist. It seems like that would be an easy one for me to do, considering I walk every day, but I always forget to check the list!

However, I've been doing awesome with the mileage challenge (just a friendly competition for racking up miles either running or walking). I've been walking a minimum of five miles each morning. I've been second on the leaderboard twice in a row (among the walkers; the top runners are hitting crazy mileage!).

As for the Cookies Fall Hard Challenge (a different take on 75 Hard), I've been doing so-so. I haven't been doing ALL of the things every day, which I would love to change. I want have that strict discipline I had when the challenge first started. 

When starting 75 Hard, my goal was to develop discipline in order to stick with my weight loss goals. I didn't care TOO much about the weight loss during 75 Hard, because that wasn't the point of the challenge. However, now that I feel like I've developed some discipline (like the walking), I feel like I'm ready to step it up a notch.

I want to work my best at losing the weight. I still love intermittent fasting, but I know that I am eating too much during my "eating window", which is four hours. I know that it's not because I'm hungry, but because I'm stressed. We've had a lot going on lately--the kids doing school in a totally new and unfamiliar way, working on building a front porch before the weather gets cold, building Noah's desk, refinancing our car for a better interest rate, researching and buying a new mattress, keeping up with the fall challenges, and several other things. 

I'm starting to get used to the kids' schooling, so hopefully that will be less stressful from now on. I finished the porch, Noah's desk, and bought the mattress. I just finalized the refinance loan on the car (our interest rate went from 5.7% to 1.8%!! We'd bought the car just a couple of days before all the COVID stuff started, and the interest rates dropped significantly right afterward).

Now that all of that stuff is taken care of, I feel like it's a good time to work on focusing on the weight loss. I am extremely uncomfortable in my body right now. I'm worried that I'm going to undo all of the work that my skin removal surgery did--I paid a lot of money for that (even though my insurance covered most of it) and I don't want that to be a big waste.

The Cookies Fall Hard Challenge focuses on discipline rather than weight loss, and because it's so similar to 75 Hard, I feel like it's become a lifestyle for the most part. Now that I have the lifestyle part down, I want to set some fresh goals for my weight loss. Here is my most current full-length photo (aside from my daily progress photos):

While my ideal goal weight is 133, I'm not going to obsess about getting there. I'd be happy with 144, which is the top of my BMI range. That means I have to lose about 35 pounds. (Except for the photo above, all of the photos in this post are of me at around 144 pounds--my "happy weight".)

My plan is to continue with intermittent fasting. However, I'm going to do a OMAD (one meal a day) approach. I felt best when I was doing that back at the beginning of 75 Hard. It doesn't mean eating one small meal a day... it can include an appetizer, large meal, dessert, etc. I typically ate a large dinner and then finished with decaf coffee with cream and a sweet treat (zucchini bread was a favorite). I allowed myself a four-hour window (usually between 4pm and 8pm) but I was usually done eating after about two hours.

Here is an example of a large/filling dinner (Eli made this for us!):

About an hour later, I followed that up with coffee with cream and a piece of zucchini bread that Noah made.

I noticed that when I eat past my window, I am really hungry the next day. So, I'd like to be done eating shortly after dinner. I felt SO good and energetic (and my mood was better) when I was eating that way. I want to feel like that again.

That's pretty much it as far as my diet goes. My fasting periods are "clean fasts", which means that I don't consume anything except for plain water. For more info on intermittent fasting, particularly on the "OMAD" plan, I highly recommend the book 'Delay, Don't Deny' by Gin Stephens (Amazon affiliate link). That's the book that really made me want to try it! There are several different options for intermittent fasting--the OMAD approach is just one of them.

I don't only want to do the intermittent fasting for the weight loss, however. There are so many health benefits that I am hoping to see. I'm especially hoping that it helps with my chronic pain! But that could take a while, so we'll see. It most certainly helps with my digestion. I never feel bloated or stuffed, and I became very "regular".

Anyway, enough about that!

As far as exercise, I'm going to continue my daily walks. The five mile walk takes about an hour and twenty to an hour and thirty minutes. I like to go as soon as it's light outside so that I am back home early--by 9:00, usually. Once we change the clocks back for daylight savings, I'll be able to head out an hour earlier.

My overall goal for the weight loss is to lose about a pound per week (on average). When intermittent fasting, my weight goes up and down like crazy, but the overall trend was downward. So I'll be looking at that instead of a specific weight on a specific day. It'd be nice to see a downward slope of about a pound a week, though.

If I manage to do that, I can get to my happy weight of 144 in about 35 weeks--mid-June. That seems so far away right now, but this year has been flying by, and I have no doubt that June will be here before I know it. It would be nice to fit back into my favorite jeans by then!

