Progress Report: 100 Miles in 100 Days & Health Goals

By bobbi
August 16, 2017
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Back in the beginning of summer I started my second annual 100 miles in 100 days challenge. Today marks day 77 and so far I have logged in 90.5 miles. 🙂

I was excited to see a number of other friends join me in the walking challenge!

I was lucky to do many walks along the ocean but once Bella went back to high school and I was home with just the boys (they don’t return to school for another 2 weeks) I could no longer walk alone at the beach.

Instead, I’ve improvised and walked up and down our long driveway while the boys ran laps around me. 😉

By the end of June I was walking steadily, logging in many 2 mile days. However, all that walking was also causing some pain my my right heel. I had to give it a rest for a few days and buy some new shoes. It is feeling better now, although it hurts again when I walk barefoot (I’m always barefoot in the house.) I’m getting used to walking in shoes at home, which has been weird but doable.

The walking has also motivated me to be more diligent about the food I eat. I’ve traded items like regular rice for cauliflower rice. Or will use low fat cheese instead of full fat cheese. Or I’ll only eat a small piece of enchilada but have a big salad.

I still had a few I-fell-off-the-wagon days but for the most part I have been doing well. Plus, when I do indulge it eventually leaves me feeling a bit sick and sluggish. I can’t eat junk food like I used to, which is actually a good thing. 😉

My blood pressure has been good with lots of deep breathing going on when I feel myself stressing out!

I’m not sure if I mentioned earlier, but before during those six years when we had trouble conceiving and lost two babies in miscarriage, I was diagnosed with insulin resistance. I changed my diet and randomly monitored my blood sugar to make sure they stayed within a normal range. For the last month or so, my blood sugar during the day has been fine but my waking blood sugar has been higher than normal despite all the walking and better eating. The doctor started me on specific supplements to help with my levels and we’ll see if it helps.

In the meantime, I am also still working on losing weight. I hit a plateau so I changed up my eating again and I’m finally seeing the numbers slowly decrease. I’m actually only 3 pounds away from a weight I haven’t seen since my 20’s. I still have a loooong way to go but it feels good to see some progress.

So in a nutshell, I am plugging away – walking, eating better, and trying not to reach for chocolate when I am stressed. That’s been a hard lately, especially with Brian’s health situation but I’m working on it.

What about you? Any health goals you are working on? Goals reached? Areas you struggle with? Do share. 🙂

PS – You can follow RoL on Bloglovin, Feedly or another news feed. If you are a social media fan like me, we can stay in touch through Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, GoodReads, Letterboxd, or Spotify, 😉

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2nd Annual Summer Walking Challenge 2017: 100 Miles in 100 Days

By bobbi
May 31, 2017
2 Comments

It’s time for our second annual Summer Walking Challenge 2017!

Last year I completed my Summer Walking Challenge and it went so well I wanted to make it an annual thing. I have made it a habit to take my morning walk after I drop the kids off at school but once summer starts and the kids are home I can’t just put on my earphones and take off. It takes more planning and I am more prone to just skip my walk altogether.

As an incentive to keep moving each day, I made the 100 miles in 100 days challenge. This will motivate me to at least walk a mile a day, or if I do skip a day, walk 2 miles the next day. If I can’t do my usual beach walk then I’ll have to improvise and walk up and down our long deck, the driveway or around the park while the kids play.

Only committing to one mile a day may not seem like much to the fit and moving chicas out there but for me, it’s an accomplishment. 😉

I made a progress chart in my bullet journal to keep track of my miles. Plus my Fitbit Blaze has been a huge help in motivating me to walk more!

Okay, let’s pause for a commercial break…

Speaking of Fitbit, someone asked me where I got my pink Fitbit band. I bought a regular Fitbit Blaze but didn’t like the black, manly band and couldn’t afford a fancy replacement band. However, I found this pink/rose gold band (there are lots of colors available) with a regular watch closure (not the circular push clasp) for only $32. I’ve had it since January and so far it is working great.

Second, I’ve gotten messages on my instastories asking about my Blessed Is She water bottle and rosary. You can find them in the Blessed Is She shop!

Okay, back to the challenge. It starts June 1 and runs until September 7th. And if you don’t start on June 1st, no worries! Jump in whenever you can! Every little bit counts!

Want to join me? Snap a photo of your walk and post it on Instagram with the hashtag #rol100milesin100days. You can follow me at @bobbi_rol. 🙂

PPS – Disclaimer: “Revolution of Love.com is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.”

