Back in the beginning of summer I started my second annual 100 miles in 100 days challenge.Ā Today marks day 77 and so far I have logged in 90.5 miles. š
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. š
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. š
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. š
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