Wednesday Weigh-In: Week 114

I really like the way this shirt looks with these jeans I altered. It kind of balances the dark denim. And I've been wearing these headbands pretty much every day--I'm pretty much obsessed with them. They cover my gray hair when I desperate need to dye it, and when I have day-old oily hair, they come to the rescue :)  I have to say--I can NEVER EVER get headbands to stay on my head! But these don't budge. I'm amazed, truly.

I think I'm going to order another pack of different colors--they come in packs of four. (You can find them here on Amazon--this is an associate link, which means I may earn a small commission for recommending them, but I bought them with my own money and I love them.) I always wear them the tiniest bit over the tops of my ears, otherwise they make my ears stick out (just in case you have the same problem). Yesterday, they kept a shit ton of sweat pouring into my eyes...

So, on Day 1 of my challenge to get in 10,000 steps in August went great! I wound up with more than my goal, at 12,910 steps.

I have to say, this is going to be much more challenging than I thought! I took Joey on a walk in the morning to get a jumpstart. But for as long as you walk, it feels like SO many more steps than it actually is.

Jerry is doing a big project at work (it's a great opportunity for him!) but it's hard work. (This is kind of what I was alluding to yesterday.) So, I've wanted to minimize any sort of chores he normally does at home--like yard work. Including cutting the grass. I know that I have two teen boys who are MORE than capable of doing it, but I've been wanting to try it myself; it seemed like it would be relaxing to do the repetitive back and fourth motions. (We don't have a riding lawnmower, or a self-propelled one; just a regular old push mower.)

Yesterday, I decided to give it a try. I didn't think I'd ever cut grass before, but I found an old photo from 2011 when I apparently did it! Honestly, I probably quit after the photo, hahaha.

I cannot believe how hard mowing the lawn yesterday was on my body! I have blisters on my hands and feet, and my calves are killing me. I was POURING sweat and my shirt was drenched when I was done. In fact, look at how much water weight I lost in less than two hours:

Yes, that would be 2.2 pounds. I've never even lost that much from a long run! And that's *after* I drank probably about 12 oz. of water. Naturally, I took a couple of selfies to show Jerry just what I do to show how much I love him ;)

The lawn is much bigger than the small photo I posted of that part of the backyard.

The very first thing I did when I was done, before I even gulped down water, was head straight to the bathroom, turn the faucet in the shower to the ludicrous-cold setting (literally no warm/hot water at all) and after a couple of minutes of barely being able to breathe from the cold, it felt SO AMAZING. I could have stayed in there all day long.

Anyway, on to my weigh-in (which was kind of spoiled above). I was at 133.8 yesterday morning...

That's just 0.8 from what has been considered my "goal weight" for years. So, I'm still dropping weight consistently, eating *almost* consistently, and I feel good!

Today, I've been on the go all day, and I was surprised to see that I only have 8,000 steps so far! (It's mid-afternoon, so if I still need more later, I'll take Joey for another walk.) I had to return some things to Amazon--which apparently uses Staples as a drop-off now as well. It kind of sucks going from Kohl's, to UPS, to Staples--all for Amazon returns.

But I do love that they have a great return policy. I also had to go to FedEx for one of the returns because it was a third-party seller (I will never make that mistake again--it's been a headache, jumping through hoops with this company. I also walked Joey and went grocery shopping.

Now I have laundry to put away and thank God, we have lots of leftovers from last night's dinner. So we'll be eating that! (Someone asked about Jerry's Beans & Greens recipe--he's modified it some, so I'll type it out and post that soon.)

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An August Challenge: Who's with me?

I know, the last thing I need right now is a new challenge, right?

I've been nothing but overwhelmed for the better part of a year now and it's absolutely taking a toll on my mental health. I've been wanting to write a whole post about it, but (ironically) writing vulnerable posts like that really ramps up my anxiety. I never know what sort of reaction I will get and it makes me anxious that my feelings will be invalidated. It's getting harder and harder to downplay my emotions on my blog and to try to stay positive.

Right now, I'm dealing with one of the worst depressive episodes I can remember. Yes, I will talk to my psychiatrist about it (he may want to change up my meds), and I spoke with a psychologist a few days ago for recommendations for a good therapist for me. I'm dealing with a LOT right now and I just keep hoping that things will start looking up. (This is not just me being dramatic; Jerry and the kids agree that this has been the worst year ever.)

With over 3,500 posts on my blog, I'm sure I've written this exact thing at least a dozen times. And at some point, things have to get better! Right now, my favorite way to relax in the evenings is to hand sew and listen to a podcast. I don't do a lot of hand sewing, but I do find embroidery really fun (I'm using the term "embroidery" loosely--I don't do the beautiful, intricate designs. I just use embroidery floss to try to make cute little bugs or flowers or things like that.

Anyway, to the point of this post...

Since we're down to three cars now (Jerry's, Noah's, and Eli's), I haven't been going out like I used to (grocery shopping, errands, stuff like that). Because of that, my activity level has gotten much lower.