Here are a couple of favorite pictures of me at about 144 pounds. Not my thinnest (this is borderline overweight, actually!). But I'd love to get here again. I felt so good at this size. (This is when Jerry and I were training for the Martian Half Marathon in 2018.)

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When You're Walking and You Lose Track of Time/Distance

First, I want to mention that I tried the tapenade hummus I posted about recently yesterday, and it's AMAZING. Like I said, I adore olive tapenade, and I can't believe I never thought to combine it with hummus before. I ate it with pretzels and it's my new favorite appetizer/snack during my intermittent fasting window.

As I have mentioned a trillion times lately, I have loved listening to audiobooks when I do my morning walks. Ever since I finished 75 Hard, I have been doing a longer walk in the morning (5 miles) instead of 45 minutes twice a day. The five mile walk typically takes me about an hour and 20 minutes to an hour and 25 minutes.

I've been doing a specific five mile route--the perimeter of all four neighborhoods on the peninsula--because it's mindless, simple, and I get to see a good variety. Today, however, I accidentally skipped the street I was supposed to turn on, and I made a last-minute decision to go into my favorite neighborhood try to walk every single street.

It's not just a block system; there are several blocks separated by a triangular park in the center. I had no idea how long it would take me, but based on my previous walks, I guessed it would take roughly an hour. 

As usual, Joey was bouncing to go out the door at 6:30 AM, but I've been waiting until it gets light out at around 7:45, so I read a book for a little bit. 

I used to only really listen to memoirs on audio, but I listened to a thriller and then I wanted to keep listening to them.

I'm currently listening to a psychological thriller called 'An Anonymous Girl' by Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen. (FYI, the books I mention in this post are Amazon affiliate links, which means if you buy them through the link, I may get a small commission. But I encourage you to check your library--that's where I borrowed them for free!)

I can't explain what the book is about without a ton of spoilers (everything you think is happening is probably wrong--I was so sure I had it figured out immediately). I had previously read 'The Wife Between Us' and then listened to the audiobook of 'You Are Not Alone', by the same authors.

I listened to 'You Are Not Alone' while walking and was obsessed with that one as well (I looked forward to my walks so much!), and when I was finished, I was thrilled to see my library offered 'An Anonymous Girl' . 

Anyway, I am super engrossed in 'An Anonymous Girl' and was excited to head out for a walk this morning. As I turned into the neighborhood, I mentally tried to plot out a general route in my head to be able to walk every single street. There were some streets I had to walk on twice to be able to round corners onto others; it was kind of fun to have this goal in mind!

I always have my watch covered with my sleeve, so I had no idea how far I'd gone or how much time had elapsed. I just concentrated on my book and on walking all the streets. Every so often I'd hear a beep from my watch, alerting me that I'd just hit another mile. 

When I was nearing the end of the neighborhood, I heard a beep that I thought was mile five. I knew that I'd have roughly another half mile to get home, so I figured the timing worked out pretty well. It wasn't until I sat down to write this blog post that I noticed I'd walked much farther (and longer) than I'd thought!

I was super bummed to see that I missed two sections of one of the streets in the neighborhood (where the yellow arrows are pointing). 

I had covered 6.45 miles in 1:49:41 (a 17:01/mile pace). That's the longest walk I've done in... well, I can't even tell you how long. Years! 

I stopped wearing my heart rate monitor a while ago. I just don't care what my heart rate is--I don't really care about my stats at all, other than the duration that I walk. It's nice!

The transition from 75 Hard to my Cookies Fall Challenge has been pretty seamless. I've not checked off everything on my list every single day, but I haven't skipped a workout (walking) and I haven't forgotten to do a progress photo. My progress photos haven't really "progressed", unfortunately, but I know the things I need to change in order to make more progress--which is what I'm working on now. Here is today's photo (in my new favorite tights):

I'm trying to keep posting full-length photos so that I don't get too embarrassed to post them again. I still have to work on not feeling so self-conscious of the weight I've gained, and posting pictures is a good start. I hate posting them, but I hope that I'll get more comfortable with it if I keep doing it.

When I got home, I immediately got to work on the landscaping. I've been using a shovel to pull up the grass that was next to it, so that the entire area from the edge of the sidewalk to the house will be landscaping (next year--I'm not going to plant anything now). It was a ton of work! Now, it's just pure dirt along the front of the house. (I will try to get some pictures together soon, honest.)

I am 100% wiped out from all the walking plus the yard work. I'm going to try to find a movie for Jerry and I to watch tonight :) Have a great weekend!