In other words, if you click on my affiliated links and make a purchase, I get a small compensation that goes towards keeping the blog online. Big hugs to those who click and help support the blog! xoxo 🙂

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31 Days of Gratitude 2015 (Day 24): Runners in the Making

By bobbi
October 24, 2015
2 Comments

The 31 Day of Writing Challenge continues. It’s Day 24 of my 31 Days of Gratitude 2015.

* * *

Today was supposed to be my recap of this week’s #LoveYourLettering challenge but the week has been so busy that I haven’t been able to participate in the lessons. I will try to catch up so that I’ll be back on track by next weekend.

This morning I spent the day with Bella, her classmates and their parents working on a school/ community project. We were stringing Big Sur marathon medallions to leather cords in preparation for the marathon next month. My sisters B & J have often talked about running one of the races and I’d love to cheer them on!

Andrew, Matthew and John-Paul ready to start their warm-ups before running.

However, I have my own little budding runners in the house. I signed up the three boys for the local Just Run program. The boys run at least 1/2 a mile each day and a full mile on meet days and the weekends. I thought it would be a great way for them to get some exercise and have fun with their friends.

I am grateful to see them growing as they challenge themselves and accomplish their running goals. Even Matthew is managing to keep up with his big brothers. However, the one who has surprised me the most is John-Paul. I thought I would get the biggest complaints from him since he’s rather spend his days on the computer or reading a book.

John-Paul at the beach.

He is also the one that hates going to the beach for reasons such as… the sun, the water, the sand, the bugs. Sigh. But this running program has tapped into a whole other side of JP. He loves to run and he’s good at it. His long, lean body (he will soon pass his older brother in height) was made to run and his competitive side wants to be the best and he pushes himself to go faster and farther. I’m a little amazed.

I’m grateful for this opportunity to see John-Paul blossom, to see Andrew look after his younger brothers and push himself to run when his school friends feel like walking and talking. I am grateful to see little Matthew bursting with energy and enthusiasm for his running class. It’s good for me too since I walk the track with them and I get some exercise while I wait. (I’d run but little things like heart attacks scare me.) 😉 By next spring, we’ll hopefully be participating in the Big Sur Marathon Kids 3K race!

And if you are wondering about Bella, she is not a part of the running program but she made her own walking program that she has been following since the beginning of summer. She was never heavy but had some baby fat and in five months she has lost 10 pounds. She looks so fit now! My kids are inspiring me!! For that, I am truly grateful.

Weigh-in-Wednesday & Five Favorite Exercise Tips

By bobbi
March 11, 2015
4 Comments

I haven’t had much time for posting lately but I’m ready to get back into it with a Weigh in Wednesday AND I’m linking up with Jenna for Five Favorites.

I mentioned in my last WIW post that I hit a wall after the holidays and was having a hard time getting back into the routine of eating better and exercising. I got a great comment and question from Laurel and I thought I’d answer it here.

It is so great when we can make continued habits a routine. I really want to get back on track with exercising myself. I know if I just put in 15 minutes a day — and actually DO IT — it will get me going in the right direction to where I am wanting to do it regularly. I find it is very hard when once you’ve been in shape, to fall out of it, and then have a LONG way to go to get back. It’s really discouraging me and making me stay away. I’ll have to find something good for motivation. Any tips?

I really thought about this and I have found that these five tips have helped me stay on track so far.

~ 1 ~

Find Something You Love

Let’s face it, you are never going to exercise if you are doing something you hate. So find something you love… or at least can tolerate into you get more into it. It can be running, biking, swimming, dancing, yoga, working out a the gym, etc. Me? I love to walk. There are so many beautiful spots to walk here on the Monterey Peninsula, it is an easy choice. Now that my youngest is in pre school part time, I have a few mornings to myself when I can walk alone. But when the kids were younger I would just bundle them up and stick them in the stroller and take them with me. It is not as easy as going yourself but at least you get out in the fresh air and are moving!

~ 2 ~

Set Mini Goals

I have found that I work best when I have little goals to achieve. Something more than a grand and all encompassing – “Get healthy.” Since I have a large amount of weight to lose, getting rid of five pounds seems like a drop in the bucket. So instead of looking at the whole number, I break it down into smaller chunks. My first goal date was my brother’s wedding in January. (I was 3 pounds short of that goal but I was still really happy.) At the end of February I realized that there were ten weeks until I attend the CWBN (Catholic Women’s Bogging Network) Conference in SoCal. So I thought ten pounds in ten weeks would be a great mini goal. I am 2 1/2 weeks into my mini-goal and so far so good. 🙂

If you don’t have to lose weight then you can make a mini goal something else – to exercise x amount of minutes a day for a whole week. Or run/walk a mile in x minutes. Or to get in eight glasses of water a day for a week/ month. Whatever it is you need to work on. Then once you’ve hit your goal – give yourself a little reward. Buy that cute purse you’ve been wanting or download that book you’ve been wanting to read or grab a frozen yogurt with your hubby. Something that is a treat for you.