Shawn brought Joey home on Saturday, and since Joey got used to running in and out of the house (via the doggie door) while he was "on vacation" at Jeanie and Shawn's, I want to walk him more frequently.

Since I need more activity and I know Joey would love to get out as much as possible, I thought of a simple challenge for the month of August. I dusted off my FitBit Zip (yes, it's probably older than my children, haha, but I love it because it's SO simple). I figured for August, I'll try to get in 10,000 steps per day. (That is roughly the equivalent of five miles, or eight kilometers.)

To some, that may seem like nothing; but to me, it's going to a very tough number to hit. I did this challenge one time several years ago and I can remember marching around my house with my kids (who thought it was a fun game). It was hard!

I stay pretty active when I'm working on projects (just a few days ago, I spent time cleaning the garage, going up and down the ladder, hanging bikes from the ceiling, stuff like that... and it only amounted to about 3,000 steps. I couldn't believe it! I was pouring sweat and I thought for sure I'd have hit 10,000 steps.

So, for August, I think it would be a good goal to try to hit 10,000 steps a day. It would be good for me (and Joey!) physically, and hopefully it will help me mentally as well. Who knows, maybe I'll be inspired to go for a run when I need to hit my step goal.

I'm not going to make an "official" challenge (that would just add more to my plate), but I'm inviting anyone who wants to join me and try for this steps challenge! It doesn't even have to be 10,000; any number that would be a good goal for you would work. I think we should just pick our own goal and stick to it for the whole month. If we miss hitting that goal for a day, it's not a big deal--we just start fresh the next day.

The point is, I want it to be simple but something that will push me to reach a small goal each day. I think doing that may push me to work on other goals (building up my confidence, which is very low right now). So, if you're interested in joining me, please do! Maybe I'll create a Google document that everybody can keep track of their own steps (maybe weekly). Not for a contest--just for inspiration from others. We still have a week to give it some thought.

Anyway, to end on a good note, I thought I'd share this very cool memory from 2020 when the power of social media actually gave me all the good feelings! Today is my parents' 52nd wedding anniversary (awesome, right?). Well, in 2020, for their 49th anniversary, they decided to take their bikes on a ride along the "thumb" area of Michigan to celebrate (they love to ride their bikes).

My parents have "special" ergonomic bikes because it's much easier for them to get onto (my dad has some chronic health problems and my siblings and I chipped in to get these special bikes for them). Anyway, this is a picture of them on their anniversary that year:

That night, they chained their bikes to the bike rack at the hotel. And in the morning, the locks were cut and the bikes were gone. My parents were understandably upset, but *I* was devastated. And infuriated. I despise thieves--it feels so violating to have someone take something from you.

My blog isn't huge (Runs for Cookies is just a minnow in an OCEAN of blogs) but I figured I'd post about it on the off chance someone might have seen their bikes. I posted this on my Facebook page:

And you know what? Not even a few hours later, I got a Facebook message from someone who had seen a post about "found bikes" in that area, with a picture of my parents' bikes! A man had found the bikes stashed behind a dumpster or something behind a shop he owned.

I remember that I was out for a run when I got the phone call from the super nice man that found them and I just felt this amazing rush of adrenaline. I was SO excited to tell my parents that their bikes were found! It was such a happy ending.

Just for fun, here is a photo of my parents on their wedding day. My mom was only 18 and my dad was 19. Look how young! And 52 years later, they are still happily married. 

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A Unique Challenge for February

Challenges, goals, challenges, goals... many of you are probably thinking, "Katie, will you EVER learn?! Finish the goals you already started before setting new ones!"

Well, I can just blame bipolar, right? ;)  Seriously, though, this isn't anything major--and it's just for a month. February. I deliberately picked the shortest month of the year for this!

In pinpointing my snacking habits and why I'm having such a hard time breaking the bad habits, I came up with a solution that I am 100% certain will work. The problem is that I have to be 100% compliant, haha.

When the kids were little, we used to sit down for dinner (almost) every evening at the dining room table and eat together as a family. As the kids got older, we started watching TV while eating, and then eating at separate times that are convenient for each of us, and then the worst--eating in our bedrooms.

Once in a while I notice my kids carry a huge pile of dishes out of their bedrooms to the kitchen and it infuriates me--if they're going to eat in there, at the VERY LEAST they need to put their dishes away immediately! But honestly, we shouldn't be eating in our bedrooms at all.

I've also gotten to the point where I feel like I need to multitask 100% of the time, which includes eating. Eating just for the sake of eating seems so--boring? unproductive?--to me. I can't imagine myself snacking at night if I literally just sat down at the table for a snack. No phone, no book, no TV, nothing. I wouldn't want to eat!

Soooo... you can see where this is leading. For the month of February, I'm going to challenge myself to eat ONLY at the table and with ZERO distractions. I can eat whenever and whatever I want, sticking with my usual vegan diet, but it must be eaten at the table and with no distractions.

