75 Hard

75 Hard Update: One Month to Victory

July 6, 2020July 5, 2020 RachelLeave a comment

I’m officially one month away from completing the 75 Hard challenge, and I’ve been so bad about updating ya’ll! 😬 Between moving back home from my college apartment and then moving AGAIN because my parents got a new place, I’ve been a little preoccupied recently, but I wanted to take some time out to share some more lessons I’ve learned throughout this challenge.

Just for the record, I haven’t been measuring my progress by how much weight I’ve gained or lost. Since my goal is to gain more muscle, weight gain could actually be a good sign for me, so my main measure of success has been mental. If I feel good or if I feel strong, I’m doing something right. I also measure my resting heart rate, and I’ve been trying to lower that as well. Now, onto the lessons learned!

Lesson 1: Find what works for YOU.

Now, this lesson may seem self-explanatory, but this took me a LONG time to learn. For a while, I was exercising in the same way that those I followed were. I ran because the other people completing this challenge chose to run, and I even had a goal to lower my mile time to 7 minutes. However, running isn’t a workout I can sustain, and I ended up injuring myself trying to catch up to my peers. I was frustrated, and I was unmotivated to get up and workout because I didn’t like what I was doing.

Then, I discovered HIIT hop.

HIIT hop is a workout class created by Emily (@emkfit on YouTube), and it is a mix of HIIT style workouts and hip-hop choreography. Her themes range from boy bands to Latin music, and she even had a Disney workout that made me smile so much I forgot I was working out. Those were videos I could look forward to watching, and they made me excited to workout again. One night, I even did two of her videos in a row to make my 45-minute requirement, which pushed me way harder than a lot of my other routines had.

Finding what worked for me changed working out from something I felt I had to do each day to something I looked forward to. I’m still no fitness guru, but I’m definitely more confident working out now, and it’s become something I actually enjoy.

Lesson 2: Find Your “Why”

The hardest part of this challenge for me has been remaining motivated on the days that don’t go according to plan. When I’m working out at 10pm or when I’m up chugging water at one in the morning, it’s hard to remember why I’m even doing this in the first place. Finding my “why” meant digging deep and discovering what my goals were not only for this challenge, but also for my overall health and wellbeing.

Unlike a lot of people in the fitness community, I didn’t start 75 Hard to lose weight. I’m already at a healthy weight for my height, and I’m “skinny” in terms of societal standards. However, I’m what people call “skinny fat.” I have very little muscle, so even though I’m small, I’m extremely out of shape. Before this challenge, I couldn’t even run a quarter mile without losing my breath and killing my shins, and to this day, I still can’t do a single push up.

My goal for this challenge was to develop healthy habits that would gradually allow me to gain muscle and increase my stamina. I also wanted to improve my relationship with food, which I’ve struggled with for a long time. Through this challenge, I was hoping to become more intentional with what I ate and when, and I definitely think I’ve made progress in that regard. I also wanted to find workout programs that worked for me, and I wanted to learn what kind of workouts I needed to do in order to achieve my previously mentioned goals. 75 Hard was an educational effort for me as much as it was a physical one, and learning that really helped me center and figure out what I needed to do in order to make these goals a reality.

My Progress

Like I said, I haven’t measured progress in terms of weight lost or gained, so I’m not going to include any measurements here. However, I have noticed a lot of physical and mental changes that have shown me this challenge is making a difference.

For one, I have been able to test my willpower to its fullest extent. One of my dietary requirements was that I can’t eat desserts, and I spent July 4th staring at a homemade chocolate cake with homemade whipped cream icing. Making food for others is one of my love languages, so whenever I hear that something is homemade, I want it so much more because you can almost taste the time, effort, and emotion they put into the dish (cheesy, I know). Everyone around me was eating and commenting on how good it was, and I refused to eat any and ruin my challenge.

I’ve also become a lot stronger, which I can feel, but it’s also apparent in what I can do. For example, I used to not be able to do a set of plank rotations without falling at least once. I would lose my balance, my foot would slip on the mat, or my arms would hurt and I would have to take a breather before coming back to the exercise. Now, though, I can do rotations without thinking about it, even with an injured foot.

Oh yeah, I also injured my foot pretty bad during a workout, so that’s a physical change I’ve noticed.

