Yes, I’ve really worked out 100 days in a row…yes, I still have a double chin.

A little over 100 days ago, on February 1st, I started a workout streak.

At this point in my life, I’ve learned what helps keep me motivated to create a habit and one of those is creating a ‘streak’.

The concept is simple…download a counter app on your phone. Create a new counter entitled whatever habit you’re trying to form and from the very first day you start to whenever you decided to stop, add a point for each day you successfully complete said habit.

I really wanted to get into a better workout routine and I knew that once I started this streak, something in me would not let me break it.

That’s how all of this started…now let me fill you in on what’s happened since.

What Was My Workout Routine Like Before?

To preface, I grew up as a competitive dancer for 15 years. At one point, putting in 24 hours at the studio per week.

I stopped dancing in my junior year of high school due to an injury and in the five years since, my exercise levels have varied.

I worked out at the gym in college but was never really in a good routine. Going to the gym was also not something that any family members or friends did, so I never really had it modeled to me how to go to the gym and the importance of doing so.

Needless to say, I was a gym newbie and that can be tough.

Now, in my post-grad era, I was determined to make fitness a priority of mine. Before I started my workout streak, I averaged 2–3 days in the gym and one additional workout outside of going to the gym.

Now, I do at least 4 workouts at the gym (usually 5) and 2–3 workouts outside of the gym.

What Were My Goals?

My goals for working out were multi-dimensional.

Various family members of mine have experienced extreme back and neck issues throughout their lives so my first goal was to take preventative measures against experiencing those same issues.

I also wanted to be able to avoid experiencing pain from the very injury that caused me to quit dance- tendonitis in both knees.

Not to mention, I’m terrified of my body and its capabilities slowly disintegrating with my desk job.

Probably the biggest goal I had with this pertains to what I believe to be the ultimate purpose of my life- to be a mom.

I want to make sure that my body is strong for when I eventually get pregnant and give birth, equipt for something as strenuous as pregnancy and labor.

I know I know…a bit forward-thinking as I don’t plan to have kids for another eight years but I’m trying to set myself up for success here, okay? Better now than later…

What Has The Process Been Like?

Let me just say, it has not been easy…but it’s been worth it.

I travel bi-weekly for work and make frequent trips back to my home state. I’m constantly in a state of inconsistency when it comes to the environment around me and the accessibility I have to resources.

I have worked out in Canada, Kentucky, Ohio, Virginia, Turks and Caicos, New York City, Arkansas, New Mexico, and more in just the past 100 days.

I’ve worked out in home gyms, hotel gyms, airports, and in my driveway. I’ve workout out at 5 o’clock in the morning and 11 o’clock at night and everywhere in between.

I’ve worked out sick, healthy, sad, and happy. I’ve worked out after good days and bad. I even started crying during one of my workouts. Yeah…that was rough.

Let me be the first to say that this has been a mental battle like no other.

Trust me when I say that after traveling for 10 hours, on three flights and a car ride home, I did NOT want to work out. But there was no choice.

One of the hardest days mentally was when I was in Turks and Caicos, on vacation. I had woken up early and simply didn’t want to work out.

Each set I did felt heavier and heavier. Each break in between the sets became longer and longer in an attempt to procrastinate the workout as I was doing the workout.

I just wanted to be reading by the beach, man.

So…What Have the Results Been?

I am happy to report great results so far!

You know when you sit for hours on end and your back, neck, hips, and basically everything is hurting? Due to working out for 100 days, I experience very little to no lower back or body pain when I am sitting on an airplane, in a car, or at work for long periods of time.

Not only that, but I never wake up from a night’s sleep with back, shoulder, or neck pain. I used to experience that about once or twice a week and now I never do.

Speaking of sleep, I fall asleep almost instantly and get way better sleep. Working out has been linked to the improvisation of both of those things and boy am I glad that I get to reap those benefits.

In general, I’m just a lot stronger. Before this whole streak thing, I rarely worked my upper body strength…I was a dancer. All our strength is in our core and lower body. But I wanted that to change.

Now, you can see the muscles I have in my back, shoulders, and arms. Granted they’re small but hey! Give my tiny muscles some credit!

I also just feel my muscles engaging more throughout the day- when I get out of bed, when I’m reaching for something on a high shelf, ya know…the normal daily activities the require muscle, strength, and mobility.

Because of the streak I have been keeping, I have gotten myself into a much better workout routine. I know what workouts focus on each area of the body. I know how to push myself at the gym, physically.

Finally, I have gotten mentally stronger.

Working out every day is a huge mental push. When you are lifting heavier weights or rowing more meters the mental battle becomes harder than the physical action.

When every fiber of your body would rather be anywhere but the gym and you still push yourself to go…that’s where I’ve experienced the greatest mental growth.

In the good times and the bad, in the most ideal situations and least, I have continued to work out.

And perhaps most importantly, every day I walk out of the gym, workout complete, I successfully fulfill a self-made promise. And keeping those is priceless.

Real Talk

I am proud of myself for making it to day 100 and will be stunned when I make it to day 365.

Never could I have imagined keeping a workout streak. BUT I have an incredibly strong support system and they help to push me in keeping my streak.

I’ve learned a lot so far and have experienced all the benefits but I’m wondering; are the greatest benefits going to come within the first three months? After that…will there be any more benefits or will it simply be the benefit of routine?

I don’t know yet but I’ll be sure to report back on day 365.

All in all, I hope this encourages you to start a streak of your own. Who knows, maybe you’ll find yourself working out 100 days in a row too!

Let’s keep pushing ourselves beyond what our perceived limits are, okay? Let’s strive to be 1% better every day. We can do this.