Hard to believe that we are already one month into 2021 and let me tell you so far it just seems to be a continuation of 2020.  That’s a topic for another day though.  This is all about my continued journey towards being a healthier and fitter version of myself.  At the beginning of the year I decided to do one challenge every month for the entire year.  In January I decided to give up fried foods, chips, cookies, and candy.  This was actually a lot easier than I thought it was going to be.  It also started to help me make healthier choices when I order lunch or dinner when me and my girl friends get together for one of our wine day/nights.

So here we are into February.  What does this month hold for me you might ask?  Well I am going to do a “modified” and by modified I mean a shortened version of the 75 hard challenge with my family.  What is the 75 hard challenge you are wondering.  The general breakdown for the challenge is this- For 75 straight days you are to 1) Drink absolutely no alcohol (yes you heard me correctly), 2) Drink 1 gallon of water a day, 3) Do 2 (not one) 30-45 minute workouts every day and one of these workouts has to be outside regardless of the weather, 4) Follow a diet, 5) Read ten pages a day of a self help book/non fiction book, 6) Take one selfie every day to chart your progress.  If at any time you skip a day of the challenge you are supposed to start back at day one.  I know, I know you are sitting there wondering who in their right mind would commit to something like this.  Well the point of the challenge is to not only to help you learn healthier habits but is also supposed to help improve your “mental toughness”.  You are making a commitment to yourself to complete every challenge, everyday so you don’t have to start from the beginning.

Why did I choose February? Its the shortest month of the entire year.  I know myself well enough to know that there is no WAY on gods green earth that I am going to be able to go 75 days without a mimosa, glass of wine, or margarita with my girl friends especially once summer comes.  Back in September I didn’t drink any alcohol for 21 days so I figure whats another week right.

The rest of the challenge doesn’t see to tough for me to be able to achieve.  I have already been making strides in improving the way I eat and what I eat.  I have been adding more fruits and vegetables to my daily diet.  So my diet for this challenge is to only eat meat once a day.  The weekends are going to be toughest because I like to make myself eggs and bacon when I don’t have to work.  I will have to find other alternatives for my weekend breakfasts.  Also I try to make sure I workout for at least 30 minutes a day.  Typically when its not negative degrees and blowing snow in W.N.Y. I like to take walks on my lunch break.  This gives me fresh air and allows me to clear my head before I head back for the rest of my day.  Every night before I go to bed I try to read for at least an hour if I can.  Granted most of the times its not a self-help book but I can make adjustments.

So now here is the part of the post that I thought I would never Ever EVER post online for the world to see.  In order for me to be able to keep track of my progress I am going to show you all my starting measurements.  Now don’t laugh and no judgement.  Starting weight for the challenge is 200 pounds ( I am 5 ft 8 in/5 ft 9 in), my chest measurement was 38 inches, waist was 35 inches, hips, was 45 inches, thighs (both my right and left) was 21 1/2 inches, calves (both right and left) was 15 inches and my arms (both right and left) was 12 inches.

Throughout the month I am going to try to blog about my progress in my daily blog section.  Knowing myself it will probably be every other day maybe every few days but I will really make a conscious effort.  At the end of the challenge I will post my final measurements and my opinion about my “modified” challenge.  How did I feel once it was all done?  What were the biggest challenges I faced doing the challenge?  I am glad I am doing this with my family because we can hold each other accountable.  I think for a challenge like this it is a good thing to have that support and not have to try to go it alone.  Can I complete the whole challenge without skipping a day?  You will have to stay tuned to find out.

Update: So I completed the modified 75 day hard challenge and for the most part it went really well.  Certain aspects of the challenge that I thought was going to be really tough for me (no drinking wine for 28 days) was actually surprisingly easy.  I also thought to myself 1 gallon of water a day how am I going to do that especially on the weekends because I am not very good at getting enough water when I do not have to work but I bought some gallons of water and that is what I used to hold myself accountable on the weekends.  I did not get my walks in every day because there were days where it was just too cold but I managed to get walks in at least 20 days.  So now here are the results of the challenge.  During the last 28 days I lost 2 lbs I am now at 198, lost 2 inches on my waist, 1 1/2 inches in my hips, my thighs went up about 1/2 an inch and I lost 1 inch in my calves.  Overall I think the challenge went well and I am glad that I did it for 28 days.  Even just doing it for the shorter month I was able to prove to myself that I am capable of doing anything that I sent my mind too.  Wait till you all hear about my challenge for March.  Till next time.