Guest Post | Virtual Motivation

A year ago when I published my first post for this challenge, I was worried about whether or not anyone but me would want to participate. Minutes later (it seemed), I got an email from Heather H. that she was interested in participating! I was so relieved. I have been reading her blog ever since, and even made her chicken noodle soup. She had a great idea last week and I am so excited about it. She is here to tell you all about it.

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Hello, Virtual Challenge Friends! 

Here we are, already a week into Round 5!  Can you believe it?  I can't... probably because I'm a sporadic participant, but I plan to change my errant ways this round, Scout's Honor! 

Here's some quick back-ground info:  I stumbled upon Amanda's first round of 100 Miles in 3 Months through a photography link-up, and thought, I can do that! I walk already, this will motivate me to walk even more!  So I emailed my intent to participate, checked in weekly with my numbers, and I totally rocked the first round.  And maybe even started the second round.  Actually, I've probably committed to starting just about every round, but life gets in the way sometimes, and I need to be better about being firm in my commitments.  Additionally, I live in Northern Minnesota where it snows a bunch and our warm season is very, very short.  I easily could have counted snow shoveling as part of my weekly miles last round (and in fact, it snowed about 7 inches yesterday - don't worry, it's already melting!), but I was consumed with short days and sub-zero temperatures and I lost track of it over the winter.  But I am back.

Instagram | #100in3 Finn wanted to hold hands on our walk.

Last week Saturday, as I dodged one melting puddle after another, as I skirted leaky snowdrifts and shaded patches of ice, it occurred to me that these minutes that I take each day for myself - they are important.  I pulled my eyes up from the puddled trail in front of me, took a deep breath and looked around.  My fingers gripped the stroller, I could hear equal parts little boy chatter in front of me and my heartbeat pounding in my ears.  Know what occurred to me as I looked around?  I am walking in some beautiful wilderness, y'all!  And my thoughts shifted to you women out there doing this challenge with me: I wondered - what does it look like where you work out?  Do you run on a trail?  On a treadmill in your basement?  Do you walk a path around your neighborhood or do you get your miles from a Zumba class?

This challenge, I'd love to see where you work out, what your neighborhood gym looks like or how your bike trails wind through a desert, or, if you're tech-savvy like Amanda, you can upload a screen shot of your work-out stats.  If you are on Instagram, simply upload a picture of your work-out as often as you'd like - daily, weekly, every couple of weeks - and use the hash tag: #100in3.  I think it will be fun - and super motivating - to see what everyone else is doing and where you're doing it at!

Most importantly, though, here's what I love about this challenge: I know that when I'm feeling like a sloth and unmotivated that there are other women out there around the county pushing themselves to get their miles in and I want to add mine to those numbers.  Any little boost of motivation is good for me!

I'm looking forward to seeing your miles and your Instagrams this week!

Heather H.

Hi. I'm Heather. I've had an on-again/off-again relationship with dieting and weight loss for pretty much my whole life. I am a stress-baker, and subsequently a stress-eater. I don't handle change very well, I cope by cooking - and therefore, eating. I don't like to run. Or be sweaty. Or over-exert myself. Clearly, I am a case-study in food and exercise issues. A year ago I lost 50 pounds, and I'm trying to lose about 50 more.  I have a husband who is a chef (and before you ask, no he doesn't always make awesome things for dinner. Sometimes we have Hamburger Helper, just like everyone else). We are raising two kids - Abby is 13 and Finn is 2 (and yes there are a lot of years between them. Yes, there is a reason for that. Yes, it makes parenting difficult. That's why I blog about it.). You can read my musings about our family at The Mother Load or about my attempt to live a healthier life over at Motivate: Health Living Starts Now!