This isn't anything profound, I know. It's discussed in all of the "intuitive eating" and "non-diet" type books. I'm not doing this for any reason other than to hopefully get a jumpstart on breaking the bad snacking habit. Will I continue to do this forever? Ha! I will be pleasantly surprised if I make it through three days.

My only exceptions will be for ice (because I'm obsessed with chewing ice and I literally cannot fathom giving it up) and for tea at night. (Oh, and water.) I'm hoping to replace my snacking with a good cup of hot tea. (Definitely not the same I know, but I can dream.)

The only other exception I can think of would be is if I'm eating with other people--if we get together with Dave and Renee, for example, we might snack while playing Euchre. But I can only foresee that situation occurring maybe once or twice.

I asked Eli if he'd like to try it, too, because he's notorious for eating in his bedroom. I picture this to be even harder for him than it is for me! I'd like to think of an award for him if he does it--he does best with an incentive. Remember I offered him $365 if he could go a year without pop? (He was super addicted to it.) He did it! So, maybe he'll surprise me. 

Mostly, though, I want an incentive for MYSELF. Yes, it's childish; I'm an adult and I should do what's right whether I get anything out of it or not. But this is going to be one of the hardest challenges I've ever tried. So, I'll have to think about it tomorrow and then decide what my incentive will be before I begin on February 1st. Maybe we should start a pool of how long I'll actually last on this one ;)

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A Goal For December

I've mentioned several times that I've been struggling hard with food lately--eating too much and too frequently. A couple of months ago, I was doing great! I had zero cravings for junk food and probably 95% of what I ate was unprocessed. I felt awesome, too.

Over the last several weeks, I'm not sure what happened, but I started craving junk food again. I noticed that once I eat something sweet, I crave sweets for about three days--and it's SO hard to get through those few days without feeding the craving. I know that if I can power through, the cravings will stop; it just feels so hard in the moment!

You all know I love goals and challenges--sometimes I get too ambitious and I quit (like 75 Hard), but sometimes I really enjoy them and I finish whatever it is that I set out to do (like a blogging streak--I haven't missed a day since December 2019).

I've been thinking this week about how badly I want to get back to feeling in control and not having any sugar cravings, and just feeling my best. I've been reading (very slowly, but surely) the book "How NOT to Die" by Dr. Michael Greger (Amazon affiliate link). It's all about how diet relates to our health and how "food is medicine" (it sounds really boring by my description, but it's actually very interesting!).

The book inspired me to want to try eating whole-food plant-based for a month. I'm currently still eating a vegan diet, but there are a LOT of junk foods that are vegan. I think challenging myself to eat whole foods for a month might be just what I need to get rid of the sweet cravings and feel good about my choices again.

Jerry made my favorite whole-food recipe last night--beans and greens! The first time he made this, I must have been having a rough day (or week or month) and it was SO good and comforting. And now it's a big-time comfort food for me. Thankfully, it's super healthy! Here is the recipe that he follows. (He uses collard greens instead of kale, and great northern beans--I like it better that way--and he adds an extra can of beans in there, too.) 

Of course, I'd love to eat whole foods all the time and not just for a month, but I think setting my sights on a short-term goal will help me to work on long-term goals afterward. (Does that make sense?) I can pretty easily control myself with "junk" foods that aren't sweet--like tortilla chips, for example--so after the challenge I may add stuff like that back in. I love lentil tortilla soup topped with some tortilla chips! It's the sweets that do me in.

I already know a ton of recipes that are made with whole foods, so it will just take some time to put together a menu for the month. I like the idea of a menu for the whole month so that I don't have to figure things out on the fly. I can make extra sauces and things to freeze for later in the month, too. I also like to prep ingredients here and there throughout the day so that I can cook dinner super fast, and it obviously helps to know what I'll be making.

As far as what is considered a "whole food"... I am just going to use my best judgment. There isn't a black and white list as to what is a whole food and what is not, so I may eat some foods that other people may not consider to be "whole" (nutritional yeast, for example). Something like maple syrup is controversial, too--it has a ton of sugar--but because it's one of the least processed sweeteners out there, I'll still use it to add to sauces (a lot of Asian sauces that I make call for some sort of sweetener) and things like that.

So anyway, I'm just going to use my best judgment and not be ridiculously strict. The whole point is to eat food that makes me feel good! I'm going to keep a simple journal, too--hopefully that will help me figure out the effect certain foods have on my body and cravings, etc. I'm looking forward to doing this challenge! Let's just hope that I stick with it ;)

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A New Challenge: Who's In?

With cross country coming to a close, I can already feel the extra time I'm going to have freed up. While I'll be sad to see the season ending, I'll most definitely enjoy feeling less pressure.

A few days ago, my sister mentioned that she was going to start another 75 Hard challenge starting November 1st. The last time she asked me to do it, I said no way. It was SO much work last time! If you're unfamiliar with it, there are some simple rules to follow for 75 days. When you read them, they actually sound pretty easy:

1) Do two (45-minute) workouts per day. One of these workouts must be outside--no exceptions. They can be any workouts you want.