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75 Hard: Day 75!

Today was the final day of 75 Hard!

I don't want to mislead anyone, and as I've said before, I haven't followed it 100% perfectly as it's supposed to be done. The "rules" say that if you miss even one item on the list, you have to start over from Day 1.

I did the first 31 days without missing a single item. Then I learned of a podcast that explained the challenge a bit differently than the one I'd listened to, which made me question if I was doing it "right". So, I decided to continue doing it, but I did it the way I interpreted the challenge from the podcast I'd listened to. And I didn't start over when I "messed up". Therefore, take what you will from it.

I have been far from perfect for the duration of the last 75 days! Whether it's eating outside of my intermittent fasting window, or forgetting to journal, or forgetting to read 10 pages, or something else, I have missed several things here and there. BUT, I've continued to work on it every day and doing this challenged has really changed my way of life.

There are only two "rules" that I did not break even once: 1) Taking a progress photo every single day, and 2) Exercising for 45 minutes twice a day, with at least one of those being outside.

Here are all of my progress photos in a very-squeezed-in collage:

There are a few where I was up north, and only pretended to hold up my phone for the sake of consistency. Haha! My sister took the picture while I posed the same as always.

When I started the challenge, I knew that the most difficult rule for me would be the exercise. I wasn't doing any exercise at all at the time, and to go from 0 to 90 minutes a day? Yikes! But I wanted to try it. So, I chose to do "light" exercise--walking, riding my bike. In the end, I ended up walking for all but a handful of the workouts; the others being riding my bike.

I know that I would have better physical results if I'd done better with the diet portion of the challenge. I've done really well with intermittent fasting, and I eat within my four-hour window nearly every day. However, since I've been super stressed out for the past month or so, I've been overeating. *Technically*, I was following my "rule" for intermittent fasting--eating in just my four-hour window--but I was eating for emotional reasons as well as hunger and I ate too much.

HOWEVER, the main reason that I chose to do this challenge was not for weight loss (I was hoping to lose weight, yes, but it wasn't my main purpose). I really wanted to do this challenge for the discipline. I wanted to learn how to practice self-discipline like I had for so long when I was losing and maintaining my weight. 

In the sense of self-discipline, I absolutely think that 75 Hard did its job! While I missed some of the items here and there, I never, ever missed a workout. That is what is most notable about the whole thing. I exercised twice a day for at least 45 minutes each, every single day, for the last 75 days in a row! That is HUGE for me.

(I know this is impossible to read... but it's just a calendar showing the last 75 days worth of workouts. The blue boxes are my bike rides; the yellow are walking.)

Over the last 75 days, I've walked a total of 379.83 miles. That's more than I walked or ran in ALL of 2019, ALL of 2018, and ALL of 2017! (The grand total from 2017-2019 was 655.70--for all three years combined.) These numbers are stunning to me. 

Today, I celebrated the last day of 75 Hard by walking for 8 miles--much longer than usual! (I'm totally lying. I walked 8 miles, but only because I'm super addicted to the audiobook I'm listening to right now).

Will anything change tomorrow?

Not much at all, actually. I'm going to wake up and go for my morning walk with Joey... only I will walk 60+ minutes instead of 45 minutes. And then I'll skip the second workout of the day (unless I really want to go for some reason). 

The other habits have been good for me and not something that I want to stop doing. Oh! One exception... I won't be reading "self-help" type books (I just don't enjoy them). I'll read 10+ pages of whatever book I'd like (which is what I've been doing for a while now anyways).

I'm basically going to be following my "Cookies Fall Hard Challenge", which is based on 75 Hard. I really enjoy the "rules" and want to make them as much of a habit as I can.

So, I wish I had a more exciting post about 75 Hard, but there isn't a whole lot to say that I haven't said already--especially in my post about walking. I'm SO thankful to my friend Adam for introducing me to 75 Hard and for convincing me to try it. If I hadn't, I'm sure I'd have gained even more weight and continued not exercising, along with feeling worse and worse about myself. (In total, I lost 13 pounds, but I haven't lost anything in the last month.)

As it is, I wish I'd seen more physical changes, but I'm happy with where I've gotten. I know that to lose more weight, I have to be more careful about how much I'm eating during my IF window. Honestly, though, I am just grateful for the self-discipline habits that I've learned. 

Okay... I just have to share some extra good news, too. I saw Floyd today while I was out walking! Floyd is the elderly man that I used to see ALL the time when I was out running. We started out with "Good morning!" type greetings, and eventually we chatted a little here and there. I loved seeing him out and about. He walks six days a week, no matter what, and I find that super inspiring.

