Less than a week until the end of the 60 Day Challenge–time has flown!

For some of us, it’s an exciting conclusion to a time of concentrated effort, looking forward to seeing inch loss success and visible changes in the side-by-side photos.

For others, it’s been a challenging time of setbacks, health issues cropping up, and unforeseen circumstances threatening to derail.

It can be quite discouraging to have great plans for focusing on workouts and better eating, only to see the tape measure stubbornly refuse to budge.  Or a dreaded fat shift to show up and seemingly take up permanent residence.  Or for me, having a neck issue that prevented me from doing workouts or even Skype sessions for a week–then adrenal issues cropping up again, keeping me from being able to do as much as I had planned to do.

Are you tempted to just throw in the towel?  Forget finishing, writing an essay?  Do you feel it’s of no use as you know your inch loss isn’t stellar and you’re sure your pictures won’t show a bit of change?

I do understand that temptation!  Yet, just as I’m going to admonish you–I plan to finish strong!

No, I’m not planning on going out with a bang–no bootcamp or ramping things up for a last sprint to the finish line.  I plan to faithfully continue to plod along.  I have actually gained back nearly all that I had lost.  A bit discouraging?  Yes!  However, I am not going to bail out now.

Why?

Because I believe in finishing strong. Whether I “win” anything or not, I am still a winner. One of my goals for this 60 Day Challenge was to get back to consistency.  It didn’t happen the way I had planned, but thanks to my clients, I consistently got in 3-4 days per week of at least 4 moves each time.

Another goal was to focus on my water intake.  Although I still struggle with that (harder in the wintertime to get that daily quota in!) I am doing much better in that department, too.

I’ve also discovered again how important good fats are to my adrenals!  I inadvertently cut back my fat intake (totally unintentional) and as has happened before–in 2-4 weeks it shows up in my adrenals not being happy.  An important thing to discover and be mindful of!  And I’m thankful that I discovered this before totally crashing.

What if I had decided to push harder?  Ignore the signs?  Really focus on an all out effort at the end?

I might have “won the battle” but then “lost the war”.

I realize the prizes are sweet!  I’ve been privileged to attend 3 T-Tapp Retreats and it is truly an amazing experience!  But if we lose our health, energy–our vitality in the process, have we really won?  Is that truly finishing well?

And the other side of the coin–if I throw in the towel, not taking the effort to take final measurements, photos and write my essay–I will never know, will I?  And that is not finishing well, either!

During last year’s Challenge one of my friends was discouraged as she was unable to do even a fraction of what she had planned.  An unplanned injury sidelined her.  But she focused on her core and ribs up, did what she could–and won in her category!  With mostly seated workouts!

What if she had thrown in the towel?  Decided there was no use so why go through the motions?

If nothing else, you will have the satisfaction that you have finished the course.  And you will be surprised at how much that will help you with consistency in the days after the Challenge, too.

Over the next week I plan to continue building upon the consistency I’ve built, continue to make better choices in my eating, take my measurements and pictures and write my essay.  I may not show a great change in my body from the Challenge, but I have succeeded in decreasing pain in one hip as well as weathering the issue with spasms in my neck.  I have regained flexibility and decreased inflammation in that side of my neck–“gains” that are much greater than any amount of inch loss!

How about you?  Have you had something (or several things!) come up that threatened to derail you?  Are you tempted to throw in the towel?

May I gently encourage you to use the towel in your workout and do what you can—stay the course–and finish strong?!  Yes We CAN!

(The photo at the top is Team Hoyt–Dick and Richard Hoyt, who have been competing in marathons, including the Boston Marathon, and 6 Ironman Triathlons for over 35 years.  Talk about finishing well in spite of challenges!  A true inspiration!  Oh, and did you know Dick will be 73 this year? 🙂

photo credit:  Peter Morville