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The Medium 75

1/19/2023

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The fall was an exciting time for me, I was starting a new job in a different field and I was equally nervous and excited. As the job was remote, a month in I had yet to meet any of my colleagues in person. But that was about to change, I was headed to the home office to finally meet the non-virtual versions of my new coworkers. As I began to pack my carry-on the night before my flight, I got a glimpse of myself in the full-length mirror in my bedroom and I was shocked by what I saw. The vision I had of myself did not match the version reflected. I realized that I had gained weight over the years and it had managed to creep up on me without my realizing it. 

    During my meetings that week, I couldn't stop thinking about my appearance and how others might see me. I was self-conscious about introducing myself to new people and felt more nervous than ever before while giving presentations. As I lay in my hotel room one night, trying to come up with a solution to change, I stumbled upon a TikTok video featuring a very fit man talking about a challenge called "The Hard 75." It seemed like an intense challenge, with five tasks to complete every day for 75 days: drinking a gallon of water, committing to a diet, abstaining from alcohol, no cheat days, reading 10 pages of a non-fiction book, taking a daily progress picture, and completing two 45-minute workouts, one that had to be outside. It seemed impossible, but the more I thought about it, the more intrigued I became.
I’ve tried countless diets and workout routines before, but nothing seemed to work for me. I would always tell myself I would "start on Monday," but then the day would come and go without any action taken. Or I would start something, only to lose motivation after a few days. The idea of committing to a set of tasks for 75 days appealed to me because it was a specific, finite goal. I like making lists and crossing things off, and this seemed like the perfect opportunity. So, I decided to start the challenge the day I flew home. I didn't want to make any more promises to myself about starting in the future. I was ready to jump right in and give it my all.
Water
    The first task on the list was drinking a gallon of water daily. I thought this would be easy since I already carried a reusable water bottle with me everywhere. However, I quickly realized I didn't drink as much water as I thought. The first two weeks were a struggle as I found myself chugging water before bed just to meet the daily goal. I eventually learned to spread my water intake throughout the day to avoid feeling like I was pounding beers in college trying to catch up. Overall, this had a positive impact that I think will stay with me, and I absolutely think I can see a difference in my skin.
Diet
    The second challenge was diet. This is always my Achilles heel because I love all food, so staying on a strict diet has never worked for me. I decided to take a more relaxed approach and set some specific guidelines for myself. I committed to not eating fast food or ordering delivery, and I downloaded two apps to help me stay on track. The first was a meal planning app that offered meal plans for various diets and created a shopping list for me based on my chosen meals. I had all my groceries delivered for the first month to avoid temptation at the store. The second app was a calorie tracker that allowed me to enter everything I ate and automatically calculated my macros and tracked my weight loss. This was a simple and easy way to hold myself accountable. I work in tech and enjoy data, so this was a bonus. I did cheat on the food and alcohol once on Christmas, but that was the only time.
Reading
    The third challenge was to read 10 pages of a non-fiction book every day. Reading isn't a problem for me; I love books and read every day. The non-fiction aspect stumped me because I hate self-help and business books. They always seem self-serving to me, with rich and successful people telling you how you can be just like them if you only follow their advice. However, I didn't give up and found a way to make the challenge work for me. Since I had recently transitioned from sales to marketing, I Googled the list of the top 10 books about marketing and started working my way through them. Some of them were cheesy with repetitive content, but others were great and taught me a lot more than I expected. Reading these books helped me transition into my new role and changed my opinion on non-fiction books. I also learned that being negative and judgmental isn't productive and hope to carry this attitude forward and be more open-minded.
Progress Pic
The fourth challenge was to take a daily progress picture. I didn't do it because I didn't want to see myself as I was at the time. Looking back, I regret not taking the pictures. I think I was afraid that I wouldn't see a difference or that I would quit, and the pictures would be a depressing reminder of my failure. However, I learned that sometimes we learn the most when we do things that scare us or that we don't want to do. Just because we are afraid of something doesn't mean we should avoid it.
Workout
Finally, number five. My weakness is exercise. Immediately I knew I couldn’t commit to two 45-minute workouts (one outside) every day. I didn’t want to set myself up for failure, so I made an adjustment, started calling it “The Medium 75” and committed to one workout every day. A hidden benefit of my health insurance is a free one-year membership to Apple Fitness + (it’s common, and they don’t advertise it, so if you get your health insurance through your employer you should check and see if you get it. They offer the same for Peloton as well). I have an Apple Watch and it syncs with your TV and tracks all your activity, it also adds it to the calorie tracker program I used and as mentioned, I love data, so it was a perfect solution for me. It also shares your info with friends, so I found a workout buddy to help push me. (Thanks Drew!)
 The first few days of the challenge were the hardest, but Apple Fitness + had a 15-day beginner program that walked me through some intro workouts in different categories like HIIT, strength, yoga, core, and dance. I mostly did HIIT workouts with weights because they were fun and felt like the most efficient way to exercise. I did mix it up a bit depending on how I was feeling that day and added in some yoga and dance routines. On those days, I also did a 5-minute core or 10-minute strength workout. As time went on, the workouts got easier and I felt stronger. My body also moves much better than it did when I started. I even got into the meditations, which I was terrible at in the beginning because I couldn't sit still. However, I learned to appreciate the time spent meditating and it has become an important part of my routine.
I'm now on day 80 and I haven't quit yet. Upon reflection, I don't think the point of this challenge was just to make it through 75 days, but to build healthy habits that I can sustain in the long term. I now look forward to my daily workouts and don't see any reason to stop. I have switched back to reading fiction books, but I do think I will indulge in non-fiction more often and am glad I read books that I never would have opened before. My confidence has also been restored but differently. It's not just about how I look, but how I feel. I feel accomplished and capable of hard things, and I don't want to lose that feeling again. I'm glad I found something that worked for me. We're all programmed differently and respond to different triggers and rewards, so this plan may not work for everyone. It's important to keep searching for something that works for you. As they say, sometimes you have to kiss a lot of frogs before you find the right one.