My stamina has improved, which I learned by observing how I feel after each 45-minute workout and how many times I have to stop between exercises. That number has officially come down to zero, by the way, so I can make it through most of my at-home workouts without stopping to rest at all. My resting heart rate has also decreased from 72 to 64, which was cool to see, and walks or videos that used to leave me breathless now leave me tired but energized.

I’ve already seen so many changes, and I can’t wait to see what this last month will bring. I already decided I’m not carrying through with the Live Hard challenge after 75 Hard is over, but I will carry the habits and routines I’ve created in this challenge with me long after it ends.

Adventures

Adventure #2: Sand Hill Preserve

June 5, 2020 RachelLeave a comment

I’ve missed hiking so much! Believe it or not, I didn’t hike at ALL while I was in Georgia, and I’m still real sad about it. However, with 75 Hard, I have to workout outside for at least 45 minutes a day, which is the perfect excuse to go on a hike.

Before I went on the trail, I read the reviews. Especially when I’m hiking by myself, I like to know what to expect, so I scrolled through, looked at pictures, and read what people had to say. Most said the trail was super easy to navigate, not too long, and I even saw a picture of the Econlockhatchee River which was supposedly a part of the hike. I love anything involving water, so I was ready. My hike, though, was completely different than the reviewers described.

To the person who said you can’t get lost on that trail: You, sir, were very wrong. My first attempt to hike this 2.5 mile trail, I walked about a mile before ending up right back where I started. There are a few areas that fork, and apparently only one way is right, although both sides were properly marked. On this same mile trek, I ended up in a field filled with bugs and plants with pointy seedlings that attached to my clothes and stabbed my fingers as I tried to remove them.

Needless to say, I almost left as soon as I made it back to the entrance, but on the way back, a man stopped me. He told me he runs this trail a lot, and that it’s about a mile and a half to the river and back. I was encouraged all over again by his mention of the river that I still hadn’t seen, so I turned around and tried again. Luckily, I made it a lot farther my second time through.

On my second attempt at hiking this trail, I approached the fork again, took the opposite route, and ended up in another open field. This time, though, there was clearly marked trail, and there was another girl around my age stopped at a patch of high grass. I saw her touching something, and I was so happy when I saw what it was. The guidepost at the trail’s entrance said there may be tortoises in our path, and this girl was PETTING one. When the girl saw me approaching, she left, and I went to go say hi to my new tortoise friend. Then, I decided to keep my distance because the girl didn’t seem to happy about having a hiking partner.

Keeping my distance was most likely a terrible idea. Because I didn’t want to make this girl uncomfortable, I ended up taking a detour. This detour was a quick one because as soon as I walked into this new section of trail, I heard a sound very similar to a gunshot. Unfortunately, I didn’t think too much of it and attributed it to possible construction or my own paranoia. As I went ventured further, though, I heard a sound in the bushes that reminded me of a large animal. Again, I ignored it, knowing that bugs and squirrels often make loud noises as they encounter trees and bushes as well.

What I couldn’t ignore, though, were the paw prints in the sand. While it could have been nothing, I was paranoid enough at that point to call it quits and head back to what I named the “safer trail.” Luckily, I didn’t make it too far into my detour track, so it was easy to get back to where I’d started. From there, I headed back to the trail entrance, but next time, I’ll hopefully navigate the trail all the way through.

Pros: This trail was very well marked, and I felt comfortable enough to run through certain sections. While it’s not impossible to get lost here, it definitely is easy to find your way back if you get off track. Plus, tortoises. Need I say more?

Cons: There are a few places on the trail where it forks. While both sides have marked trees on their paths, only one actually leads you to more trail, while the other either dead ends or leads you to a field with nothing but bugs and dangerous plants.

75 Hard

75 Hard Week 1: Lessons Learned

May 27, 2020May 27, 2020 Rachel1 Comment

I’m back, baby!

It’s been a hot second since I’ve posted on this blog, and that’s honestly because I haven’t been paying as much attention to my health in recent times. With it being my senior year of college, I was a lot more focused on making it through finals and getting my degree, but that’s all changed now.

As you can see from the title, I recently decided to participate in a challenge called 75 Hard. For this challenge, I need to:

Take a progress picture every day
Read 10 pages of a non-fiction, entrepreneurial book each day
Stick to a diet (No cheat meals, no alcohol)
Drink a gallon of water each day
Complete two 45-minute workouts a day (one of which has to be outside)

I’m only one week in, and I’ve been surviving so far. However, even though this looks like a fitness challenge, it’s really a test of your mental toughness, and I’ve already learned so much about myself and what I’m capable of. I wanted to share some of these lessons with you in case you need the motivation to start or stick to your own health journey.