2) Follow a diet of choice. There are no "cheat meals" or alcohol allowed.

3) Drink 1 gallon of water a day.

4) Read 10 pages of a non-fiction self-help, or inspiring, book. Audiobooks do not count.

5) Take a full-body progress photo every day.

When you look at each of those, they seem rather simple! The big kicker is that you cannot stray from the rules even one time or you have to start over from day one.

I'm not interested in losing weight, but this isn't designed to be a weight loss plan. It's a plan for mental toughness--you're learning self-discipline by sticking to the rules for 75 days straight.

When I did it before, I chose walking as my exercise. I walked 45 minutes in the morning and 45 minutes in the afternoon. It took me over an hour and a half a day, which was much longer than I was used to! But I listened to a bazillion audiobooks. (Those didn't count toward my reading).

My plans for this time around:

1) I'll run (likely on the treadmill or the rec center's indoor track through the winter) for 45 minutes inside. And for my second workout, I'll either walk Joey outside, ride my bike if the weather is nice, or maybe even bust out the old Wii EA Sports Active "game" (Amazon affiliate link) I used to do, which was basically a strength training workout). The exercises for 75 Hard are technically up to you, which you want to do; the whole point is to do *something* active for 45 minutes twice a day. The only caveat as that one has to be outside.

2) My diet is pretty much the same. I'll continue my vegan way of eating. I've been sober for 1 year, 8 months, and 7 days now, so alcohol won't be a problem. The only change I plan to make is that I'm going to eliminate sweets altogether. I don't eat many sweets now that I'm vegan (they're inconvenient, unless I want to bake something, so I'm just too lazy--haha). I will still include cocoa powder in my oatmeal because it's unsweetened, but I can do without the chocolate chips. I don't drink sweetened anything, even soy milk. So I actually feel like the diet part is going to be easy!

3) Drink one gallon of water a day. This should be fairly easy, despite how much I write that I have a hard time drinking water. I know that if it's a part of the 75 Hard challenge, I'll just make sure to chug my 1 Liter bottle four times a day. I usually do once in the morning (first thing after waking up), one at around lunch time, one in the afternoon, and one at around dinner time.

4) I've been wanting to read "How Not to Die" by Michael Gregor and Gene Stone. (All links to these books on Amazon are affiliate links, meaning I might get a small commission if you purchase through the link. I haven't read them, so I can't recommend them, haha!) It's super long (over 500 pages) so it'll take me a very long time to read it! But I've had it on my Kindle all year and I keep moving it down the list for my fun fictional novels.

Also, a reader named Ann wanted to send me a book called "Love Your Home Again: Organize Your Space and Uncover the Home of Your Dreams", by Ann Lightfoot and Kate Pawlowski. You all know I love to organize, but since my house doesn't have an attic or a basement or even a storage closet, I have a hard time organizing everything. Another interest is "12 Rules for Life: An Antidote for Chaos" by Jordan B. Peterson. And finally, "Atomic Habits" by James Clear. I've had this book for ages and I still haven't read it. I've started to a few times, but I just don't like self help books!

One book that I have read (and listened to!) several times is "Can't Hurt Me" by David Goggins. If you're looking for inspiration, or you think you can't do something, or you think something is too hard, you NEED to read and/or read his book. (FYI, there is a lot of swearing, but I think they may have a "clean" version if you're not into that). I can't recommend this book enough!

5) Take a full-body progress photo every day. I'm not trying to lose weight, so I don't think my body will change much, but I'll still do that. I'm thinking I might wear the same clothes every day for the picture--just black running tights and a tight black shirt--so that it shows my body. Or *maybe* I'll be brave enough for a sports bra and shorts. Probably not, though! This was Day 1 of 75 Hard the last time I did it (in 2020). I didn't make it through the whole thing, though.

And that's it! The hardest for me, by far, is going to be the double workouts. But I did it before, when I was very much overweight, so I know I can do it again. I walked in snow storms! When I injured my knee by kneeling on a screwdriver, I just switched to riding my bike. And Joey can certainly benefit from the extra walking, too. I've been wanting to get back to running, so this is a good way to force myself to at least get out there. I may not run the full 45 minutes, but I can walk some of it (either at the end or take walk breaks in the middle.

The biggest catch: If you miss even one single item on the list, you have to start over from day one!

Anyway, my sister is the one who said she was going to start 75 Hard on November 8th, and I only thought about it for a minute before I said I'd like to join her. I wanted to start earlier, though, so I'll start November 1st. The dates will run from November 1-January 14. Right through the holiday season! Holidays have never been a big deal for me as far as food goes, so I'm not worried about that.

I wanted to write about it now in case anyone else is interested in doing it with me. I had thought about creating a Facebook group to keep in check, but in the past when I've done those, it's hard to get people to participate. Also, I need to take on 

There is a great podcast that explains the whole challenge, which you can find links to below: 75HARD: A 75 Day Tactical Guide For Winning The War With Yourself, with Andy Frisella. (Again, the the language is pretty explicit.)