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​Katharine Wheeler is the author of "There is no Cloud" and "Cloud Judgement". Kat has a long history in the AV industry, where she worked in sales for 18 years before transitioning into product marketing. She has a passion for technology that began at a young age when she received her first computer, a Commodore64. In her free time, Kat enjoys practicing yoga, playing poker, following sports, and exploring new places - she has visited 46 states and lived in 6. In the future, Kat hopes to one day settle down and own a dog, as well as become the first woman to win the World Series of Poker Main Event.

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The High Road

12/7/2022

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Like it is - according to Diane

A few years ago I was imagining what the high road might look like as a metaphor. I ended up making a poster that said, “The high road has a great view.”  I was never meant to convey someone looking down on someone, but instead, someone looking down at something. A bird’s eye view often helps us see a bigger picture, and when I imagined the phrase from this POV, it gave the phrase, “take the high road” a whole new meaning. 

—--

The high road has a great view.

Every step reminds me of walking up the winter hill; a crazy carpet in hand. 
Balance reduced to the space between knees and the icy snow - ready to inflict pleasure or pain.
Toes gripping boots, boots gripping snow.
A bruised knee. Hands bracing a fall.
A rogue toboggan darting down the hill. 
Finally reaching the crescendo of wintertime sounds.
Of snow, of breath, of swooshing snow pants and of a runny nose.
I still remember the view. 
It’s splendor magnified with every thump in my chest.
8 years old and we’d climb. Again and again.
Because despite the fact we’d return to the bottom in seconds,
The moments we spent on top, would last us a lifetime. 
The high road has a great view.