Lesson 1: Treat Yourself…Within Reason

Before this challenge, I would “treat myself” after a hard day by eating a pint of ice cream or drinking a glass of wine in the tub. However, with these new dietary restrictions, that’s no longer a possibility for me, and I’ve discovered a whole new reward system because of that.

Now, if I complete everything I need to do for the day, I reward myself with a hot bath or a face mask. Even with food I’ve gotten better, treating myself to breakfast for dinner or an extra snack rather than going overboard and eating an entire pizza because I deserved it. I came to realize that eating foods that were bad for me felt really good in the moment, but rewarding myself with these healthier alternatives made me feel better in the long-term. Not only would I feel comforted because I was taking care of myself, but I would also avoid the food coma or the bad body talk that comes with eating way too much.

Lesson 2: Progress is Progress, No Matter How Small

A lot of people I follow on my 75 Hard Instagram page are fitness gurus. They’re runners, personal trainers, or they’ve been doing challenges like these for years. Because of that, I felt equally inspired and anxious about what they were posting. I would want to do exactly what they were doing and then be embarrassed or stressed out when I couldn’t.

Personally, I can’t even run a mile without feeling like my legs are gonna fall off. Running isn’t my strong suit, but for some of my outdoor workouts, I’ve done it anyway. I’ve pushed myself to do something that is entirely out of my comfort zone, and I’ve learned to celebrate that rather than worrying about what my times are or how difficult my run may be.

Now, the focus of my workouts is working up a sweat. As long as I’m breathing heavy by the end of a session and at least one of my body parts can no longer move properly, I’ve done something right. I don’t care if I walked 3 miles, did a full HIIT workout, or hiked a trail. Anything that gets me moving and meets the goals I and this challenge have set, I’m satisfied.

Lesson 3: That 5-Minute Rule Really Works

I tried to find who originally created the Five-Minute Rule, and it looks like it was Rory J. Aplanalp, so props to you if you end up reading this. I originally heard it from Lindsay DeFranco, who uses it to help her stay motivated on days when her depression tries to get the best of her.

Basically, the Five-Minute Rule states that if you don’t want to do something, try doing it for five minutes. If you absolutely hate it, you can stop. For me, this is just enough time to get out of my head, and by the time my five minutes are up, I’m completely immersed in the task at hand and ready to finish it.

Today especially, I did not want to complete my second workout, as I was still sore from my first and not feeling 100%. I decided to put on a workout video, try it for five minutes, and stop if I felt that I couldn’t complete it. Long story short, I ended up completing the longest workout I’d ever done after starting in such an unmotivated, tired place.

We Bought a Zoo said that it takes 20 seconds of extreme courage to do something amazing, but sometimes I think it really takes five minutes.

Conclusion

I’ve learned so much from this challenge already! I couldn’t even fit all the epiphanies I’ve had about myself and my abilities throughout this challenge, and learning how strong and capable I truly am has been so amazing. I haven’t been keeping track of my weight or measuring my physical progress because this is a mental test more than a physical one, but I’ve already seen so many changes in how I feel and how I’m spending my time. Week one has been so transformative, and I can’t wait to see what the next weeks will bring!

Local Eats

Local Spotlight: Soho Juice Company

October 6, 2019May 27, 2020 Rachel3 Comments

It’s officially fall, but the only indication of that we really get in Florida is through the introduction of pumpkin spice. The way I finally recognized fall was here was when Soho Juice Company posted about their new Pumpkin Spice CBD donut! I knew immediately I had to try it, but if that title alone doesn’t entice you, know that this dessert is also vegan and gluten, dairy, nut, and egg free!

Ya’ll, this donut was delicious! The icing was so oozy and gooey and sweet, and I felt like I was eating something a lot worse for me than I actually was. The only issue I had was that the cake itself was really dense, which made the donut super filling but hard to get through. Luckily, I brought my boyfriend with me, so I had a smoothie to borrow when I needed something to wash that thicc cake down. 😂

The shop itself was also super cute! There is a super colorful side wall that I wanted to take pictures in front of, but unfortunately it was way too hot to spend too much time outside. The shop itself was small, with only a counter to sit at rather than full tables, but the amount of natural light coming in made the place seem more open and bigger than it was. The desserts and drinks were on display, so the only thing that you couldn’t see right away were the smoothies. This was perfect for me since I had no idea what Soho had to offer besides the bowls and baked goods I had seen online. I now feel like I know my options better, and I already have an idea of what I’d like to try next!

