How did you do with Week 2 of the August Challenge? My week had it fair share of challenges on top of trying to be compliant with this list. I noticed I had this post in draft mode and didn’t share it on time. This is week 2 of August (Aug. 9th thru Aug. 15th) and on Thursday, I’ll share Week 3 (Aug. 16th thru Aug. 22nd)

During the week is usually much easier to stick to a set plan since regular work and exercise schedules are already in place, there’s more of a routine and flow to the weekdays. But I notice that sometimes, by Thursday, my week tends to go sideways. Here’s what happened.

We are getting ready for back to school like many households across the country. Back when I was a kid, we went back to school after Labor Day in September. But, these days, many school districts, schedule back to school in mid August all the way through Labor Day week. My family up North was on vacation in Europe and the Caribbean, many friends went on Cruises or to Disney, while many of us were getting school supplies, packing up household goods and boxes of necessities. I spent my week running errands, folding clothes, gathering items no longer used/wanted to donate and getting in last-minute doctor appointments and eye exams. All of these tasks were in addition to my regularly scheduled activities of work, regular household chores, cooking, meal planning, food shopping, gardening and exercise.

When it came to Thursday, our neighbor stopped by for a drink. Since I wasn’t drinking due to this challenge and didn’t have any alcohol for more than 1 month, I felt the pressure to at least be social. So, I mixed our drinks, Single Malt Scotch on the rocks. When I poured the drink for myself, I split into 2 drinks and added extra ice. In reality I had just 1 drink. Even though, this is my challenge, I felt guilty in having that drink. I certainly didn’t want to disappoint any of you who were looking at me as an example and I felt I was letting everyone down by caving in. Then, I took hold of myself and thought, wait a minute, this is the exact type of thinking that got me morbidly obese in the first place. That all or nothing mentality was one of the main reasons I wasnt able to be successful with weight maintenance. So, I got over myself, sat and socialized and made sure to ENJOY my drink.

Over the weekend, my husband and I tackled a long put off project of demolishing a bar in our outdoor screened patio. The main reason this project was put on the back burner for such a long time, was because this was a project for 2 or more people. For so many years, I wasn’t physically able to do these sorts of projects.  With friends out-of-town wrapping up last-minute summer vacations, we were going to have to take on this project ourselves. I am so happy that I’m healthy and strong enough, with the fitness and endurance to be able to help take on such a heavy project. When all was said and done, we were relieved to finally be able to check this off our list and when I checked my fitbit ionic, I had burned 1100 calories!!

On Sunday, I enjoyed an ice cream with my husband, which I did feel guilty about, but made sure to have just one scoop.

After that, I finished out the week strong and did not veer from the list.

What I’m learning about myself throughout this challenge is I have the discipline, mindset, commitment, and consistency to adhere to these sorts of challenges and also, I have the ability to throw in the towel and cave in at times. I recognize to eat and drink certain things is my absolute choice. It’s that choice I need to examine further by asking myself, do I really need it? Is is good for my overall health? Will I feel guilty? Or, does the fact that it feels good for a moment outweigh the benefits? Is treating myself at times detrimental to my overall mental well-being and self-esteem? Why can refrain from the things on this list without incident and why is it so hard to keep away from them at other times? These are the questions I’ve been asking myself and looking forward to figuring out the answers to once and for all. I’ll continue to share what I’m thinking and where I’m at in the discovery of my underlying questions.

Stay tuned for week 3!! That is shaping up to be even more interesting!