Here it is on iTunes
Here it is on Stitcher

I'm actually really excited about starting this! For once, I'm not doing a weight loss challenge; I'm doing this for mental toughness and something to keep me focused. My body can certainly benefit from the exercise as well ;)

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My Sister's 75 Hard Transformation

(If you're not familiar with 75 Hard, I would go back and read this post on my blog. I explained it all there.)

In August, when Jerry, the kids, and I went up north to my sister's cabin, it was shortly after I started doing 75 Hard. I stuck with my plan while I was there, even though it was--well--hard. I had to switch up my routine and going out for my second walk of the day every afternoon was tough (mentally). But I did it and I'm glad I was able to stick with it.

I told Jeanie about 75 Hard and she was interested in it but said the timing wasn't good for her right then. And in general, 75 Hard is not for everyone! It's a super tough plan for mental toughness. It's not a weight loss plan--the whole purpose is to become very self-disciplined--but people usually lose weight while following the "rules".

Jeanie ended up starting 75 Hard and she took it very seriously. She's an occupational therapist and she's been working very closely with COVID patients all year. Her job has been crazy-stressful but she still managed to go 75 full days while following all of the rules of 75 Hard right to the tee. I was amazed when I saw her Day 1 photo next to her Day 75 photo. She looks amazing! 

I asked her if I could share her pictures and for some details about what she did because I knew people would be just as awed as I was. So, here is what she had to say...

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When I first listened to the podcast with Andy Frisella about 75 Hard and decided to do it, I picked out the Weight Watchers PointsPlus plan as my diet. That had worked well for me in the past and I found that I could access all of the PointsPlus information from a free app called iTrackBites. I think in the app it’s called the "carb conscious" program. Weight Watchers has since developed other programs and I never found myself as successful on them.

For workouts, I was originally planning on running, swimming, and doing the circuit at Planet Fitness. Once I started the first couple of days, I really had to find a groove of how I was going to stay organized for 75 days. I wasn’t sure if I should do my run first and then walk my dogs (I did not count the dog walking as a work out) or if I should walk the dogs and then run, etc.

I settled into a routine of getting up at 4 AM and taking the dogs for a walk, dropping them back off at home, and then going for a run. This counted for my outdoor workout. After work, I went swimming or for a walk or did the circuit.

After about 10 days, I ran into a major issue with plantar fasciitis in my foot. It has been acting up off and on since the summer but it got really bad after I started running on it. It’s a long story but I ended up seeing two different podiatrists and switching shoes and I had to stop running. So I switched to brisk walking to limit the impact on my foot.

I learned to set out all my waters and number them one through eight in a container on my counter the night before. I kept my empty bottles and put them back in the container so I could ensure I drank all eight at the end of the day.

I also downloaded the 75 Hard app and would check that in the evening when I was logging my food in the iTrackBites app. I think the 75 Hard app is a must because there were a few times I forgot to take my progress photo and then when I checked the app at the end of the day, it still gave me time to get all the tasks completely done.

As far as the diet goes, I eat a sensible breakfast--usually oatmeal or egg whites and a protein shake--and I would eat a protein bar at lunch. Then I just eat a typical dinner.

The Apple Watch or other tracking device can sync right to the iTrackBites app and will tell you how many Activity Points you’ve earned for the day. I know you can eat your Activity Points but I only chose to use a small portion of the points for food and I often had about 100 points left over at the end of the week that I did not use for food.

I also know on Weight Watchers there are no food groups that are eliminated but I chose not to have any sweets like cookies, cakes, pies, etc. The closest thing to sweets that I spent Points on was some Nutella in my oatmeal in the morning--but I counted the Points. I determined in the beginning that as long as I stayed on the program and did not go over my Points value each week, then that was considered "on track". 

I’m a picky eater and don’t like vegetables, so I feel like the Weight Watchers Points Plus program was perfect for me

For my second workout, I would just swing by the gym after work and swim or come home and walk. I found going to Planet Fitness to do the circuit was a little bit tricky because the hours are modified due to COVID. So I didn’t do much of that--maybe only a few times.

As far as organization goes, I even organized how I packed my gym bag. I had my towel and my clean clothes for after swimming at the bottom of the bag. At the top of the bag was my swimsuit and a towel for when I got out of the pool and my flip-flops to walk to and from the pool.

I only weighed myself once a week. I feel like I followed the program to the tee the way that I understood it from the first podcast when he talked about 75 Hard. He has since put out a second podcast on it and he states that you’re not supposed to use a Kindle for your reading and it’s supposed to be an actual book. But I believe this contradicts what he first said. Either way, I completed at least 10 pages of a nonfiction book for all 75 days.

To be honest, I really love the whole structure of the program. I treated it like a job. When my alarm went off it was just non-negotiable to get up and start. I learned to love the morning routine of walking the dogs and then having 45 minutes to myself to listen to a podcast while I walked outside.