Photoshoot here next time??
Photo Credit: Yelp

Overall, my trip here was a good one, and I’ll definitely be back. However, I think I’m going to wait until their registers are back up before I make that trek. Right now, they’re taking everyone’s card information manually, which is fine, but I did feel a little uncomfortable with the employee at the counter having my credit card information on paper and at her disposal.

As for what I’ll try next, I definitely want to try a smoothie of my own since I liked the one I sipped this time so much. I also want to try a wellness shot, but I think it’s just because I liked the way they were packaged. They’re in SYRINGES, dude! Like, how fun would that be to take?!

Overall Rating: 6/10 (But it’ll be higher once those registers are fixed!)

Recipes

Instagram Made Me Do It: Keto Starbucks Drinks

September 15, 2019September 13, 2019 RachelLeave a comment

Recently, I was scrolling through the Explore page on my Instagram, and I found a photo that showed keto alternatives to some classic Starbucks drinks. There were three drinks pictured, and my original goal was to try them all. However, I wanted to make this list a little more varied, and I wanted to make sure that I searched through multiple articles for different types of drinks. Because of this, I only tried one drink from this list: The Keto Pink Drink.

Here’s the original post I found if you want to try these drinks for yourself!

Keto Pink Drink:

The Pink Drink from Starbucks is something I’ve wanted to try forever, but I knew I couldn’t try its original recipe since I don’t like coconut milk. Seeing a version of this classic without that one dreaded ingredient was super exciting for me, so I knew I needed to try this ASAP. Having tea with heavy cream seemed a little bizarre, but I knew I was going to step out of my comfort zone with this one. Luckily, I was not disappointed.

This drink was gorgeous, and the heavy cream actually made it taste a bit like a milkshake, which could satisfy any sweet tooth. The conflicting sweet and herbal tastes were a little strange, so I don’t know if I would order this again. However, the tea itself is delicious (and paleo I think), so I may have to keep this one simple and drink the tea by itself.

Rating: 6/10 Carb Count: 2g

Fake Mocha:

The next keto drink I tried was one I picked from a blog that I can no longer find 😬They called it a low-carb mocha, but I prefer the term fake mocha for what this is.

How to Order: “Grande iced Americano with one pump of skinny mocha sauce and heavy cream”

Since this is an Americano with only one pump of mocha sauce, I didn’t feel like I was drinking a mocha at all. This doesn’t have the chocolatey taste a typical mocha would have, and I don’t think this is a great substitute. If you like espresso, this is a good way to add a little bit of flavor to your drink while staying within your macros, but if a sweet, chocolate drink is what you’re looking for, I’d keep exploring your options.

Rating: 4/10

Keto Iced Coffee:

This final one I found on Pinterest, and it was definitely the most interesting. For one, the ingredient list is a mile long. Instead of using classic sweetener, this recipe calls for both sugar-free vanilla and sugar-free cinnamon dolce syrup. Worse, this calls for EXTRA heavy cream, so my lactose-hating body was not ready.

This one had so much potential, and I know I’m going to be messing with it some more to create something I’ll actually enjoy. However, this wasn’t it. The heavy cream was way too much, and putting a grande drink in a venti cup made this already weak drink even weaker. Now, I’m a little biased because I’m used to drinking triple shots of espresso straight, but this tasted more like cream than coffee to me.

To make this a little more my speed, I think I’m going to keep this in a grande cup. I’ll also replace the heavy cream with almond or soy milk, which may increase the macros on this a little, but it’ll add a touch of flavor. Plus, since both syrups are sugar-free, using a milk that has more sugar in it may not be as harmful. Hopefully these changes will make this stronger and less creamy. If all goes well, I feel like this could become my new go-to.

Rating: To Be Determined

If ya’ll have any other keto drinks you love and want me to try, please let me know. This has been such a fun challenge for me, and I would love to do this again. I’m also super new to keto, so I’m sure I haven’t even made a dent in all the coffee options available. Maybe I’ll hit Dunkin next time??