Like it is - according to Vail

In theory, taking the high road seems like it would always be the right choice. Rise
above. Don’t let others steal your joy. Not your monkeys, not your circus. And on most
occasions, I like to think that when given the option that I steer up and out of the chaos, with a
vast and clear road ahead.
However, the high road sometimes isn’t/doesn’t seem accessible. We revert to our old
ways of thinking and patterns. One particular place where that high road seems to be eluding
me is in my interactions surrounding my son. I sometimes wonder if because he is a child, my
inner-child is also there with him, unable to gain access to the high road.
The other thought about the high road is whether taking the high road sometimes
weighs on our mental health and doesn’t let us set the necessary boundaries. So, as I think
about the high road, I think about which circumstances make for a smooth ride above and
when it might be best to stay down in the messy struggle to either grow or fight for something
that needs a soldier.
It might be a matter of the heart. Your heart might tell you whether the high road is the
“right” path or not.
High Road
  • Someone gives you a compliment that is not a compliment (see earlier post). High Road.
  • You get a nasty email from someone in a work environment that misses the mark. High
Road.
  •  Someone cuts you off while driving. High Road.
  • Customer service is being rude about a transaction. High Road.
  • Your toddler is having a tantrum. High Road.
Fight the Fight
  • A loved one is being hurt. Fight the fight.
  • Someone has questioned/tarnished your integrity. Fight the fight.
  • The actions of others are causing you harm. Fight the fight.
  • Someone has crossed a moral line. Fight the fight.
Fighting the fight doesn’t necessarily need to be rude, but it requires staying down in the
muddiness of life and making sure that your heart or the hearts of others are safe. It might take
a lot of deep breathing and self-reflection and it might not be the easy way through, but we
want our next destination to be a better, safer, and more inspiring place to be.
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Anything But Corona

4/8/2020

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Like it is - according to Diane

Like many posts I write, the inspiration comes from one place, my bike. There is something euphoric about riding fast, riding familiar streets and riding both up and down hills. Today I am going to share a few takeaways from a particular stretch of today’s ride. It’s a segment of hill that is .85km long with a 2.7% grade (it’s not so steep). It’s called Olimpo and I have ridden it 41 times; 12 this week. 

When I know I am riding the next day, I fall asleep thinking of the ride. All the parts. And I love it .Today I rode Olimpo four times chasing a Personal Best and really trying to crack the top 10 all time scores on Strava. While chasing a PB and a top-ten spot exists, there are much more important reasons I ride. 

Personal Best (PB): 1:57

First Climb:
I approach this climb after taking an easy loop and a fast downhill. From experience, I know that my first climb is usually my fastest so I make a few rules for myself. 
  1. Start fast
  2. Settle in during the middle
  3. Finish Fast
  4. Climb standing
  5. Finish gasping for air

Today I finished the first loop and then thought about how much of an Obliger I am. There was no one else on the hill, so no one to chase, so no one to prove myself to. 

Takeaway: Character is built when no one else is watching. 
Time: 2:02

Second Climb:
I always allow myself to relax a little bit on the second lap so that I can learn from the first climb and implement it on the 3rd. As I approached it today, I had one rule:
  1. Climb standing

Takeaway: Give yourself permission to slow down. Enjoy the ride. 
Time: 2:36

Third climb:
By the third loop, I usually try to do a fast loop leading up to the hill. Today I had a lot of self-talk going on, making myself promises and begging other riders to catch up or slow down so that I could have a friend (aka - competition) to ride up the hill with. I asked myself if I could PR it with my energy level. And I answered, yes. My third loop rules were these:
  1. Don’t break on the downhill leading up to the climb
  2. Take the inside edge of the climb and ride smart
  3. Climb standing
  4. PR it

Takeaway: Your best isn’t relative to the past - it’s only reliant on the present. 
Time: 2:08 

Fourth Climb:
By the last lap I spend the entire loop leading up to the climb planning. Since I was really alone the whole ride, I thought I would imaging Ricky, just in front of me, and I could chase this little avatar up the hill. It wasn’t until I started to descend that I thought more and more about it and decided that I would practice an out of body moment and chase myself. I would imaging a transparent me, just in front of myself and I would chase it up the hill. My rules were;
  1. Climb standing
  2. Push and pull the pedals
  3. Chase yourself
  4. Finish on empty

Takeaway: If you can find rhythm in discomfort, it’s not all that bad. 
Time: 2:02 

I was chasing a PR today. And I didn’t get one. While that is moderately deflating (cause I thought my last climb was smooth) - it will never take away from a ride. I get out on my bike because it gives me the space and time to put what’s in my head, into my legs and lungs. My thoughts are purposeful and present and time and time again, I am left breathless - in the - just rode up a hill as fast as I could - kind of way. 