Being that it was so early in the morning, I was sure to wear a reflective light and I also chose to carry my own protection as far as pepper spray and a concealed carry gun.

The things I wish I would’ve done differently are 1) I wish I would’ve at least put my hair in a ponytail for my before picture but I had no idea I was going to be sharing that with anybody; and 2) I also wish I would’ve taken side and back photos in the beginning.

But the bottom line is that I love the program and I actually love the simplicity of the rules. Doing them for 75 days is another story but I found it motivating and never really dreaded doing a work out.

I am taking this week off between Christmas and New Year’s but I’m not going totally wild with diet or anything like that. I’m at our cabin up north, enjoying myself but don’t plan to drink alcohol at all this weekend and I’m still drinking my gallon of water and going on a nice walk.

My next focus is going to be getting to the gym and starting to do more strength training to tone up. I think it’s important as a middle-aged female to get in some weight bearing exercise to help prevent bone and muscle loss.

Basically, I plan to continue with a modified program. I plan on only taking my photo one time a week and to read just for enjoyment and not a particular amount or type of book per day. I want to continue with the two workouts but I don’t want one of them to have to be outside. And I still plan to follow Weight Watchers and drink a gallon of water each day. I’ll check back in in 75 days and see if we can tell a difference with strength training!

I lost weight consistently every single week for 10 weeks. In the end, I lost 24 pounds total.

My advice to others, which I read from people who had done the program, would be "don't overthink it". I think there are a lot of varied opinions on how strict the program is and what Frisella means by "following a diet" and all of that--it’s easy to get caught up. So I think that just sticking to the basics and your interpretation of some of the information he says will get you through.

I think it was great to have a mental focus and a physical checklist of stuff to do. There was some guilt sometimes because I was so exhausted by the time my day was ending that when my husband was working 12 hours and didn’t get home until 7:30 at night, I was already ready for bed. I tried to make sure I was getting 7-9 hours of sleep at night because I do not function well on less than that.

The challenge has definitely boosted my self-confidence and I find that my mentally conscious time is not spent wondering if people think I’m fat, or if I’m breathing heavy while talking to a patient after I just ran up the stairs etc. I feel like I do have more confidence and self-esteem. And it’s been fun to try on clothes I haven’t worn in a long time and find out they fit!

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Doesn't she look amazing?! I was stunned when I saw her photos. And her self-discipline... it motivates me for sure. Jeanie and I both love sweets, so when I learned that she didn't have any dessert for 75 days, I was very surprised--that's extremely difficult. I'm so proud of her for finishing!

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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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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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What I've Learned From Walking 90 Minutes A Day

EDIT 9/29: While I was trying to fall asleep last night, I realized that it was actually day 71 (not 70) of 75 Hard. My mind is just gone these days! ;)

I feel like this is a very odd thing to post about, but as I approach the end of 75 Hard (Friday is Day 75!), I've been thinking a lot about how all of this walking has changed me. (And I don't mean physically.) Here is my 10-week comparison. Not much change in the last few weeks--but I know it's because of the stress I've been under lately. I've been eating too much food in my eating "window" for intermittent fasting. I do love that my hair is growing back out!

When I started the challenge, I expected to begrudgingly do the two 45-minute workouts a day just to get them done and check them off a list. And here I am, 10 weeks later, with a completely different attitude.

For the last 10 weeks, I've walked twice a day for 45 minutes or more each time (there were a few occasions where I rode my bike instead of walked, but I think that was only 4-5 total out of 140 workouts). 

I haven't put any pressure on myself to walk at a certain pace or get my heart rate up or anything like that. My only mission was to walk for 45 minutes twice a day--fast or slow, easy or hard. The main reason for this was because I was worried that by going from zero exercise every day to 90+ minutes per day, I might get injured. So I wanted to keep it easy if needed.

I never, ever thought I'd be saying this 10 weeks later, but I really love my walks now! I thought I'd be counting down the days until I didn't "have" to do it anymore. Because I was going to be doing two workouts a day, I made sure to do the first one as soon as I woke up. And that habit has stuck--I am always out the door within 30 minutes or so of waking up (except for when the kids have to go to school twice a week; on those days, I walk as soon as they go to school).

I didn't start out loving the walks. I started out the same way I always have when it comes to exercise--dreading it and wishing I was doing something else. Soon, I was indifferent about it. I didn't dislike it, but I wasn't looking forward to walking, either. And then at some point, I really started to enjoy walking.

A big reason for this change is that I've discovered that I love audiobooks! I had tried to listen to them numerous times before when I was still running, but I could never pay attention to audiobooks while running. I was always playing little mind games with myself to make the run go by faster. When walking, I get totally absorbed in my audiobooks. When I get home, I'm always excited about continuing the book on my next walk.

Living on a peninsula doesn't give me a lot of options as far as routes go. If I walk the entire perimeter of the neighborhoods, it's only five miles. It took some getting used to--when I was running, I knew all the three-mile routes, four-miles, etc. With walking instead of running, and measuring time instead of distance, I had to learn routes that would be roughly 45 minutes. 