I had decided that for my final 75 Hard walk, I'd do a full lap of all four neighborhoods--a five-mile walk. If I hadn't decided to do that today, I never would have bumped into Floyd.

Since I started 75 Hard, I expected to see him all the time. However, I NEVER ONCE saw him out walking! As terrible as it sounds, I was feeling pretty confident that he probably passed away or was very sick and unable to walk. I really hoped he was okay.

I can't think of a better way to end 75 Hard, actually--seeing him out for a walk today was so exciting! I stopped walking and we chatted for a little bit. I told him I think about him every time I am out walking, and I am so glad that he's doing well. He said he thinks of me every time he walks past my parents' house (he admires their landscaping).

I didn't know exactly which house was his, but after it came up in discussion today, he told me it's easy to spot because he painted the door, the garage door, and the mailbox orange. Orange! We happen to share our favorite color. 

Anyway, I was so relieved to see him today and see that he was doing okay. He said he tends to walk mid-mornings, which is why I probably haven't seen him. I walk in the early morning and then again in the late morning or early afternoon. And now that I know which house is his, I can at least check in on him if I haven't seen him for a while.

It's kind of funny how a stranger (for the most part) can have such an impact on our lives. 

Tomorrow is Day 12 of my Cookies Fall Challenge. I'm looking forward to starting it with a long walk with Joey :)

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Tips for Success for 75 Hard (or a similar challenge)

I've read a lot of comments lately about how hard certain "rules" are for doing 75 Hard (or even my simpler take on it, Cookies Fall Hard). I started 75 Hard on July 20, and it's now September 25, so I've been going for over two months*.

(*Technically, if I "break a rule", I'm supposed to start over again. I've broken rules but I haven't started over. I have followed most rules for most of the time, though.)

As I wrote recently on my post, "Fear of Failure", I haven't been perfect. But I've been doing SO MUCH BETTER than if I hadn't started the challenge at all! And I have some tips for those of you that are struggling with particular goals during the challenge. 

Here are the 75 Hard Rules (followed by my modified rules for Cookies Fall Hard):

1) "Follow a diet, including no alcohol" (my version: "Follow a diet of choice")

My advice: This one is hard to advise, because everybody has a different plan. However, because this is a "challenge", it doesn't last forever! There will be days where it doesn't feel worth it, it feels "stupid", you will question why you're doing such a dumb challenge, etc. However, with self-discipline, you CAN get through it! The whole point of the 75 Hard (or my own Cookies Fall Hard) challenge is more about self-discipline than it is about anything else. 

You will feel great about yourself when you are able to stay disciplined enough to go through 75 days (or 92 days, in my Cookies Fall Hard challenge). Even if you're not perfect, you'll be much better off than if you hadn't tried it at all. It's only a challenge--not the rest of your life! ;) 

As far as alcohol goes... I think that if you can fit it in with your diet, go ahead. For people who enjoy a drink, cutting out alcohol completely might keep you from even trying this challenge. As long as you're not binge drinking all the time, and alcohol isn't a "problem" for you, then I'm not going to make that a "rule" like 75 Hard. 

2) Take a progress photo every day (my version: Take a progress photo every day)

My advice: Do this first thing when you wake up and get dressed. I go for a walk first thing in the morning, so as soon as I change into my "walking clothes", I take a selfie in a full-length mirror. It isn't pretty--trust me! But I don't have to share these with anyone (except the entire internet, haha!). 

Make it habit to take a photo (I do a full-length mirror selfie, knowing that I don't have to show it to anyone unless I want to. I promise they are not flattering photos, nor do I try to make them flattering. I just snap a pic and that's it.) I have a folder on my phone that is specifically for my 75 Hard photos--I have them all in there, in order, so I can flip through them whenever I'd like.)

3) Read 10 pages a day of a non-fiction, self-improvement-type book (my version: Read 10 pages a day of any book you'd like)

My advice: Do this first thing when you wake up--you can even do it before you get out of bed. It takes me a long time to read 10 pages (usually a half-hour or more) so I like to get it done early. If it's a book I'm really into, then I'll read more of it before bed. But if I do it first thing in the morning, then I know I don't have to worry about it during the day.

And here, I just HAVE to plug my Kindle Paperwhite. It's one of the best things I've ever bought! (This is an Amazon affiliate link, but I swear on my life I recommend this as one of my Top 5 gifts/purchases ever!). I didn't read much at all for more than a decade. And then I finally got a Kindle Paperwhite (they were having a sale, and my sister had recommended it more than once a dozen times.) I had always liked the feeling of a "real" book in my hands and just couldn't imagine switching it out for a digital copy.

