You’ve heard of the 5 stages of grief, right? Well, I’m convinced there’s a similar set of stages for the 75 Hard Journey. How many? 5, 6, 10? Only time will tell. Currently, I’m navigating the 3rd stage.
Excitement — Feeling invincible and ready to take on the world.
Disillusionment — Realizing that 75 days is, in fact, a long, long time. And boy, it’s tiring!
Acceptance— Embracing the journey, sore muscles, exhaustion, and the constant sensation of being a water balloon on the verge of bursting.
Speaking of acceptance, I think I have accepted the reality that I am going to be dependent on Google Maps for my morning Power walks. Sign my ID, I’m officially an urban explorer. I must admit it's been really fascinating discovering new pathways and seeing new buildings, and I just might have a thing for architecture these days. In fact, I ended up walking for over an hour and still felt pumped to go further. On second thought, I should have simply walked for the whole 90-minute workout. Oh, wait, they have to be separate. Wailing tears!
Also, my pace has increased to the extent that my daily steps are shortening! I am significantly upset about that. It’s difficult attaining my 10K steps milestone. Not a rule, just something I wanted.
The second workout is dancing, which was supposed to be an opportunity to learn new dance moves and enjoy the workout. The downside, something I should have realised since I started working as a Content Writer in a Fintech, is that turning what you love into a job can sometimes take the joy out of it. These days, I am less enthusiastic about dancing, and frankly, it feels like a chore.
Water-guzzling means I still have bathroom marathons, and I get bored of what to eat these days. Okay, I’ll be honest: I always get tired of what to eat, but it's harder when I am trying to keep it within my calorie count.
I wanted a bowl of spicy pepper soup, and the vendor, for some reason, was closed. Then, I craved the local Abacha, and I couldn’t find a trusted vendor. And finally, my last option was roasted yam with local spicy sauce. I had two options: take a ride three streets away and buy the roasted yam and sauce from a woman I had spotted, but I couldn’t be sure of the taste, and that’s honestly some trip. The second option was to prepare it myself. I am not exactly a fan of yam, so I hardly stock up on it, so I needed to go to the nearby market to buy some yam, clean it and prop it in the oven and make the sauce myself. The benefit is I’d be able to better measure the calories, but I had to dress up and go to the market.
Well, like every reasonable human on earth, I opted for the third option, made the local sauce and boiled some rice to go with it. Not exactly what I had in mind, but hey, a girl's gotta eat!
Reading? Oh boy, I switched to “How to Win Friends and Influence People” by Dale Carnegie. Why? Shorter pages. Don’t judge; we all have our strategies!
Yeah, I’m not exactly motivated, but I have come to accept that this is going to be my life for the next couple of weeks. While some days feel like I’m trudging through mud, the silver lining is the results. The scale is tipping in my favour, and I feel healthier. Climbing that steep hill in my neighbourhood? I still pant, but at least I don’t feel like collapsing halfway. Yay!💃🏽
Today’s wisdom nugget: Working out doesn’t have to break your back; it's better to pick something you can be consistent with.
Current Stats📊
Weight: 81.25Kg
Exercise: 1hr 10 minute walk, 45 minutes dance-off)
Steps: 9,455 (so close to 10K!)
Water: 4 litres (or 1.05 gallons)
Reading: 10 pages of Dale Carnegie’s wisdom
Picture: Snapped and stored for future laughs
Food Diary 🍴
Breakfast — 235
- Collagen powder (10grams)— 35 cals
- Whey protein powder, super advanced (1 scoop) — 200 cals
Lunch — 428
- 1/4 white rice — 176 cals
- Chicken breast skinless (61 grams) — 101 cals
- Oil palm (1 tablespoon) — 120 cals
- Salt ( 2 tablespoons) — 12 cals
- Scotch bonnet (25 grams) — 7 cals
- Onion (15 grams) — 6 cals
- 1 Garlic clove — 4 cals
- Ginger root — 2 cals
Dinner — 311
- Butter mint sweet (5) — 50 cals
- Bournvita chocolate (2 servings) — 158 cals
- 1 medium-sized Pear — 103 cals
Another day down, and I’m still standing (and dancing, and walking, and reading…). Here’s to the journey ahead! 🥂 (with water, of course)
