Yesterday, my son and I started 75 Hard – a physical, spiritual and mental challenge.

My reasons for this are simple – I need to keep my heart guarded and my mind filled with hope and perseverance and work my body harder than I have been.

It’s been almost 3 years since I’ve been able to drive and it’s starting to make me feel trapped.

If you know me at all, then you know I have wrestled with that all my life. I have learned to control it by giving it to God- those 20 sessions in the hyperbaric chamber at Shawn Jordan’s gym was a refining, enlightening rite of passage.
I cried and prayed so much in that thing. It healed my heart in many ways.

But, Greg Mead has been on the road since Labor Day and Hunter Mead has been in Illinois since then, too, which means I’ve only been going to work and staying home.

It has been starting to make me have flashbacks filled with regrets- what if, should I have, why didn’t I?

That’s my mind playing tricks on me and God tells me in His word that I have to guard my heart and lean on Him, not my point of view but His.

This time isn’t punishment, it’s growth and I’m not too much trouble, it’s just not the right time.

The best way for me to handle things has always been to keep myself busy- busy with the right things and in the right ways…. Filling my home and my heart with gratitude instead of disappointments.

Reminding myself of the great things God has done for me, His promises, His incredible gifts to me- it still blows my mind that I, the girl that was told I would never be loved, have been married to this amazing man since I was 19 and have 4 children that love me, and love each other to pieces, and two of them married and I get to love and be loved by Geoffrey Lyons and Lacy Mead and those two kids have given me 8 grandchildren! Lord, goodness gracious! I am blessed beyond measure.

Which brings me to another reason- with all these grands, I want to be stronger and faster so I cancan chase after them and do all the things with them instead of sitting on the sidelines with a swollen knee.

My prayer every day is to see them each get married and to dance at their weddings…. And the weddings of my two single sons..

I’ve been praying for the right women to come along for Gregory and Hunter and I sure would like to have that happen real soon! Anybody know the feeling?!?!

So anyways after a long day at work, we ate dinner and then we hit the gym together.

I’ll be driving y’all crazy with my updates every day as I do my own version of 75 hard along with my training program with Son Do. He’s the one handling the physical part – I’m making sure I get 45 minutes of cardio every day, along with squats and lunges which I can do anywhere.

Here’s my breakdown of what I’ll do every day.

Drink that dang gallon of water.
Read my Bible and devotional every morning.
Read a chapter of a book every day.
Write on my blogs.
Do 45 minutes of cardio- rower and cycle inside.
Spend 45 minutes outside- watering plants, playing, walking, praising – as long as I’m outside.
Take the picture- take the picture!
Pray, praise, ponder, persevere, be present and in awe.

I will not spend more time that necessary on social media, I will not throw myself a pity party or invite anyone to a pity party. I will not give up desserts or chocolate cocoa and I’ll eat birthday cake, banana pudding and my Momma’s cake because Thanksgiving and Christmas are coming and I’ll still be in the 75 Challenge.

What I will do is- welcome anyone that wants to do any part of it with me. Lol

Kateley Lyons knows that Ruthie will do 61 squats with me!

My plan is simple

Read and write every day.

My Bible and devotionals count but I’m also reading books too.

Drink a gallon of water.

Do 45 minutes of cardio- cycling, rowing, stair steps.

Lift weights.

Acts of gratitude-playing it forward!

45 minutes outside time every day.

This is a piece of cake!