However, when I got the Paperwhite, I was shocked at how much I loved it! It was lighter than a paperback, it didn't have a glare while reading outdoors(!), I could store literally thousands of books on it, and the battery life felt infinitely long. Even if you are a hardcore hardcover/paperback lover, I PROMISE you will be surprised at how much you love the Paperwhite.

I haven't read this much in God-only-knows how long. And it's all due to the Paperwhite. (I have the 10th generation, by the way... that's what I linked to). If you watch for sales, you may be able to get it much cheaper. I think I paid $85 for mine! It was a "flash sale". I'll bet they'll have sales on it soon as we get closer to the holidays.

4) Drink one gallon of water a day (my version: Drink one gallon of water a day).

My advice: Get a quart-size water bottle. Here is my favorite! (Amazon affiliate link). I even bought a brand new one in my favorite color (orange) for this challenge.

Four quarts equals one gallon, so you only have to drink four of these per day. Because of the wide mouth on the bottle, I can chug this pretty quickly. 

I chug a quart of it when I first get up in the morning. Literally, I chug some immediately when I sit up in bed (I keep it on my nightstand); then when I brush my teeth; then as I'm getting dressed; and finally, I finish it before I go for my walk).

Then I go for my morning walk. When I get home, I chug another quart. I'm already halfway done with my water for the day! I know that "chugging" water may not sound appealing, but it gets done quickly and then you don't have to worry about it. The wide-mouth bottle helps a LOT. I also use tap water at room temperature (actually, it's slightly less than room temp... I just turn on the cold tap and fill it that way). 

I always drink another quart between lunchtime and dinner (I'm usually very busy in the afternoons, so I "chug" a quart about an hour or so before dinner). Actually, as I'm writing this, I've chugged about eight ounces every 15 minutes or so. And then after dinner, I'm pretty full. So, I wait until a couple of hours after dinner before chugging my final quart of water for the day. 

At first, if you're not used to this much water, you'll be peeing what feels like constantly. However, your bladder will get used to it! And eventually, you will literally CRAVE water first thing in the morning. If I don't drink my water when I wake up, I definitely don't feel great during the morning.

And drinking a ton of water always helps me to lose the "bloated" feeling--if you eat a salty or heavy meal, drink extra water and you won't retain as much. I promise! Just yesterday, I had pizza and breadsticks for dinner, which usually makes my weight go up a few pounds just in sodium alone, but my weight was exactly the same as yesterday. And I didn't feel puffy!

I know that upping the water intake so much is extremely difficult. But the easiest way, in my opinion, is to do four quarts a day and just chug each down within a matter of a few minutes.

5) Exercise twice a day for 45 minutes each time (at least one must be outside). (My version: Exercise for 60 minutes a day, with at least 30 minutes outside. This is can be all in one go, or divided into two segments--it's up to you.)

My advice: Do the first workout (or whole workout) as soon as you wake up. It gets it out of the way early enough that you won't even realize you did it! (Frequently, I have a bit of amnesia about my first workout of the day). I've learned that I actually really ENJOY my first walk of the day. 

I like to listen to audiobooks, and when you find one that you really get interested in, you might discover that you WANT to go out for another walk so that you can listen some more. I never, in a million years, would have thought that I'd want to go out for a walk for exercise (I've just never enjoyed exercise) but now I find myself getting excited about going out and listening to my audiobook!

Right now, I'm still doing 45 minutes twice a day, and I HATE having to do the extra workout. I'd much prefer to do it all at once in the mornings. As soon as my 75 days are over, I'm going to switch to doing it all in the mornings (my version of the plan). However, I feel committed to this challenge so I'm going to finish it out. 

This is what September looks like... each of those yellow boxes on each day shows a walk of 45+ minutes--so there are two per day! August looked the same. 

6) This isn't a rule on 75 Hard, but I decided to make it a rule of MY version: Write in a journal every day, even if it's just one sentence.

My advice: Do this first thing in the morning just before you read your 10 pages. I use a "Some Lines A Day" journal, and I LOVE it! (Amazon affiliate link). I literally write in it before I even get out of bed. Then I don't have to worry about it later. If you have to, then set your alarm for five minutes earlier than usual and use that time to write in your journal. 

You'll love looking back on it when the challenge is over, I promise! (The "Some Lines A Day" journal is a five-year journal, so next year, you will be able to see--on the exact same day--what you wrote on the previous year. And this goes on for five years!

Photo from Amazon

Okay, I realize these aren't miracle pills to getting through the challenge, but I hope that my advice helps a bit! Some of these are much harder than others, depending on the person. Put them all together, and it makes for a tough challenge--especially through the fall season, when most of the holidays occur!