~ 3 ~

Find A Buddy

If you are a social person, find a friend who will walk with you or go to the gym with you. Locally, there are walking/exercise groups for moms with babies. Another mom just told me about a Saturday morning group where women hit the local trails running or walking. See what is available in your area or call up a friend or neighbor who can join you.

Personally, I like walking alone in the morning. I love putting on my headphones and listening to music or a podcast and not having to worry about carrying a conversation while I am trying not to have a heart attack keeping up with my faster friend. So my “buddy” comes in the form of my Fitbit. I already talked about it here, but I still LOVE my Fitbit. I have fun keeping track of how many steps I put in each day. I also like that I have Fitbit friends on my phone app who challenge me. (I love your constant “cheers,” Maria!) 🙂 Seeing them hit their daily walking goals encourages me to get in a few more steps before the day is done.

Your buddy may also be someone who doesn’t join you but helps you get out of the house! Maybe a friend, neighbor, babysitter, or a grandma from church can watch your kids for 30 minutes or an hour. Or talk to your hubby and see if you can arrange 1/2 an hour away in the morning or the evening. Explain how much you need this time to unwind and take care of yourself. Most hubbies will try to accommodate, especially when they see how much happier you are when you have some alone time.

It was raining this morn so I couldn’t walk. However, it cleared up in the afternoon so I was able to slip out of the house for a sunset walk.

~ 4 ~

Bribe Yourself

Let’s face it, sometimes I just don’t feel like exercising especially when there are so many other things that have to be done or when my schedule is just jam packed. If I am honest with myself, I can always at least carve out 15 minutes for a quick walk. It is not hard to be motivated when I get to take my beach walk but when I am at home and it is late and dark outside and I just want to cuddle on the couch, the last thing I want to do it walk. Those are the times I force myself to go walk up and down our long deck. (I worked out the math. 60 laps up and down is a mile.) Then when I am done I can treat myself to a small piece of dark chocolate and a favorite TV show.

I also bribe myself with favorite playlists. I use Spotify and I made myself playlists of favorite songs that I only listen to when I walk. It gives me something to look forward to. (Note: If you check out my playlists on Spotify some playlists are “Christian” and some are songs you’d hear on a normal alt rock station. Choose accordingly.)

I also have recently gotten into podcasts. I’ll save my favorite ones and I’m only allowed to hear them when I walk. It gives me something to look forward to, especially when a favorite guest is featured. (Next week I’ll share my five favorite podcasts with you.) 🙂 In the meantime, if you have a favorite you think I should check out, let me know.

UPDATE: New post – 5 Favorites: Podcasts

~ 5 ~

Realize the Benefits

Sometimes, just knowing the benefits of exercise (and the ramifications of not exercising) can motivate you to keep going. I am the perfect example of that. The last couple of months I have been worried about my blood pressure because it was getting on the high side. I also have to be careful about my blood sugar and my cholesterol because they were getting close to the above normal range. I’ve been monitoring my blood pressure regularly and noticed that it is much better on the days when I walk. Today I had to go for my follow up physical and when they checked my blood pressure and reviewed over my BP log, the doc said it looked great. He told me the only prescription he is giving me is to keep waking everyday. That’s the only meds I need. (Well, besides all the vitamins and supplements I am on!) So although I am not shedding off pounds “Biggest Loser” style, I am going slow steady and that is more than I have done in years…and years. Plus, hopefully this way, the change in lifestyle sticks.

So those are the tips that help me. What about you? What keeps you motivated? Share them with us!

PS – You can follow RoL on Bloglovin, Feedly or another news feed. If you are a social media fan like me, we can stay in touch through Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, GoodReads or Instagram. 😉

PPS – This post may contain affiliate links.

Revolution of Love

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Tag Archives: health

Progress Report: 100 Miles in 100 Days & Health Goals

2nd Annual Summer Walking Challenge 2017: 100 Miles in 100 Days

31 Days of Gratitude 2015 (Day 24): Runners in the Making

Weigh-in-Wednesday & Five Favorite Exercise Tips