Editor’s Note: Susan McCreath has been selected to participate in the Year of You, a fitness challenge hosted by The Manteca Bulletin and CORE Athletic Performance. McCreath is keeping a weekly journal, highlighting the strides and struggles of her fitness journey. These are her thoughts and feelings shared with you.

Day 216:  It’s Monday and I am already exhausted! Work is so mentally challenging right now and having meetings before and after school does not help. I literally passed out asleep when I got home from work. Waking up at 10 p.m. from a nap is not conducive to sleeping well the rest of the night either. 

Day 217: I have not been so great about working out this past week, but I made it to the gym tonight. It’s a lifting night for shoulders and chest. I have a great partner tonight who pushes me to lift heavier than I normally do. The burn feels good and I know this is where I need to be.

Day 218: My shoulders are so sore that it is difficult to keep my arms raised to drive the car! Actually, it is more like they are weak and fatigued. On my way to work this morning I decide to pick up donuts for my staff meeting this morning. A funny thing though happened on the way to the donut shop......I turned the car around and decided not to get the donuts!! Donuts are not healthy so why should I tempt people with them. There are many of us doing a biggest loser challenge at work right now and buying donuts is really not a great decision.  I am happy that I did not buy the donuts and tell myself that I am going to bring fruit and yogurt to our next meeting.

Day 219: It’s a good thing that I am eating pretty clean because the workouts are just not happening. I have discovered one interesting fact though when I miss workouts the only people that ask where I have been or why I am not working out are males!!! That’s right, only males ask why I didn’t make it! Not once on this journey have I had a female ask why I have missed workouts and I have a pretty good suspicion as to why this is the case because ladies (moms) know how freakin’ busy other ladies are!! They get it. 

Day 220: Heading to Oregon straight after work for the first football game of the season. I try my best to plan out my strategy in my head of eating clean. It’s like a broken record in my mind —make the right choice! 

Day 221:  You just have to love free breakfast buffet at the hotel!!! I’m good though and choose yogurt and fruit knowing that there could be some wicked temptations at the stadium! The game is incredible and I get a major workout going back and forth from our seats to the restroom. Now that’s what I call a stair workout. 

Day 222:  All day in the car stinks! I’m tired, I’m bored and that’s a bad combination! I finally give into a diet soda and a small bag of chips. It’s amazing what one can think about while on the road that long. I probably spent a good portion of the time thinking about all the foods I should eat and which foods I should not eat.  I daydream about working out and then get ticked off at myself for not making it to the gym. And then I start to wonder about what others daydream about while on road trips? Do others think about food as much as I do??