But I really do believe that you can do this. And if you're having doubts, read this post: Fear of Failure.

Best wishes! :) 

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A Sticker Chart (Nerd Alert!)

My friend Emily LOVES sticker "award" charts. I never really understood how stickers could be motivating to us as adults.

When I was actively doing bullet journaling, I did enjoy filling in charts and things--and I LOVE checklists! I don't know what gave me the idea to make a large poster board with sticker charts for my Cookies Fall Challenge, however. But I like how it turned out!

I've actually found it pretty fun! I look forward to finishing eat item and putting a sticker on there. The challenge is 92 days long, which is why there are 92 boxes for each item. I printed out one for each of the "rules" of the challenge and then glued them onto a poster board.

I also have a chart for keeping track of my weight (once a week) and for my daily running mileage.

Finally, I have a bunch of photos on there that I particularly like or that give me a good feeling inside. They make me want to keep going and not give up.

Yes, I'm SUPER nerdy... but how fun is this?! (I still need some tacks to hang it on the bathroom wall). And this is in the master bathroom, where nobody goes except for Jerry and me!

I did great again today on the challenge--checking off everything on the list. I had a bad day mentally, though--I am frustrated with a few projects that I am feeling pressured to get done (the front porch and Noah's desk). I've run into problems with each, and they shouldn't have been difficult!

Hopefully I'll sleep well tonight and see them with fresh eyes tomorrow.

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Cookies Fall Challenge - Day 1

Today was off to a great start! 

I'm planning to do all three challenges--the Cookies Fall Hard, Cookies Run/Walk Checklist, and the friendly mileage competition. I wanted to start the day off strong, so I completed what I could as early as possible.

Even though the Cookies Fall Hard Challenge is a modified version of 75 Hard, I'm still planning to follow the exercise rule for 75 Hard--I haven't broken the streak at all, so I'd like to finish out the full 75 days. After that, I'll switch to the Cookies Fall Hard version.

For 75 Hard, the exercise "rule" is two workouts a day for 45 minutes each, and one of them must be outside. For my version, I chose 60 minutes total for the day, with at least 30 minutes outside. So for a couple more weeks, I'll still be doing 45 minutes twice a day.

I went for my first walk as soon as it was light outside, at around 7:30. First, I took my progress photo for Day 1. I'm going to try to dress in the same clothes, or something similar, every week for comparison. Lately, I've been wearing bulkier clothes because it's been colder outside in the mornings, so my comparison pictures aren't very, well, comparable.

I walked Joey through the park and apparently we went slower than usual, because we ended up walking for 55 minutes instead of 45. As we were walking, I realized that I was supposed to do my walk at 9:30 AM, because that's when fall officially starts--and the plan was to walk from summer into fall.

When I got home, I decided to work on a couple other items on the list and then go for my second walk just before 9:30. I wrote in my journal, I read my 10 pages in a book, and I drank a quart of water. 

Then I headed out for walk number two. Right as the time hit 9:30, I happened to be at a small beach area so I stopped and took a picture of my Garmin--it's officially fall! (Sorry for the bad picture)

I even got to check off two items on my Fall Checklist--first the fall equinox walk and then the "two-a-day" walk (meaning I walked twice in the same day). For today's mileage, I got in 5.77--not bad!

I was DREADING this afternoon because I had a dentist appointment to get a couple of fillings. I absolutely despise going to the dentist--ever since I broke my jaw, just the thought of the dentist gives me anxiety. I canceled my appointments for the last two years because I just couldn't bring myself to go!

I actually had to have a root canal in 2016 on a tooth that had cracked when I broke my jaw. I was absolutely terrified! But afterward, I took this picture of me trying to blow a kiss (to text to Jerry), and it remains one of my favorite pictures--hahaha! I looked similar today, but definitely not this funny.

I found a new dentist (my previous one that I really loved had retired) and went for a cleaning yesterday. The hygienist was SO nice and gentle--that was the best cleaning I've ever endured. But I had a couple of cavities and the thought of getting my mouth numbed is what I hate the most. I asked the dentist if he could do it without numbing me, and he said that the top cavity could be done without numbing, but the bottom one would need to be. *cue anxiety*

I made the appointment for today so that I wouldn't have time to chicken out and cancel. I couldn't believe how bad I was shaking! I asked if I could wear the heavy lead apron (used for x-rays) during the procedure because it helps with anxiety (kind of like a weighted blanket). Even with that, I was shaking so badly and was nearly in tears.