I have a few "go to" routes, but occasionally I like to just turn here and there as I go.

I've learned all the houses that have dogs, what breed of dogs they are, and whether they'll be inside or outside, leashed or fenced (Joey has learned it, too, and gets excited each time we pass a house where he expects a dog in the yard).

I've learned where the squirrels like to hang out and I always try to have a few nuts with me to toss to them. I've seen several squirrel picnic tables, which makes me smile. 

I've learned that people notice me as a "regular". A few people have commented to me about how they've seen me walking a lot.

I've learned to rotate shoes to strengthen my feet and ankles. I stopped getting ankle pain when I started varying my shoes daily.

I've collected a LOT of change. Each walk is like a treasure hunt! ;)

I've met people that I wouldn't have if I hadn't been walking. A woman named Katie with two boys lives just a seven-minute walk from me (haha--I know how long it will take me to walk just about anywhere). There is a woman named Denise who has a beautiful Australian shepherd named Tucker--she plays frisbee with him on one of my routes, and I've let Joey off leash to play with him. We've also met a dog named Roomba (love the name!). She was SO curious about Joey and wouldn't listen to her owner to come (she wasn't leashed). I ended up letting Joey off leash to play for a few minutes before Roomba's dad finally caught up to her. 

Joey LOVES our walks...

Speaking of dogs, I've learned that most barking dogs can be quieted easily when I just say, "Hey, bud, it's okay" in a sweet voice. They usually start wagging their tails like crazy.

When trying to figure out what to do about my front porch, I looked at every single porch on my routes for ideas. And now I've been looking for landscaping ideas for when we're ready to do that.

Most importantly, I've learned that there are reasons to exercise that don't involve weight loss or calories. I don't burn many calories walking, but it does so much more for me. When I am having a bad day--feeling overwhelmed, anxious, or depressed--I like to walk while wearing a visor low over my eyes, looking down at the ground in front of me, listening to my audiobook, and shutting out everything else. It doesn't take away the "bad day" but it definitely helps me to forget about life for a little bit while I zone out.

Will I keep walking every day once I'm done with 75 Hard? Yes! I don't think of the morning walks as part of a "challenge" anymore. They are just a part of my life. I do, however, plan to cut out the afternoon walk (unless I really feel like going once in a while). I'd prefer to do one long walk in the morning instead of two walks a day. 

There are a couple of reasons for this: 1) I'm usually in the middle of doing some sort of project and the walk interrupts what I'm doing; and 2) My back pain gets worse throughout the day and by late afternoon, I'm ready to sit with a heating pad (I've had T10 and T11 vertebrae pain since I was a kid, so it's not caused from the walking). 

While I haven't followed 75 Hard perfectly, as it's "supposed" to be done, the one thing that I did consistently without fail is the exercise. I'm proud of this! I thought this would be the hardest part of the challenge, but instead, I learned that I really love walking. If I had to walk at a certain pace or heart rate, I know that I wouldn't have gotten to this point. I would still see it as a chore. But by walking based on my mood (sometimes I want to stroll, sometimes I want to go really fast), I've loved it!

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Summary of How I Did With My Cookies Summer Run/Walk Challenge

This year marked the fourth annual Cookies Summer Run/Walk Challenge--a checklist of 56 items to work on completing throughout the summer. The challenge start on the summer solstice and ends on the fall equinox. 

Each year, I say I am going to do ALL of the checklist. I start out strong and then just forget about it a month in. I've always done the running challenge (it's the same either way; but I always chose to run instead of walk).

This year, I chose to walk, and I think that is what helped me the most. I didn't complete the entire checklist, but I'm super impressed with how many of the walks I *did* check off! Here is my list:

Aqua Jog  - Walk/jog in a pool or lake (or any body of water you choose)

✔ Beach Walk  - Find some place that you can walk along a body of water

✔ Bridge Walk - Walk over a bridge of some sort

✔ Early Bird Walk - Start your walk before 6:00 AM

✔ Even Split Walk - Walk 3+ miles with mile splits of less than 5 seconds difference (I couldn't do this again if I tried! Look at how close these splits are)

✔ Evening Walk - Start your walk between 5 PM and 7 PM

✔ Explorer Walk - Walk in a city you’ve never walked in before

✔ Fartlek Walk - Vary the speed of your walk by “walking very fast to the mailbox”, “strolling to the tree”, “walking hard until you see a red car”, etc. Make it up as you go along—it should be spontaneous and fun.

Forrest Gump Walk - Walk without a predetermined distance—just walk until you feel like stopping. Arrange ahead of time for a family member or friend to pick you up when you’re done.

✔ Generous Walk - Leave a few quarters in random places on your walk for others to find (it’s always fun to find a quarter!)

Heads or Tails Walk - Flip a coin every 2 minutes during the walk. If it’s heads, walk fast; if it’s tails, walk slow.

