TGIF with Debb: 75 Hard Getting Harder? Or Just Getting in My Head?

Dear Diary,

Day 45 complete! Only 30 days to go. This week though, I haven't really been floating around on a cloud of gratitude and high vibes.  Last week, I was all, OMG, I feel amazing! My sleep is amazing! Everything is amazing!  This week. Not so much. 

The Wine, the Chocolate & the Inner Battle

Saturday night, I went to a 40th birthday party. Yes, more parties.  More opportunities to refrain from beautiful food, bread, desserts and Vinho Verde (for my non-Portuguese peeps, that's green wine).  Goes sooooo well with Portuguese chicken.  I had the chicken and paired it with the original classic: H₂O. And when the chocolate mousse and birthday cake came out, I wanted a little of that, too.  Instead, I had fruit and four bottles of the original classic throughout the evening. Very glamorous, I know.  Inside my brain:  I wasn't suffering because I couldn't have those things. After all, I made the choice to do this 75 Hard Challenge and knew there would be times I'd need to refrain from certain things. I was just thinking, Well, this kind of sucks. I'm at a party, and I'd really enjoy a glass of wine and some chocolate.  I think it's important to be honest with ourselves. Sometimes making a choice that aligns with your goals means acknowledging that you'd genuinely like something else.  I was proud of myself for sticking with my challenge, but I'm also learning that I don't want food and drink choices to become a constant battle in my head. After the challenge, my goal is balance. Treating myself. Saying yes to a little dessert and yes to a glass of Vinho Verde or two. Not five.

Listen to Your Body, Debb!

This week, planning two workouts a day while teaching has been a challenge in itself.  For example, on Wednesday, I taught three classes in one morning: 6 a.m., 7:15 a.m. and 10 a.m. I squeezed in my outdoor walk between classes, came home, ate lunch and had a sofa nap.  Then I woke up thinking, Oh shit. Where's workout number two before I go to my mom’s for dinner? F45? A hot yoga/fusion class? Which one should I do?  Maybe a home workout with dumbbells? Etc. etc. etc. …. Then I stopped.  "Debb, you need to stretch and not sweat.  Imagine that. Not being Sweaty Debbie. Get on your mat in your bedroom."  And that's what I did. It was perfect. Exactly what I needed. I’m learning during this challenge that sometimes the best thing you can do is stop pushing and start listening.  Not every workout needs to kick your ass. Sometimes your body needs movement, sometimes it needs rest, and sometimes the best thing you can do is chill the f*ck out.

Also, I tried a mat Pilates class this week at a new studio that opened up a few months ago. I like to try different places, classes, learn something new as a student and as an instructor.  Let's just say it wasn't my cup of tea. Between the counting, the music and the repeated "You've got this!" encouragement, I spent most of the time having an internal conversation with myself.  Yes, I know I've got this. Can we move on? And can you stop talking about yourself? Your quads? Your glutes burning? Like who cares? Just tell us what to do. Clearly, I'm a Pilates instructor with some opinions. =).

A Little Reminder from the Universe

I went for a walk at Sunnidale Park in Barrie this week, and honestly, the fall colours have been sooooo beautiful.  I don't think I've ever appreciated autumn this much.  Maybe it's because I'm outside every day, actually paying attention instead of rushing from one thing to the next.  During this walk at Sunnidale, I overheard two older men chatting. One asked the other if he was there every day.  His response:  "Yeah. If I'm not here, I'm probably in the coffin across the road."  They both laughed and carried on their way.  I giggled at the man who passed by me and he said, “It’s true.  We’ll all be there some day dear.”  “True,” I said.  Thanks for the cheerful pick-me-up.   Seriously though, as I continued walking, I thought ... it's true. We'll all be there one day.  It got me thinking about how easy it is to spend our lives worrying about things that, in the grand scheme of things, don’t really matter.  Like bread. 

Just Eat the F*ckin’ Bread Debb!

Sunday morning, Rui and I went for brunch at a beautiful restaurant. I ordered poached eggs, spinach salad, baked sweet potato and it came with sourdough bread (made from scratch).  Sounds pretty damn yummy and healthy, right?  But my brain started rambling right away!  Oh no. Bread isn't part of my plan. Should I eat it? Is this cheating? Am I going to ruin everything?  Finally, I told myself, "Just eat the f*cking bread Debb. It's homemade sourdough. It's delicious. You're having a lovely brunch with your husband. ENJOY IT!"  Or maybe Rui's the one that said all of that, but in a much more gentlemanly way. So, I ate the bread.  It was delicious and I enjoyed it. And then, I felt guilty about eating the bread. That's when I realized the problem wasn't the bread. It was the story I was telling myself about the bread.  Like it's an evil demon poisoning my body, which I know is not true. Here I was, eating a balanced meal, making thoughtful choices and looking after myself, yet one piece of sourdough had me questioning everything.