I'm sure the dentist thought I was crazy (but hell, I actually AM crazy, so...). The thing is, I'm not actually afraid of the pain... I had a horribly broken jaw and my teeth wired shut for six weeks, so a minor dental procedure is nothing to me on the pain scale. 

The reason I have so much anxiety is because of the ANTICIPATION of pain. When my jaw was broken and the surgeon would mess with the wires around my teeth, it was extremely painful (despite being on loads of pain killers). If I KNOW that something is going to hurt, I can definitely handle it. But when getting a tooth drilled, I am always anticipating the drill hitting a sensitive spot and searing pain shooting through my mouth.

I was hyperventilating through my nose when he was drilling and I was so sure I was going to have a panic attack. I had my eyes squeezed shut and I was concentrating on clutching my hands together under the lead apron. 

I was so so so relieved when it was finally over. I hated the fact that the lower right side of my mouth was numb, especially considering I had to go to Lowe's. But thankfully, I had to wear a face mask so it covered up my crooked mouth!

Anyway, that was a long, uneventful story. Today went great as far as the challenges! I stayed within my intermittent fasting eating window and I got in all my water, too. I hope everyone else who is doing a challenge had a great day, too!

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Fear of Failure

Tomorrow is the big day! The first day of fall and, therefore, the first day of my Cookies Fall Challenges. I'm so excited :) (I love that comparison photo above of my weight loss--isn't it awesome?!)

This is my first time hosting a challenge in the fall, and I decided to do not just one, but THREE. Something for everyone!

1) The checklist similar to Cookies Summer Run/Walk Challenge--a list of items to complete during or after running or walking. It's a way to keep running or walking interesting.

2) A mileage competition. Runners and walkers can log their mileage (you must sign up by 11:59 PM ET tonight!!). I am going to post a leaderboard each week, showing who has run/walked the most miles that week and overall. Hopefully, this will inspire you to get in some miles!

3) Cookies Fall Hard Challenge. This one is tough! And it's MEANT to be tough--hence, the "hard". The "rules" are modified from the 75 Hard challenge. There are six rules, and each of them individually seem do-able. And they are. Putting them all together is going to be HARD. 

I've heard from more than a few people that they would like to try it, but they are worried that they might fail. 

I have a lot to say about this and I hope I'm able to put it into words. Let me try to explain...

Two months ago, I started the 75 Hard Challenge. I was going full strength, 100% effort, until I learned I may have been doing one of the rules incorrectly (it was stupid). But I let that get into my head, and eventually I started slacking on a rule here and there.

I've most definitely not followed all of the rules since the beginning, and according to the entire 75 Hard Challenge, I am supposed to start over every time I make a mistake. 

Am I a failure?

On one hand, yes--I failed at doing the 75 Hard Challenge as written. However, I have walked (or biked a couple of times) for 45 minutes twice a day EVERY SINGLE DAY since July 20th! I can honestly say that I have never deliberately exercised this much in my life. Is that failure?

My "diet" for 75 Hard was intermittent fasting with a 20:4 ratio. For about 95% of the time, I've done great! But I've also had a few days where I ate way outside my window--not because I was hungry, but because I was stressed out and I just wanted to eat. While I ate on plan for 95% of the time... did I fail because it wasn't 100?

Another "rule" for 75 Hard was to read 10 pages of a non-fiction inspirational book every day. I did this, for a long time. But after I finished my second book, I just couldn't find another that interested me. I don't enjoy self-help books! But did I fail, even after reading two full books? I continued to read books, but not the inspirational ones specified in 75 Hard.

There is a rule for drinking a gallon of water a day. For me, this isn't very hard to do when I'm focused on it. However, on some days, I was too busy or too stressed to care, and I "only" drank 96 ounces of water instead of 128 ounces. Did I fail?

For 75 Hard, it's also required to take a progress photo every day (I do a full-length mirror selfie). Call me vain, but this is actually something I've excelled at! I haven't missed a single day. 

So, my point is this: While I was "supposed to" do this challenge strictly by the book, without fail--and believe me, I tried!--I didn't do it perfectly. I "failed" at the 75 Hard Challenge, and I should have started over several times by now.

Instead, I chose to just keep doing the best I could do. While I might have "failed" at the challenge, I am still a million times better off than if I'd quit the very second I made a mistake. 

It reminds me of this quote, "Shoot for the moon. Even if you miss, you'll still land among the stars."

It sounds corny, but it's true! My friend Dean (who I met via my blog and became good friends with) taught me this lesson. He always aims for goals that seem way out of reach. While a lot of people would say not to aim for something that high, because there is a good chance you'll fail, he chose to think of it this way: Aim higher than you "expect" to do, and even if you don't hit that particular goal, you'll still do better than if you aim for a lower goal. You'll never realize your potential if you never push yourself way past your comfort zone!