Hilly Walk - Find a hill, and walk quickly up then walk down 6-10 times

Multi-City Walk - Map out and walk a route that takes place in two cities

Night Owl Walk - Finish your walk after 10:00 PM

✔ Opposite Walk - Walk your favorite circular route in the opposite direction

✔ Park Walk - Go for a walk in a park

✔ Penny Pincher Walk - Find a penny (or other coin) on the ground while you’re walking (I find at least a penny on almost every walk I do!)

✔ Photogenic Walk - Stop and take 4 scenic photos during your walk

✔ Podcast Walk - Download a new podcast and listen to it while you walk

✔ Progression Walk - Walk 3+ miles with each mile faster than the previous

✔ Race - Enter a race (any distance) and walk it (official virtual races count)

✔ Rainy Walk - Go for a walk in the rain

✔ Rover Walk - Go for a walk with a dog (if you don’t have one, call a local animal shelter and ask if you can take one for a walk)

✔ Walk in the Dark - Go for walk when it’s dark outside (wear reflective gear and a headlamp for safety)

✔ Fast Walk/Stroll - Do 50/50 intervals of walking very fast and strolling

✔ Lunch Walk - Start your walk between 12 PM & 2 PM

✔ Runventure - Map a route that you’ve never done before, and walk it

Scavenger Hunt Walk - Create a list of 8 items you must search for on your walk; then take a photo of each to document your findings.

✔ Scenic Walk - Choose a pretty place to walk, and walk slowly enough to really pay attention to all the views

✔ Selfie Walk - Take a mid-walk selfie (carefully, so you don’t trip!)

✔ Silent Walk - Walk without headphones or a speaker of any kind

✔ Stone Age Walk - Walk without any sort of technology (not even a watch!)

✔ Sunrise Walk - Start your walk before sunrise, and end it after

✔ Sunset Walk - Start your walk before sunset, and end it after

✔ Tempo Walk - Walk slightly faster than your easy pace—it should feel uncomfortable, but not miserable

Track Walk - Walk on a local track (indoor or outdoor)

✔ Trail Walk - Walk on an unpaved nature trail

✔ Treadmill Walk - It doesn’t have to be boring! Hop on the treadmill and vary the speed and incline for an interesting indoor walk.

✔ Zoo Walk - See if you can spot five different types of animal species on your walk

✔ **Solstice Walk - Start your walk in spring, and end it in summer (June 20, at 5:43 PM ET, marks the beginning of summer)

✔ **Creative Ice Cream Flavors Walk - Walk for ice cream on Creative Ice Cream Day (Wednesday, July 1). Share a picture of your most creative ice cream concoction!

✔ **Independence Walk - Walk 4 miles on the 4th of July, wearing red, white, and blue.

✔ **Buck Full Moon Walk - Walk on the night of the Buck full moon, which takes place on July 5 at 12:44 AM (ET). If the moon is visible, it counts! (Despite the time)

✔ **Chocolate Walk - Go for a walk on World Chocolate Day (Tuesday, July 7) and enjoy something chocolatey later to celebrate

**Embrace Your Geekness Walk - Wear your nerdiest outfit for your walk on Embrace Your Geekness Day (July 13)

**Emoji Walk - Describe your entire walk with nothing but emojis for World Emoji Day (July 17)

**Friendship Walk - Go for a walk “with a friend” on International Day of Friendship. If we are still practicing social distancing, give a running friend a phone call after you each walk and discuss how it went. (July 30)

**Watermelon Walk - Eat some juicy watermelon to refresh after your walk on National Watermelon Day, Aug. 3

✔ **RUN FOR COOKIES! - Celebrate with a yummy chocolate chip cookie on National Chocolate Chip Cookie Day, Aug. 4

✔ **Beer Walk - Go for a walk on International Beer Day (Friday, Aug. 7) and finish with a cold beer; Or for an alcohol-free option, walk for a root beer!

✔ **Corn Full Moon Walk - Walk on the night of the Corn Moon on Sept. 2 at 1:22 AM. (If the moon is visible, it counts—despite the time!)

✔ **Book Walk - Listen to an audiobook on National Book Day during your walk on Sept. 6 

**Labor Day Walk - Put some serious “work” into this walk to celebrate Labor Day on Sept. 7

✔ **Rock Walk - Look for a pretty or unique rock during your walk on Collect Rocks Day (Sept 16)

**Appreciate a Friend Walk - After your walk, write a “real” letter (on paper!) and mail it to a friend for National Women’s Friendship Day on Sept. 20

**Fall Equinox Walk - End your summer by running into fall at 9:30 AM (ET) on Sept. 22.

So, as of today, I've checked off 41 out of 55! The final walk (#56) will be on Tuesday. That walk will count as the final walk for the summer challenge AND the first walk of the fall challenge!

Even though I didn't do all of the walks on the summer list, I'm pretty impressed with myself for what I did do. 

And I'm very excited to get started on the (three!) fall challenges! You can check out the details on this post--for the mileage challenge, you must sign up before tomorrow at 11:59 PM ET. I hope you'll join in!

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