70/70.

I went back and forth about 100 times trying to decide whether I wanted to share all of this.

In the end, I decided I should.

Because I’m freaking proud of myself.

I’m proud of Jon.

And if putting this out there motivates even one person to make a change and start living a healthier life, then being a little uncomfortable sharing it is worth it.

Putting yourself out there isn’t always easy, so…

Be kind. 😌

It Started With a Challenge

70 days ago, I asked Jon to do a challenge with me.

I like challenges.

Maybe it’s because I like having a goal. Maybe it’s because I really like checklists and the satisfaction of checking that little box every day.

Whatever the reason, I thought 70 days sounded like a good idea.

Most of the things in the challenge weren’t completely outside of what I was already trying to do. I just added some structure and a little extra “fun.” 😉

The rules were pretty simple.

Every day we had to:

💧 Drink one gallon of water
This was probably one of the hardest parts for me.

🏃🏻‍♀️ Work out for at least 45 minutes
An active rest day counted. The goal wasn’t to destroy ourselves every day. The goal was simply to move every single day.

🍎 Follow a diet and log our food
We both chose a calorie deficit. I’ll also admit I slacked on logging during the last couple of weeks.

📖 Read at least 10 pages
It had to be something self-help, motivational, or inspirational.

I actually really enjoyed this part.

Jon?

Not so much. 😂

🏋🏻‍♀️ Complete 50 sit-ups every day

And then we started checking boxes.

One day at a time.

I Had Two Big Goals

When I started, there were two things I really wanted to accomplish.

The first was to motivate Jon to make some healthier changes.

The second was personal.

I wanted to lose 14 pounds.

That number wasn’t random. Losing those 14 pounds would move me out of the obese BMI category and into the overweight category.

Seventy days later…

Both goals happened.

And I’m incredibly proud of that.

But the scale is only a tiny piece of what happened over these 70 days.

70 Days by the Numbers

Here’s what I accomplished:

⚖️ 14 pounds lost

📏 3.5 inches lost from my waist

🏋🏻‍♀️ 3,500 sit-ups completed

🏃🏻‍♀️ 283.21 intentional miles walked, run, and hiked

And I honestly couldn’t tell you how many additional workouts I completed outside of those miles.

Strength training, lifting, treadmill workouts, and plenty of other ways I found to make myself question my life choices for 45 minutes. 😂

But those numbers still don’t tell the whole story.

The Part I Didn’t Expect

I started this thinking the challenge was going to be mostly physical.

It wasn’t.

The hardest part was mental.

There were days when I couldn’t wait to work out.

There were also days when I absolutely did not want to do it.

There were busy workdays, football games, family responsibilities, bad runs, sore muscles, dead headphones, rainstorms, changing plans and days when everything seemed determined to get in the way.

I even missed a workout on Day 68.

For a moment, I could have looked at that missed day and decided I had failed.

Instead, I added another day.

My 70-day challenge took me 71 days.

I’m perfectly okay with that.

Because one bad day didn’t erase everything I’d already accomplished.

I just got back up and kept going.

That might be one of the biggest things I’m taking away from this entire experience.

Progress doesn’t require perfection.

It requires you to keep coming back.

And I’m Proud of Jon Too

I’m going to let Jon decide whether he wants to share his own numbers and results.

That’s his story to tell.

But I will say this:

He crushed it.

One of my biggest goals when we started was to motivate him to make some healthier changes, and watching him stick with this challenge alongside me has made me incredibly proud.

We did this together.

So… What’s Next?

First?

Two weeks off. 😂

Not two weeks of doing absolutely nothing, but two weeks without a challenge hanging over my head every single day.

I’m going to reset.

Then October starts.

And apparently I haven’t learned my lesson because…

I’m doing another challenge.

It’ll be similar, but I’m changing some things and giving myself some new things to work toward.

If anyone wants to join me for October, I’ll have a flyer with the rules and daily checkboxes.

Or create your own challenge.

Make rules that fit your goals and your life.

You don’t need to run 283 miles.

You don’t need to do what I did.

You don’t even need to start with 70 days.

Just start with something.

70/70 ❤️

I’m proud of the 14 pounds.

I’m proud of the 3.5 inches.

I’m proud of the 283.21 miles and every single one of those 3,500 sit-ups.

But I’m probably most proud that I kept showing up.

Even when I didn’t want to.

Even when life got in the way.

Even after I missed a day.

I finished what I started.

And now I know I can do hard things.

70 days complete. 💪🩷

Now give me my two weeks because I’m tired. 😂

Real miles. Real mom. No filter.

– Shannon