If I had thought 75 Hard was "too hard" and I decided to modify the exercise portion to be 30 minutes once a day, I would still think that was hard for me to do. Exercising every day, without fail... that's hard for me! But I aimed WAY out of my comfort zone and shot for 45 minutes twice a day. Something that seemed impossible for me--someone who couldn't even stick with 30 minutes 3 times a week for a long time.

And I'm actually doing it!

However, EVEN IF I was to "only" do the first workout every day, I would still be MUCH better off than if I just didn't attempt it at all. Or even if I committed to 30 minutes a day! If I'd committed to 30 minutes, I'd only do 30 minutes. But by committing to 45, I'm pushing myself for 45. And if I happen to only do 40 minutes, or I only do one workout a day, etc? I'm still "landing among the stars" and doing much better than I would if I hadn't even tried.

Dean is such a great example of this!

I'll try to give you the quick rundown:

I first learned of Dean when he submitted a Motivational Monday post for his first 5K. I followed along as he lost weight, ran a 10K, reached 100 pounds lost... I called him Dean the Machine. And I invited him to join a Ragnar team that my friend John and I were putting together. Anyway...

Dean mentioned to me that he decided to shoot for a sub-2:00 half-marathon, and he wanted to know my thoughts as a running coach. He had just finished a half in about 2:15, so I told him that I didn't want to be discouraging, but I thought he should aim for more like 2:10. He thought about it, and then told me that he was going to shoot for sub-2:00 anyway--which would require shaving 15 minutes off of his time in just 4 months!

And you know what? Come April, at his goal race, he ran 1:57! I was shocked, but very excited for him. That was a huge improvement! Next, he told me that he was going to sign up for his first marathon to take place that fall... and that he was going to aim for sub-4:00. Again, I didn't want to discourage him, but I never recommend having a time goal for one's first marathon--it's challenging enough just to finish, let alone worry about pace. But Dean is honestly the most determined person I've ever met...

In October 2014... Dean ran his first full marathon. His time? An insane 3:52:43!

He explained to me this concept of "shooting for the moon" (although he didn't call it that, I promise, haha). He aims for goals that are BEYOND what he really hopes, because even if he "fails", he'll still do better than he would if he'd aimed for something that seemed very "do-able".

Take goal weight, for example. I didn't tell anyone this, but when I was hoping to get down to 133 for my goal weight, I was secretly "aiming for" 125. That way, if I got down to, say, 130, would it mean I failed? Hell no!

If I'd been aiming for 133 and I actually got to 133, I'd have met my goal--but I would have stopped there because I met the goal. If you aim higher than your goal, you'll still be better off than if you just aim for something "do-able". We want to be better than "do-able"! 

When I was training for the Chicago Marathon in 2013, my goal was to "finish strong" (basically, to have a good race and not feel like shit when I finished). I also wanted to PR--that meant running under 4:51:51 (my previous marathon time at the Detroit Free Press Marathon).

When I trained? I trained as if I was going to run a 3:55 marathon. I followed the Hansons Marathon Method and I ran my training runs as if I was going to finish in 3:55. Deep down, I knew I wasn't even going to try to run sub-4:00 (I didn't really desire to), but I also knew that aiming for it in training would make my "easy marathon" feel good! I finished the race in 4:16:23, and I was THRILLED. I honestly believe that if I'd wanted to run 3:55 that day, I could have. But my goal was to feel good throughout the race.

If I had "only" aimed for a PR (less than 4:51:51), then I would have succeeded if I'd run 4:51:50. And yes that is still excited, but I wouldn't have hit my potential. I never would have DREAMED I could run 4:16:23!). 

I found this sign taped to the house when I got home from Chicago, hahaha. I LOVE IT.

Anyway, I realize this post is all over the place, but I am hoping to convince you that you CAN do the "Cookies Fall Hard Challenge". Yes, it's hard. Yes, you may "fail" at some of the guidelines. But even if you succeed at one of them, isn't that better than nothing?

Even if you only do it for ONE DAY, isn't that better than ZERO days?

So, I encourage you... if you are thinking of doing the Cookies Fall Hard Challenge, but you are worried you are going to fail, just give it a try! Shoot for the moon!

You can find all the information on this post: Cookies Fall Challenges (Official Rules and Sign-Up Sheet).

I'm very excited to start the challenges tomorrow. Yes, I'm aiming for all three! If I only aim for one, then I might succeed at one. But if I aim for three, maybe I'll succeed at one. Or two. Or all three! Who knows?! :) 

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