When life is busy as all hell - it’s hard to find lessons and nuggets. Find your thing - settle in - watch it work. 

  • Character is built when no one else is watching. 
  • Give yourself permission to slow down. Enjoy the ride. 
  • Your best isn’t relative to the past - it’s only reliant on the present. 
  • If you can find rhythm in discomfort, it’s not all that bad. 

Peace.

​
Like it is - according to Vail

​“Raindrops on roses
And whiskers on kittens
Bright copper kettles and warm woolen mittens
Brown paper packages tied up with strings
These are a few of my favorite things”
 
The Sound of Music
 
I actually don’t envision myself singing these lyrics as I spin freely through the Austrian countryside.  These lyrics remind me of my mom.  She used to quietly sing or hum this tune as I sat in her lap, arms holding me tightly. My mom also lived with us for a month after my son, Oliver, was born.  I would sometimes catch her rocking him back and forth and humming about favorite things. 
 
It is important to have favorite things; those memories of my mom are some of them.
 
As a list girl, I also wanted to share a few of my favorite things these days.
 
  1. Running: I know.  There might be a collective eye roll here, reading that running is one of my favorites.  I definitely got to a point in my life where it wasn’t one of my favorite things.  It was an obligation.  I was running 5 to 6 days a week and shaming myself when I didn’t get the job done.  Here is the “things happen for a reason” moment.  I had to give it up, and not just for a week.  I had to give up running for four years.  In those years, the appreciation came back.  Now when I tie my laces and head out the door, I can’t wait for the kilometers of alone time where my body feels strong and alive.
 
  1. Belly laughs.  This one comes straight from Diane Clement. J  On a weekend where we were sharing a house in Cuernavaca Mexico, Oliver let out one of those giggles that is contagious.  It makes you belly laugh.  Diane told me that day that she tried to make sure she makes her girls laugh at least once a day, just like that.  It sounds simple, and it is.  The greatest thing about having that goal is that you need to be present with the laughter, and when you listen to the giggle, you get so much back.
 
  1. Wine.  I am just being honest here.  I am a sucker for memes about vino that remind us to say, “wine not”.  When I travel, I always try and find a vineyard to visit.  I have a running list of wines that I like and their ratings.  However, I am not a sommelier, nor do I order the most expensive wine on the menu.  Why do I like it so much then?  It is the connection.  My dream scenario is me with a bottle (or a vineyard full) of wine and a group of my favorite people.  For me, wine is to be shared.  When I am sipping on wine, it is the conversation and the connection that make it taste so delicious.
 
  1. Books:  I am a self-professed nerd.  I really love to read, and I am a pretty equal opportunity reader.  Novels, non-fiction, self-help, you name it, I will read it.  From the days where I laid for hours on a bunk bed in the sweltering heat of the summer reading The Babysitters Club to the moments when I am now hidden in our cave-office in the basement pouring through text about education and technology, it has been a constant.  It helps me escape, keeps me company and sets my brain on fire. 
 
The list could certainly go on and it might be different 10 minutes or two months from now, but for now I will be strolling around my house singing.
 
Raindrops on roses
And running through parks
Belly laughs and bottles of wine
And books with worn pages.
These are a few of my favorite things.

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Mexico City Traffic

6/18/2019

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Like it is - According to Diane

Let’s start here. In Mexico, there isn’t a driving test to get a licence. You pay $40, go to the transit office with a proof of address and an official ID and your licence is ready in about five minutes. It is very convenient. Until it’s not.

I discovered the licence thing during my first year here, when I would see people repeatedly put their right blinker on - and then turn left. Or vice versa.  And the old saying landed, “They know not what they do.” Most people here in the city have never had to learn the rules of the road. For that reason, it is unsafe to cross the street on the crosswalk, because for many, the white lines are not understood.

There are also stoplight inconsistencies. You know the delay in lights where your light turns red, and then there are two-three seconds before the opposite light turns green. In Mexico City, we don’t have that delay. One light turns red WHILE the other turns green, and when it does turn green, the person behind you honks (in case you didn’t see it turn green). Add this to the fact that many people driving in Mexico believe that red lights are optional, and intersections take on a whole new meaning.