THAT is the shit I need to work on

The all-or-nothing thinking. The guilt. The idea that one choice somehow defines this entire journey.  Later that day, I got some sad news from a friend: her mom passed away. My heart sank for her, and it brought me right back to reality and to what actually matters.  Here I was beating myself up over bread when life was reminding me, once again, how precious it is.  I thought about my dad, too, and how I know he'd be proud of me for always trying, growing and learning to be kinder to myself along the way.  “Be kind to your mind” is the line on the t-shirt I'm wearing at that moment, created by CMHA (Canadian Mental Health Association).  Also the charity we donated to when my dad passed away and home of the Push-Up for Mental Health Challenge that I’ve done a few times.  I needed that reminder to not just wear the words on my shirt, but to live them in my heart.  Life is too short to spend it feeling guilty about sourdough. 

This Week's Little Lightbulb Moment

The Mel Robbins podcast this week interviewed Adam Grant.  He’s an organizational psychologist, bestselling author and expert on work, motivation, generosity and human behaviour.  One part that stood out was take the leap before you're ready.  The idea that you don't have to feel ready or confident before you take action. Sometimes the confidence comes from doing the thing.  We wait until we're motivated, ready, thinner, fitter, more confident or less scared before we start.  What if we just begin?  What if we take the next step, even when it's uncomfortable? What if we trust ourselves enough to figure things out as we go? That's what this challenge is teaching me. I don’t need to feel amazing every day to keep going. I just needed to keep showing up.

My Takeaway: Progress Without the Pressure & The Reality of Hormones

My period is here. I had some pretty intense cramps last week, and my mood has definitely been a little different. Hormones can be a real party, can't they? But I also know that if I weren't moving my body, eating well, drinking my water and taking care of myself, I'd probably feel way worse. Being able to sleep these days is truly amazing! Speaking of hormones … I listened to an episode of The Oprah Podcast this week about menopause.  It’s so interesting to me how much, we as women, still have to learn about our own bodies.  The episode is called What Every Woman (and Man Who Knows Her) Needs to Know About Menopause. Oprah talks with Dr. Mary Claire Haver, an OB/GYN and menopause specialist, and Dr. Lisa Mosconi, a neuroscientist who studies women's brain health. It's about 50 minutes long, and ladies, if you're in perimenopause or menopause, it's worth a listen!

One of the things that really caught my attention was the conversation about how menopause affects the BRAIN.  We hear a lot about our ovaries, estrogen, hot flashes and periods. But what about our brains? Dr. Mosconi explains that menopause isn't just a reproductive transition; it's also a transition that affects the brain. Our hormones play important roles in how our brains function, and as those hormone levels change, our brains have to adapt, too.  Boom! All of a sudden, some of the things we experience in midlife start to make a little more sense. The brain fog. The forgetfulness. The mood changes. The exhaustion.  Feeling like your body is doing things you don't fully understand, or wondering why you don't always feel like yourself. I guess being kind to your mind may not be as simple as it sounds.

I'm not saying menopause explains everything, and obviously everyone's experience is different. But I found it fascinating to hear experts talk about what's happening beneath the surface, rather than just telling women to put up with the symptoms and get on with it.  I've talked about my own struggles with weight, motivation, energy and the mental chatter that can come with trying to do ALL the things. Maybe part of this journey is learning to understand what's happening in our bodies instead of constantly criticizing ourselves for it.  Maybe we don't need to push hard every single day. Maybe we need more information, more support, a little patience and WAY more compassion for ourselves. Seriously, we're navigating enough without making ourselves feel like we're failing at being human too. If you're in this season of life, give the episode a listen. Knowledge is power, and sometimes just hearing someone explain what you've been experiencing can make you feel a little less alone.  And a little less crazy.

A little reminder for all of us: Be curious about your body. Ask questions. Get informed. Advocate for yourself.

So, 30 days to go in this 75 Hard Challenge!

I'm going to keep walking every day. I'm going to keep making nourishing choices, drinking my water and moving my body. But more importantly, I'm going to practice being kinder to myself.  My goal isn't to finish 75 Hard and then go straight back to old habits. I want to keep the things that make me feel good, without turning wellness into another way to beat myself up.  Maybe the real challenge for these next thirty days is learning to let go of the guilt, quiet the inner critic and stop making every little decision mean something about who I am.  One meal doesn't define you. One off day doesn't define you. And one piece of bread definitely doesn't define you or your health journey.  Show up. Make the next good choice. Enjoy your life along the way.  And for the love of all things delicious, eat the f*cking bread when you want the bread.  As for listening to my own advice ... I'm getting there.

My TGIF Challenge for You

Where in your life are you putting unnecessary pressure on yourself?  Are you turning a small decision into a big deal? Waiting until you feel ready? Being harder on yourself than you'd ever be on someone you love? This week, try giving yourself a little grace.  I’ll be working on that alongside you.

Celebrate what you're doing well. Keep taking action. And remember that you can be committed to your goals without being cruel to yourself along the way. Remember, life is happening right now, my friends. Let's make sure we're actually enjoying some of it.

Keep going. Keep growing. Keep being.

TGIF ... until next Friday!

Truth.

Growth.

Inspiration.

Fun.

Building strength, mindset, and real-life consistency… one breath at a time. :)

💜 Yoga Debb