100 Little Days

I don't want to offend people who love Christmas and New Year's, but the holidays really wear me out! And I was really in the Christmas spirit this year, too. I think what it is, more than anything, is my comfortable schedule being thrown off so much. I honestly feel like Thanksgiving came, then I blinked and it was January 5th. There has been a lot of snow shoveling, a lot of food shoveling (I jest, but only a little) gatherings, alcohol and sweets. Oh, and my birthday falls in between Christmas and New Year's so there's that too. I really didn't give a lot of thought to a New Year's Resolution. I honestly saw so many people saying they are detrimental this year, which felt a little sad. I understand most people don't carry through on their resolutions, and a lot of people make a resolution that is too grand, and fail because its such a huge transition. Last year I joined a Peleton challenge to workout for 100 days in a row and when it got close to the end of the challenge, I decided to keep going to see if I could work out 5 days a week the rest of the year. Honestly, shortly after the 100 days was over, I sort of forgot about the other challenge I made for myself, because my morning workouts had become a habit. I have never been athletic and other than dancing, don't love doing super active things, but that little me-time in the morning makes a big difference in how my joints feel the rest of the day. Here are my 2025 workouts. I do a lot of yoga because I always wake up stiff and boy does it feel great to stretch first thing in the morning. I especially love Yin yoga because you hold the postures a long time.

Peleton had the same challenge again this year, but I decided not to do it because I am already in the habit of working out. I generally don't work out on the weekends and don't want to at this point. But that made me think about the process,and how doing something for 100 days in a row really did turn it into a habit, and I started to think about different things I could challenge myself with for 100 days. Many things came to mind for my art, for my diet and even housekeeping but I pushed them out of my mind because there were more holiday celebrations into the new year and I didn't want to have to be restrictive with food while my dad was visiting. I have been wearing my second glucose monitor and this time my numbers are consistently higher more of the time, even when I am fasting. I don't intend to keep using a continuous glucose monitor long-term, it's just far too expensive. I did buy a Keto MOJO device, which is a finger stick glucose and ketones reader. So yes, I will have to buy strips from time to time, but its still overall cheaper and I get the added bonus of knowing if I am in ketosis. I was a little surprised when I took my first glucose reading with the Ket Mojo and it was 88 when my Continuous Glucose Monitor was 111. Then every time I compared them, the Stelo CGM was always 10 to 15 points higher than the finger stick glucose. I did a little research on why, and decided this drawback is why I doubt I'll buy any more CGMs. I will stick to my finger stick device which is more accurate. The CGM has been very helpful in showing me what foods and drinks spike my glucose and which don't. I got a free drink chip from one of the Christmas gatherings and used it on New Year's Eve to have a drink my mom used to drink called a peppermint sweet (diet 7-up with peppermint schnapps) and my glucose skyrocketed over 200 points, the highest ever, even higher than when I ate a burger and fries, and higher than when I ate the Christmas cookies my dad's wife brought, and higher than anything I've eaten since wearing a GCM. Interesting enough, my dad used to make his own wine, and he has been gifting us some bottles he had left, so we got four bottles for Christmas this year. I knew I was going to get back on track after the weekend so I had a few glasses of wine on both Saturday and Sunday. My glucose went up to around 130, which is a mild rise, but not a spike like the schnapps created. I really don't drink very often, but I guess that's a case for wine vs a mixed drink! Besides the Keto Mojo, I also got a new scale. Its an upgrade from my old one, it has body fat measurements and water readings. I still haven't taken time to figure out all the settings, but I have been weighing myself on it and its a few pounds less than my old scale, so I am going to trust the new scale because I want to believe the positive. Lol. I have to say, the CGM being high this time and the Keto Mojo showing me I am not in ketosis has done a number on my spirits. My weight hasn't changed much over December, I have gained a few pounds and am just straddling the border of 179-180. When I bend over to put snow boots on, it feels like 100% of those pounds went on around my waist. This winter has been extra challenging so far in how much snow and bitter cold temperatures and freezing slush, I haven't been able to walk my dog as much or as far/fast as usual, so my cardio that I usually get from walking him is now pretty limited. I am planning on making some challenges for myself, I just haven't come up with them. I won't let the fact that I'm not starting on January 1st stop me from challenging myself, I just needed to get through the holiday celebrations, and my last one was on Saturday, so now I can focus on it. Some ideas I have tossed around are no flavoring in my water for 100 days, no fried food for 100 days and no non-keto food for 100 days. Each would be challenging. Since I have discovered that my sugar-free drink flavors (Skinny Mixes) don't raise my glucose, I don't think giving them up would benefit my weight in any way. Not eating fried food is fine, but I really don't eat much of that, except french fries or tortilla chips when I am cheating, and when I am eating clean I sometimes get fried pork rinds with a burger or chicken patty without the bun. So I am leaning towards keeping all my food keto-friendly for 100 days, which means no cheat meals. It forces me to reshape how I think about my weekends as a relaxation from my diet. Keeping my weekends clean has been a struggle for me for so long, but now it's a new year so I have to put on my armor and get ready to fight for what I want. I want to get back into the 150's. I want to be able to move with more ease and prove everyone wrong about losing weight in menopause. For now, that starts with a 10O day challenge, and if it makes a healthy habit, I will set other challenges until I feel I am solidly back to the place where I once was, when I was certain this was a lifestyle and not a diet, and that I was going to stay the course indefinitely. Menopause may have thrown a wrench in the mix, but I am going to figure out how to use it to my advantage. I hope you all are already rocking any goals you set for yourself this year!