I saw a Dolly Parton reel this week where she said, “When I say I’m hauling ass, it takes two trips.”
And I thought, well, there’s some motivation for you. 
Because one of the reasons I started Earned Miles, Earned Moments is that I would personally like my ass to require a little less hauling. But the bigger reason has nothing to do with the size of my ass.
Last week I shared that at 55, I’ve started thinking a lot more about what I want my body to be able to do as I get older. I want to travel with Phil, hike in beautiful places, garden, walk my dogs, get myself up off the floor, carry my own groceries and open my own damn jars.
Basically, I want to keep doing my own hauling for as long as possible. So this is me training for my future.
My first challenge officially starts September 1st: 90 intentional miles in September. That averages out to three miles a day, but I’m not worried about hitting exactly three every day. Some days might be two. Some might be four. I just want to get to 90 by the end of the month.
I’m also going to work on strength, balance and endurance, pay a little more attention to what I eat, and start noticing the everyday things that tell me whether I’m actually getting stronger and healthier.
There’s no particularly good reason to spend the next few days sitting on my ass waiting for September 1 just because that’s when I decided to start counting miles. I’m starting now—but won’t start counting until September 1.
Every Sunday, I’ll come back here and tell you how I did and spill all the sweaty tea. I’ll share how many miles I walked, the strength work I did, what went well, what didn’t, something useful I learned, what kept me moving that week, and hopefully an Earned Moment or two that made getting out there worthwhile.
And if you want to do this with me, pick your own challenge. IT DOES NOT NEED TO BE 90 MILES. THAT’S MY CHALLENGE.
Maybe for you it is biking 30 miles a week, walking around the block three times a week, 10 squats per day, walking to the corner and back once a day, adding 1,000 steps a day, or simply doing some leg lifts or arm exercises from your chair.
Start where you are and pick something that asks just a little more of you than you’re doing today.
If you want to join me, I put a free printable tracker in the comments if you want a way to track your progress. I needed something to help me track so I can report my progress and all the stuff. You do you
Next Sunday, I’ll come back with my Week 1 results and whatever I learned along the way.
Until then, I’ll be hauling ass. Hopefully in one trip eventually. 
If you want to come along for the miles, the moments and whatever happens in between, FOLLOW my fb page so you don’t miss the Sunday updates.
And if you’re joining the challenge, tell me in the comments what you’re working towards…nothing is too small. Right size the challenge for where you are!
Anyway—off we go…let’s do this!
© 2026 Erica Shoemaker. All rights reserved.