Many entrances to the highway do not have a space to enter and merge, you just enter the “slow” lane and hope the car behind you will slow down while you accelerate. Most traffic police are on their phones, or passing the “secret book” to the person they pulled over so that they can deposit bribe money into it to pay them off (confession - I have paid it three times). Some days a road is reversed in direction, and others it isn’t, motorcycles have no lane, the potholes are sometimes a foot deep, bus drivers truly believe that they have the right of way 100% of the time, the street signs are often twisted and you can’t tell which way is which, people often walk on the road instead of the sidewalk, there are streets where you’ve seen or heard of muggings so your guard goes up when you are stopped on them, people constantly stop/park in the right hand land of some of the cities busiest streets, and driving 5k can often take over an hour. This list is just a start.

Why would anyone drive here?  

Mexico city has advanced so much with accessible alternatives. We can take the metro-bus, the subway, register for Mobike, Eco-bici, V-bike, E-conduce Scooters, Lime, Grin, Movo, Bird Foot-Scooters or, we can walk. So why would anyone drive?

Driving in Mexico, sometimes this means the difference between bread on the table and no bread on the table. In my case, I am becoming more-and-more aware of the privilege I live - and driving is a choice.  When you move to a city with 21,000,000 bustling souls, sometimes you just gotta put in a podcast and be grateful you get to listen to the whole thing before you get home.

Toot, toot.  

Bonus! Check out THIS amazing birds eye of the city!




Like it is - According to Vail
 
Traffic… that word.
 
You have no idea what that word does to my body and my stress level.  My brow begins to furrow, my heart starts to race and unfortunately inappropriate words begin to fly out of my mouth. 
 
The scene.  It is Christmas time in Mexico City and I have had a long week at work.  All I want is to get back to my house, open a bottle of wine and enjoy the weekend and the season.  On my 9.2 km (5.7 miles) commute back that sunny December day, at about 2 hours in, I was at a complete standstill.  I could see my building.  It was almost taunting me as I sat there helpless.  There was nothing I could do.  I thought about abandoning my car…
 
This is how bad it gets.
 
However, as most things in life, the difficulties often teach us a lesson, if we will let them.  What traffic has taught me is that it is all about how we manage and respond to situations that counts.
 
Sitting in that traffic jam that day, I was livid.  Fuming. 
 
I would like to think that if I were in that same traffic jam today, I would relax my shoulders and let go or let it be.  It isn’t that I have reached a complete Zen state with traffic these days, but I usually chose to do one of two things:
 
Avoid it:
I sold my car shortly after the Xmas car fiasco.  Whether hitching a ride or taking an Uber, I let someone else take the wheel.  That shift of not being in the driver’s seat has allowed me to relax and curse less. 
 
Also, I love to walk.  If at all possible, I walk instead of driving.  In this city, it is usually a time saver. It is also a whole lot healthier.
 
This may seem extreme, but I also say no to moving far from my house during peak traffic hours.  If I have to struggle for hours to get somewhere, I am not going to be in the mood to enjoy it.
 
Make it your playground, your adventure:
 
Now, there are some places I have to get to in my car.  It is inevitable.  I have to get in the car and I have to behind the wheel.
 
There are moments when I am stuck behind an endless sea of red taillights and my breath begins to quicken.  That is when I decide how I want to play.  I might call a friend, play a podcast or meditate (eyes wide open, listening to my breath).  I try to remember that I will not get anywhere faster the angrier I get.
 
Big cities mean heart-crushing traffic.  However, in Mexico City, like most cities, there is insanely amazing food, a plethora of art exhibits and events and incredible weather for you to enjoy it in.
 
So, strap on your seatbelt and get out and enjoy life.  (I just suggest you do it on the weekend, with less traffic.)
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    Diane Clement is a 40 something whipper snapper who believes that the key to staying young is to have kids late in life. She hasn't slept in 36 months. 

    Vail Hilbert leaves footprints of radiance everywhere she goes. She's working on being as authentic as possible and this may lead to the occasional, "No, but thanks for asking!"

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