Where are y’all from? Is it freezing cold right now? Well up here in Massachusetts, it’s freezing 🥶🥶 One of the 45 min workouts must be outdoors for the 75 hard challenge. My student said “please don’t workout outside today, your sweat will freeze” 😂😂 I told her I would have to start over if I miss a day. She said why no one would know. I said yea but I would know. I made a commitment to do the hard (not the medium or soft) which means no variations, so I want to stick to it. After all, my word of the year is GRIT 😩 But when I got home, I really really didn’t want to go back out. I asked my son if jumping rope with the door open would be cheating😩😂 he said ummm 🧐 yea. So I layered up and went outside to jump rope which didn’t work very well because of the wind. I wanted to be like oh well at least I tried and dash back in the house, but I fought against my mind and just went walking. How many times do we not do things because of the inconvenience or because of imperfect conditions? I had to remind myself that this challenge is about pushing past my limits- mental toughness. I absolutely hate the cold, so I was super proud of myself for pushing through and honoring my commitment to myself💪🏾 What have you done recently to make yourself proud?

Day 2 Surprisingly the hardest part is how many times a gallon of water sends me to the restroom 😩 It was freezing today, but I still walked 45 min 🔥 Today actually was fine. I don’t have any insights except for I realized how satisfying it is to check off each achievement. A part of the challenge is taking a progress photo each day which is super motivational. I think that tracking and documenting our progress can be something that we do in so many areas that we are working on. Even if it is checking each day off on a calendar or writing ✍🏽 in a journal. It’s just a tangible way to see our progress. Do you ever track or document your progress towards a goal?

So yesterday I was feeling all the feels about starting this challenge. I originally was going to modify the plan but after listening to the podcast about the purpose of the challenge, I decided to go all out. So I decided to get real clear on my goals which are to break my habits of inconsistency and procrastination, lose weight, and be more intentional. Then, I decided on the meal plan I’m committing to and got clear on what would be considered cheating since I can’t cheat for 75 days 😳. Finally, I decided to be fully engaged, present, and reflective during the challenge. I want to capture all of my emotions, wins, challenges, breakthroughs, and epiphanies. So today is Day 1. I was just about to leave work, when a former student came in to give me the tea 🫖 😩 and it set me back an entire hour! But I still had to do that outdoor workout. It took me missing one of the basketball games tonight to get that 45 min outdoor workout in. I’m proud of myself for not putting my students’ game before my commitment to myself because normally I would. I still made it to the second game, came home and did the second workout, finished my water intake, and completed my reading. Ja (my 17 year old) came home and asked how did I do. He was so impressed that he said “I think I’m gonna do it with you” 🔥🔥💕💕 mind you, he’s been declining since I first mentioned it so I was shocked😂 we’ll see…but just know our commitment to ourselves can inspire others 🔥 Stay tuned for daily insights on my 75 Hard Journey.

Happy New Year 🎊🎆🎈 How do you set goals for the new year? For the past few years, I’ve been setting a focus word of the year. Some of my past words were intentional, focused, execute, and flow. This year my word is grit. Grit means to focus on perseverance and passion for long-term goals. I need to push beyond my comfort zone in a few areas. So that’s my word: GRIT I’ll be helping my son, the boys in the book club, and my students figure out their focus word of the year. If you want to create one but don’t know where to begin, Here is the process: Step 1: Reflect on the Past Year Wins, challenges, lessons, emotions and experiences that stand out Step 2: Envision the Year Ahead How do you want to feel this year? Goals, dreams, intentions…what area needs the most focus? Step 3: Write down all words that resonate with the energy or outcomes you want for this year Step 4: Narrow down your word by choosing a word that is broad enough to apply to different aspects of yojr life but specific enough to inspire action. Step 5: Commit to your Word Make it your screensaver. For my son and students, I have had them draw ✍🏽 it and taped to their notebooks, on our classroom walls, and even in the inside of their lockers. This year my self-love class will be creating a painting of their word. I purchased canvases and everything 🎨🖌️🖼️ If you decide to create a word, share with your child so they can hold you accountable because they will lol 😆 and have them create one as well and hold them accountable. Share with us here too so that your fellow Healthy Hittas can hold you accountable as well. Here are some other strategies for an intentional start of the new year that I’ve done personally and with my child and students: ✅ Create a vision board- Cut out pictures and words that represent goals. We’ve done this on poster board and digitally. ✅ Conducting a Life Audit- Write down goals in the major categories of life: finances, fitness, family, fun, friends, faith, and future.

The internet is buzzing about the 75 Hard Challenge. It is a mental toughness challenge NOT a fitness challenge. Have you heard of it? Have you tried it? I attached the link to the guy who created it. Check it out and let me know what you think. I’ve been trying to convince my son to do it with me, but he is like nah lol 😂 I’m starting on Monday 1/6 so I have a little more time to get him on board 😩😂😂😂 Y’all wanna join me 🤔 Check out what it’s about here: https://open.spotify.com/episode/1tDHTAgvqC6BVeHL9Fedha?si=0rc-Xn2fRgu-egcMt_Av4A&nd=1&utm_medium=organic&_branch_referrer=H4sIAAAAAAAAA72NQQrCMBRET5PubLUVQaFIVYoL3aiIu5KmP2loTOJPorjx7EbBKwizGOYxvN576xZZ5qzxkj9Tam2qpB6ypUXTBeZLY0EnJJ%2FyoFQTUJX950KKiuR1zAenvzcz1ziBlc50ENvEb7anStxv69nqDNvdvIaup6SonSTFZoxsdNE5P4gwAsH2vqnu0%2Brrokq1lA3%2F8JF8prtIJwkH6gNCaVBQLVnyQuCAKLVoWjQPB1juTStVNI2PlFOUb23PIZY%2BAQAA&product=open&%24full_url=https%3A%2F%2Fopen.spotify.com%2Fepisode%2F1tDHTAgvqC6BVeHL9Fedha%3Fsi%3D0rc-Xn2fRgu-egcMt_Av4A&feature=organic&_branch_match_id=1300082089399700064