100 Days of Summer Challenge–Quarterly Check-in

Posted by hellyontherun in Healthy Eating, Running and tagged with Dumb and Dumber, Healthy Eating, Hydration, Marathon Training, No Soda, Running, Summer Challenge June 25, 2014

Let’s all stand up and give a round of applause to MEEEEEE for having gone 25 days with NO soda!!!

I can’t believe I’ve gone that long. And let me tell you, it has not been easy.

The closest time that I thought I was going to slip up was the night of my 27k night race. I was so exhausted when I finished that all I wanted was a Big Gulp. I remember around mile 15 telling myself that I would allow a cheat day if I could just make it to the end. An ice, cold fountain drink was the only thing motivating me at the time.

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fave movie ever!!

When I did finish, I called my husband to tell him about this deal I had made myself and he was able to talk me out of it. At that point, I was two weeks in and he reminded me that the hard part was almost over. The withdrawal stage was no joke. Headaches, moodiness, yes. all of that I experienced. I knew it would happened and tried my best to not annoy my husband and practice extra patience with my kids. Luckily , I had coffee. All the coffee. Anyway, the first two weeks were the toughest and I was coming out of that stage; I could do this. Plus, he knew that I would feel super guilty the next day and told me so. I’m so happy his persuasive skills worked.

So here I am, 25 days in, a quarter of the way done with the challenge. For some reason, looking at it that way, in fourths, helps me deal with it better. I know it sounds like I’m being super dramatic about this, but seriously, I drank a TON of soda. So much so that when I meet up with friends, their jaws drop when I refuse the Coke they offer. (This happened on a play date recently. My girlfriend had bought Coke just for me because she knew I was visiting.)

My fridge pre-challenge

I’m very much looking forward to reaching the half way milestone. I think once I make it there, the end won’t seem that far away. Many people have told me that by the time I’m done, I’ll probably not want to drink soda anymore. I can say at 25 days in that that’s very unlikely. I honestly don’t think I’ll ever stop. I’ll maybe drink less, but I can’t see myself not drinking it ever again. I don’t know, I could surprise myself though.

I’ve liked how less bloated I feel but I haven’t noticed any decrease in weight or anything. My purpose with this challenge wasn’t to lose weight anyway but more to see how it would affect my training. If it would make a difference. It’s so hot here in Phoenix that hydration is so important. Would eliminating soda and drinking more water help my running? That’s what I’m most curious about.

We shall see. 75 more days!! 😀

–How have you challenged yourself recently?

–What do you think you’d struggle with doing/not doing for 100 days?

It’s June!! 100 Days of Summer Starts Now

Posted by hellyontherun in Fitness, Healthy Eating and tagged with 100 Days of Summer, Challenge, Healthy Eating, Motivation, No Soda June 1, 2014

Those of you who decided to join me–and there is still time for you to still join if you haven’t–today is the day, 100 Days of Summer Challenge. Now ’til September 8th I will be going with NO SODA. As in zero, zilch, nada.

I made sure to clear out my fridge and pantry of any leftover 12 packs of coke by binging this past week lol! Luckily, my husband doesn’t care for soda so he doesn’t mind going without it at all.

I’ve been thinking. There are quite a few foods that I eat because it tastes good with a cold coke. Pizza, In-n-0ut, popcorn, basically anything salty. I have a good feeling that because I’ll be leaving the soda out, I probably won’t want to eat too much of what I ate before. This could really work in my workout and training favor.

The response for the 100 Days Challenge has be really cool. I’ve loved some of the ideas people have been sharing on Instagram and on the blog (and in my moms’ group).

–no phone at dinner
–writing down something positive about yourself
–taking off make-up
–saying something nice to your significant other
–substituting something unhealthy for something healthy
–adding 5 minutes to a workout/run

To name a few. I’ve mentioned other ideas in previous posts.
I’m excited to see how everyone does and how long we can go. Maybe we can make some of things a permanent fixture in our lives 🙂

Hope you’re having a good weekend and that you decide to join in the summer fun!

–Are there things you eat because it goes good with something else?

The challenge starts June 1st and ends September 8th.

100 Days of Summer and {….}

Posted by hellyontherun in Fitness, Healthy Eating, Running and tagged with 100 Days of Summer, Change, Commitment, Healthy Lifestyle, No Soda May 28, 2014

ETA: The challenge starts June 1st and ends September 8th.

Marathon training #2 starts mid June and in celebration I’ve decided to kick-start it with a fun 100 Days of Summer & No Soda! If you’ve been with me a for a while, you know that me and soda are pretty close buddies. I am interested though, in seeing how/if my body changes through training and no soda. This curiosity is strong enough to commit to 100 days of eliminating it from my daily life.

I’m scared.

I have a good feeling I’ll go through some tough days, so, I would LOVE it if you joined me this summer. What do you want to commit 100 days to? It doesn’t have to be deprivation like me and my no soda, but it could be something like 100 Days of More Water or 100 Days of More Me (where you devote something however small to you). I know that Runner’s World is hosting a Summer Running Streak that started Memorial Day to 4th of July,–why not extend it to 100 days 🙂

I brought my 100 Days plan to my Healthy Moms group online and they had some great ideas for themselves–

100 Days of:

*Healthier Options–replacing one thing everyday with a healthier option
*No TV
*New Healthier Foods (trying new tastes and recipes)
*Positive Thinking

I’ll leave you with a couple of days to think about it. I hope you decide to keep me company! ❤ ETA: This will start June 1st and end Sept. 8th.

–What ideas would you throw in to the 100 Days plan?

–Do you think I’ll last 100 Days without a Coke?