#75soft

Workouts

Started the day with my 20-minute indoor workout, this YouTube video by growwithjo. It was super upbeat and low impact, so I could pick my baby up and keep moving whenever she got bored of playing (every 5 minutes or so).

Then we did a 45-minute stroller walk, just shy of 2 miles. I usually move a little quicker, but baby was fussy!

Diet

My goal is two fruits and two veggies each day. Here's what I ate today (will probably have a snack in the evening too).

Breakfast: honey nut cheerios with bananas and blueberries

Snack: two cuties, 1/2 crumbl cookie

Lunch: homemade chicken salad (chicken, apple, celery, red onion, dried cranberries, Greek yogurt, mayo) and club crackers

Snack: celery and peanut butter, smoothie with banana, blueberries, and spinach

Dinner: food truck quesadilla

Water: full gallon finished before dinner! I use my copycat hospital bottle that I've been obsessed with since giving birth. I fill it with ice and that usually melts before I get to drink it. Drinking a ton of water isn't tough for me, but drinking it all so early in the day meant a lot more potty breaks and keeping baby busy in the bathroom with me!

Progress Pic

Spot the winter tan lines and yet-to-be unpacked guest room! Moving with a baby is hard work! It's not the best progress shot in terms of angles and showing my exact shape, but it'll do. I'm not sure I'll post my progress pic every day or if I'll just take them for myself.

Maybe even the “75 day soft” challenge?

Welcome to Nancy’s “75 (+2 cheat) days super soft for the chronically ill or disabled” challenge

I mean, let’s be honest y’all. Where I am now - both physically and with my arthritis + fibro - I have ZERO chance of completing the soft version much less the hard version. So I created my version, the super soft version. If y’all like it, try it. If it doesn’t fit your needs, modify it. The whole point of the challenge is to challenge yourself physically, and mentally, for the better of your health. My “rules” are below.

Sliding scale of workouts. Yes ma’am. You heard it here. We are not throwing ourselves into the deep end to get hurt. There is a sliding scale of workouts. If you feel it is too easy, jump to the next scale, bump it up a notch. Listen to your body! Also the goal is to try to make it an outside workout, weather permitting (winter is coming up).

Eating better (not just well, but better than we are now). Adjust if needed but here’s my basics. Less than 200 calories of “sweets” per day allowed (candy, snack cakes, etc). If using bread, gotta use that 35 calorie bread (or whole wheat, no white bread). Portion control !!! Low carb option as available, low calorie option as available (my family will eat out frequently - I need options to eat - besides the goal is to eat better, not adhere to a strict diet). Calorie counting possibly if that’s something feasible for you? I home cook a lot as well and it’s insanely hard to count calories on one portion of a home cooked meal.

Only 2 cheat days - Thanksgiving and Christmas. These are very special holidays to my family, I do not want to ever live a life of restricting food on these two holidays (+Easter). - this would also put the ending day as Jan. 1st if I start tomorrow. So not bad timing either…

Weekly progress picture along with my weekly weigh in. I am not a good progress picture person. They are extremely triggering for me. I also cannot do daily weigh ins. I already do a weekly weigh in on Sunday’s. I’ll take a progress picture and store it away (out of sight out of mind) until the end.

10 pages of a book. I’m not particular on what genre or whatever. I have a few “in progress” books I’d love to finish up.

Sliding scale of water intake amount. I am TERRIBLE at drinking water. Even bought the Cirkul cup craze - my kids use my bottle more than I do. I’m gonna start small and end at a gallon a day for that last week. My ounce increments is based on my 22 oz bottle primarily, as I plan to use my Cirkul cup (finally).

Exercise Sliding Scale:

Weeks 1-2: 15mins daily

Weeks 3-4: 15 mins twice daily

Weeks 5-6: 30 minutes daily

Weeks 7-8: 30 minutes twice daily

Weeks 9-10: 45 minutes daily

Week 11: 45 minutes twice daily

Water Intake Sliding Scale:

Week 1: 10oz

Week 2: 22oz

Week 3: 32oz (1/4 gal)

Week 4: 44oz

Week 5: 55oz

Week 6: 64oz (1/2 gal)

Week 7: 75oz

Week 8: 96oz (3/4 gal)

Week 9: 107oz

Week 10: 118oz

Week 11: 128oz (1 gal)

Day #1 of 75 Soft

I'll be following four main goals for this program: workout, drink water, read, and eat well

1. The goal is to workout for 45 minutes every day with 1 rest day per week. That being said, I'll count pretty much any focused activity as a workout. I may follow a fitness video, do calisthenics, yoga, roller skate, stretch, bike, go for a walk, etc. Today I:

Followed FitOn Beautiful Body Sculpt (26 min). I really like how the trainer, Jeanette Jenkins, has such a positive and encouraging attitude! I did simplify some things and/or just use body weight instead of dumbbell, but I want to focus on form and sustainability rather than intensity.

Stationary bike (10 min).

Some random arm circles and stuff?

Followed FitOn Get Your Back Back (16 min). This had some really great stretches!

In total worked out for 52+ minutes

2. Drink 3 liters (102 oz) of water daily. I'll count any water-based tea (as opposed to milk-based) in this too. At the end of last year I was drinking a gallon of water (over 3.5 liters) a day and it was a bit challenging at first. Today though I've already hit my 3L goal and will probably drink a little more water and maybe a cup of tea still!

3. Read 10 pages a day. This can be anything- I don't have any restrictions about this being entrepreneurial, self-help, non-fiction, etc. I read the first chapter of Atomic Habits by James Clear today. I don't know why but I had previously assumed that this book wouldn't be good/interesting for me. But it is such an easy, engaging read so far

4. Eat well. I'm purposely trying to avoid words like diet or meal plan when I talk about this. I've struggled with disordered eating and don't find it beneficial to explicitly prohibit certain foods or over plan my meals. Still, I will:

eat 5 fruit and veggies per day. Aim to have at least 1 per meal

incorporate protein in every meal

keep moderate portion sizes

only drink alcohol socially

limit takeout

I have successfully completed day #1 :)

Workout: ✅ Yoga

HMW: ✅

Caloric Deficit: nope

8 hours sleep: 20 minutes short!

8K steps: ✅

HMW: ✅

Movement: ✅ Barre class

Caloric deficit: ✅

90oz water: I’m not sure

8 hours sleep: no

HMW: ✅

Movement: ✅ strength workout

Caloric Deficit: yes but not in the range I wanted

90oz water: ✅

8 hours sleep: no

HMW: ✅

Movement: ✅ Spin class

Caloric deficit: no

90oz water: ✅

8hours sleep: ✅

HMW: ✅

Movement: ✅

Caloric Deficit: no, ate my weight in cake. Also has a night cap of ice cream. I’m shocked the overall caloric count isn’t higher.

90oz water: ✅

8 hours sleep: ✅

10,000 steps: no. I did a night walk to increase steps to a minimum of 7,500 but really was lethargic today.