I had a chance to go downhill skiing this weekend.  I haven’t had a chance all season so I was thrilled to be out for the day.  It was a beautiful day and the conditions were great.  The really cool thing was that I skied all day and didn’t need to stop for a break.  We stopped for lunch but that was because of being hungry, not tired.  I also noticed that even though I hadn’t skied all season, my body wasn’t sore the next day.  Hhmm, push ups and sit ups may be doing more than I think! 

When I started out with this challenge, I wasn’t able to do more than 3 push ups and now I’m up to 24.  It has been small steps every day and now I can see how those small steps are adding up.  I don’t have abs of steel (yet!) but I have also noticed that my ability to lift and carry things has increased.  What about you?  Are you noticing how small steps can add up? 

Joyfully,

Deb

Four weeks into the challenge and hopefully you are noticing some changes. Do you have more space, more energy, less clutter….the changes may be very noticeable or very subtle.  I have noticed a subtle change myself.  I seem to have more energy at the end of the day.  Not huge surges of energy, but feeling much less tired at the end of the day.  I think the extra sleep is starting to add up! 

Sticking with a challenge for 100 days can be…well…challenging, especially when you don’t see progress.  I encourage you to look for some of the subtle ways that this challenge is helping you and be sure to comment here.

Joyfully,

Deb

I have to admit that I am glad the Olympics are over!  They were creating havoc with my challenge.  The athleticism certainly has kept me inspired to do my push-ups and sit-ups but the going to bed thing was close to impossible.  One night, I took the laptop to bed so that I could watch Joannie Rochette skate her bronze winning program just so that I could technically say that I was in bed between 10:00 and 10:30!! (yes it’s true, I don’t have a tv in my bedroom) I’m not sure if this counts or not (because my intention with the challenge of going to bed was so that I would get more rest…) but I marked it down as if it did! 

This is what happens when you embark on changing a habit…things will always get in the way, obstacles will pop up and you will get distracted and fall into old habits again.  It wouldn’t be called a challenge if it was always easy!  What’s good about the obstacles and distractions is that you can use your creativity to get around them (ie: taking the laptop to bed).  The obstacles and distractions can also teach you interesting things about yourself and this gives you the option of taking a closer look at them - or not but either way, you have the chance to grow as  person.  Are you growing?!

Joyfully,

Deb

Today is the quarter mark - we are one quarter of the way through the 100 Day Challenge!  This is a good time to do a little evaluation of your progress so far.  Have you been able to stick with it everyday?  If you haven’t, what do you think is getting in your way?  Even if you started off strong and have completely fallen out of the challenge, you can still jump back in any time - just start!  This isn’t an all or nothing game…it’s a challenge so challenge yourself to get back in and do what you can. 

Joyfully,

Deb

So here is the count to date:

sit ups: 267
push ups: 168
nights in bed before 10:30: 14 (out of 21)
Actually, this count needs to be adjusted because I decided to give myself one night a week that I could stay up later than 10:30!  That would make this count 14 out of 17!

Joyfully,

Deb

Okay, I have to say that the Olympics are ruining my 100 Day Challenge!  How was I supposed to go to bed before 10:30 last night when Jon Montgomery was headed for gold???  I must admit that breaking my challenge was worth it to see him give that gold medal performance.  It held even more significance because my husband is also from Russell, Manitoba, now the home of two Olympic gold medalists!  And I lived in residence with and worked with Jodi Montgomery (Jon’s sister) so I figure that makes me practically related to a gold medalist! Woo, hoo…the company I keep! 

What’s keeping you from your challenge?  Anything??

Joyfully,

Deb 

Just a little update on my challenge.  After 14 days (and nights) here’s where I’m at…

sit-ups: 177
push-ups: 88
nights in bed before 10:30:  11 (out of 14)

Just to be clear, the sit up and push up counts are the total done to date, not the number that I can do at one time!!

Joyfully,

Deb

How is your challenge going?  Tomorrow will be two weeks into the challenge and have you noticed anything about yourself?  Has it been hard or easy to do your challenge everyday?  I have to say that for my challenge, the sit/push ups are easier than going to bed before 10:30.  I have to confess that there have been a few nights when I have literally been running down the hallway and diving into my bed just as the clock strikes 10:30!  I think I need to rethink my approach to this part! 

I am excited to say that I am able to do 12 push ups!  (The kind from the knees) This may not seem like very much to you but before this challenge started, I could do 2 or maybe 3 on a really good day.  So, I am celebrating that progress.  I also have been noticing that my sleep is getting better.  By going to bed earlier, I am actually sleeping more deeply and so I have started to notice that I am not as tired by the middle of the day. My overall goal of creating more energy in my life seems to be getting closer…that’s very cool for me.  Makes me want to dance more, which is very joyful for me!  How about you?  Has the challenge generated any joy for you?

Joyfully,

Deb

Well, as I suspected, I didn’t make it to bed before 10:30 last night!  But seriously, how is a girl supposed to do that when the opening ceremonies of the Olympics are on until after 11:00??  They didn’t light the flame until after 11:00 for heavens sake!  That’s my favorite part - I love the idea that this flame has been burning since the begining of the very first games - it makes me feel very connected to something bigger than me and longer lasting than me!  Anyway, it was a moving moment for me (even though they had a technical difficulty) and I wasn’t going to miss it, challenge or no challenge. 

Today I’m off to lead my playshop on Living Joyfully!  I am really excited and can’t wait to share the day with some wonderful women.   I hope you have a joyful day and don’t forget about your challenge activity.  Stay on track and let me know how you are doing!

Joyfully,

Deb

Hi!
It’s day 7 of the 100 Day Challenge!  How is your challenge going?  The first seven days often tells you if you have picked a challenge that is going to be too challenging for you or not challenging enough.  This also means that you can adjust your challenge - increase it a bit more or decrease it! 

My challenge is to do sit ups and push ups (alternating days) and going to bed between 10:00 and 10:30 every night.  So far, I am seven for seven on the sit/push ups but I missed one night.  I am thinking that I may have to adjust as there are some evenings when I am working or wanting to do something social that may end up going later than 10:30.  So I am thinking about how I can adjust my challenge so that I am successful on both counts.  I’ll keep you posted!  What about you - do you need to make any adjustments?

Joyfully,

Deb