100 Days of Sweat
“I am too tired
I don’t want to
Everything hurts
I want to quit
When will this be over”
– Me (every day during this journey)
November 26, 2018
I sat in my room watching a series of snap chat stories of Ammar (the co-founder of YesTheory) complete his newest challenge.
100 days of sweat. For the next four months, he would exercise/sweat every day.
When he first started, I was disinterested. I don’t think I fully acknowledged the idea until November 26, 2018 when I was sitting in my room, on snap chat, procrastinating writing cue cards and feeling like something was missing.
It wasn’t until then that I realized the commitment and drive it would take to complete a challenge like that. I let the idea of the goal flutter in my mind as I made excuses as to why I couldn’t do it.
I told myself “it’s so cold now, maybe I will wait until spring” or “I will definitely wait until finals are done, I can’t make the time for this until after exams” and “Ugh but then it is Christmas and I’ll be so busy…”
The excuses were endless. So, I told myself – NO.
Tomorrow.
Tomorrow I will start because if I keep waiting for someday, it might never come.
So, at 6am the next day (November 27, 2018) I woke up to start day 1 of 100 days of sweat.
The Rules
I would exercise every day from November 27th until March 6th for a total of 100 days. I would do whatever it takes until I sweat- some days it might be a gallon, others a single drop that hits the floor. And- I would vlog it to hold myself accountable.
**it should be known that those vlogs will probably never be released as a favour to everyone
The Beginning
The first few days were the most exciting. I had printed calendars on my wall that marked every 25th day of the challenge. Seeing the days grouped into quarters made it feel more achievable. I was telling as many people as I could, to try to show people what I was doing and to encourage people to do it with me. Unfortunately, no one that I knew personally joined me.
I was ready to start this challenge and see it through. I was proud of myself for taking on such an exhausting goal in the middle of one of the most stressful times of the year. I wanted to prove to people that I could do it.
Within these days I would find the time to exercise, whether it be in the early hours of the morning when I would sneak out of my house in the dark out into the freezing winter air, after exams or after two-hour cheer practices.
I always found the time.
As the weeks went on, the novelty began to wear off. Finding the time to exercise became increasingly difficult and my motivation was continuously decreasing. It felt more like a chore and less like a reward. Having to exercise on Christmas Day was not enjoyable, and waking up at 5 am to run was becoming unbearable.
The Middle
Day 50! That day was full of joy. I was half way there. Reaching this point in the challenge gave me perspective and the determination to finish what I had set out to do. It was around this time that people really started to reach out to me.
I received messages from friends and complete strangers sharing words of encouragement. Members of the YesTheory Fam who were also completing the challenge would reach out and congratulate me on my progress.
I had friends telling me how impressed and inspired they were by my commitment!
If you’re reading this now, just know that your messages are what made me want to keep going.
The End
In the final days of the challenge, I was so ready to be done. Every part of my body was in pain. Exercising every day without rest takes a toll on your body, and mine was overdue for a break.
When day 100 finally came, I was extremely relieved and immensely proud. I DID IT. I followed through with my goal, I achieved what I had set out to achieve. I proved the people that doubted me wrong and most importantly I stuck to my word.
I didn’t bail or quit.
I never let myself think, “well I’ll just skip today, no one will know”.
I saw it through to the end.
What I learned
This challenge was meant to be a personal fitness goal. I wanted to prove to myself that I could see it through. Before 100 days of sweat, I was stuck in a rut. I found myself saying “I don’t have the time” almost every day. Even the night when I decided to start the challenge, I was making excuses to keep pushing it back.
The biggest lesson that I learned from 100 days of sweat was to start. To stop making excuses and just BEGIN.
Not next week, not next month. NOW. Because making excuses is a slippery slope. You can say that you are going to do something until the cows come home, but actually doing it is a whole other story.
I learned that if you have a goal or a dream, you cannot just sit and hope and dream. You have to act. You can’t wait or push it back or expect it to fall into place, just start.
Starting is the hardest part, but everything that comes afterwards is easy.
JUST START.
What I recommend
I am not a personal trainer or health guru and I hope that people see this as more of an personal perspective and less of a guide.
With that being said, I do not think that exercising for 100 days straight is healthy for your body. It is not something that I would recommend for the faint hearted. It takes a toll.
My goal was not to push my body to the breaking point, it was to prove to all of the people (myself included) that say, “I don’t have time to exercise” that that is not an excuse. Everyone has the time, it is just that not everyone makes it a priority. If you want to exercise, you will prioritize it and find the time, it really is as simple as that.
Did I want to exercise when I had back to back exams? No.
Did I want to run after a two-hour cheer practice? Nope.
Did I want to leave Christmas breakfast early to go to the gym before my flight? Definitely not. But I did, because I made the time.
However, rest days are essential. Your body needs them to refuel and readjust- especially if you are exercising to see change. Rest days give your body the time it needs to reform. When I did 100 days of sweat, I saw changes and results until around day 40. From then on, my body plateaued.
**Now, that was just me personally, some people might have continued to see changes, it is different for everyone.
In the end, I learned a lot about discipline and determination. I filled the missing piece of me that I was feeling and felt proud of myself. Maybe I will do it again, maybe I won’t, but I am glad that I proved to myself that it is attainable.
100 days of sweat was an incredible, exhausting, painful, and rewarding journey and I want to say thank you to everyone that supported me along the way.
I hope that others feel inspired to try it out and see that excuses are just an obstacle in the way of opportunity. If you can eliminate them, you’ll find that your dreams and goals will go from out of reach to the palm of your hands.
The rest is up to you.
So just do it.
Begin.
