When I woke up this morning and remembered it was the first day of October, there was a part of me that wondered how in the world did we make it this far?! 
2020 has affected us all in different ways, but perhaps one thing it’s done for every single one of us is prove that we have more grit than we ever gave ourselves credit for.
I mean my goodness, think of all you’ve been through this year! When I think about my own emotional roller coaster of a year, I’m like WOAH I’ve literally been all over the map.
I think about how I started January dealing with the most intense anxiety of my life. I was experiencing panic attacks, and found myself seeing a therapist and a psychiatrist, which I am forever grateful for.
Just as I was starting to feel better, the pandemic strikes and I’m playing all kinds of worse case scenarios in my head. I was so scared I was wiping down my groceries with Clorox wipes that I had carefully rationed out!
Then I became a homeschool teacher to my four kids, which I’m certain has given me PTSD. I’m soooo not a teacher, and still recovering.
Soon enough Eastertime was here, and they were like – yeah, 15 days to slow the spread? Just kidding!!! You’ll be living like this for a WHILE, so I felt like this.
After going an awful long time without putting myself together, I would get ready every once in a while and take photos to prove it.
This is how lunch and snacks were served most days. The kids were thrilled after seeing this tray for months on end!
Oh, and here’s that time I tried to give my son a haircut and he turned out looking like Lloyd from Dumb and Dumber.
Then I became a researcher. Reading all sorts of articles and data, eventually coming to the conclusion that I’m not that scared of the virus anymore, and that we can ease back into normal life. My kids went to parks again! They played with friends again! They saw their grandparents again!
Then thankfully in August we had some normalcy and our kids went BACK TO SCHOOL 5 days a week! 
It was at that point when I was like WOAH, that was a lot. I finally had a second to reflect and was spinning.
September was a hot mess as we adjusted to school life, and here I am in October going “GOSH DARN IT! I’m determined to END this year a lot stronger than it started!”
I’ve decided to put some ground rules in place to help me level up my physical and emotional health. I feel like I’ve sort of been going through the motions and need a challenge and something to focus on to kick some mediocrity to the curb!
Q4 Plan:
1. No alcohol Monday – Thursday. Too much 
this year. 
2. Drink a gallon of water a day.
3. Workout 5 – 6 days a week.
4. Listen to 10 minutes of personal development a day.
5. Dial in my nutrition (not go on a diet), having one “cheat meal” and dessert night a week!
6. Train to do a virtual 5K Turkey Trot on Thanksgiving!
7. End December with my pants feeling LOOSER than they are now!!! 
How are you holding up right now? Anyone else want to level up with me?! I mean if you could do ALL the hard things you’ve done this year, you can ABSOLUTELY create a healthy lifestyle these last 3 months.
I’m SO EXCITED to announce that I’m hosting a virtual 5K Turkey Trot for Thanksgiving, complete with tank tops and bib numbers! We’ll start our training on Monday, October 19th! Between now and then I’ll be setting the groundwork and educating you on how to create a healthy lifestyle that you can actually maintain over the long haul!
Registration opens on MONDAY, October 5th and spots will be filled on a first come, first served basis! I will be setting you up with strength + running workouts that will rock your world! If you’re interested in trying a FREE SAMPLE WORKOUT to see if this is something you’re interested in, fill out the form at the link below!
If you aren’t a runner and don’t want anything to do with a 5K there’s another option for you too!
https://forms.gle/K9Aiuy9HTTjWHGrk7
SO excited to crush the end of the year with you! Together, we CAN do hard things!
xo,
Amber
