I was sitting here, writing another blog post, when I thought, why not share my experiences with the whole process with everyone else. A blog is a place for ideas to flow and let others, who might share your thoughts, ideas, or opinions, coneect with you. SO, why not share how I huff and puff and procrastinate and struggle and cry and heave and sigh through all of these challenges?
And even now, I sit here and write all of those reactions, but the reaction I seem to have the most is a huge smile plasted on my face whenever I accomplish a set. Every little set is a victory for me. I am sore, and tired, and even on days like today, sick, but I still smile at the end, becasue I have accompliched something that I didn't think was possible. Just in a few minutes.
Last month, if you had told me that I would be able to do 35 sit ups in one sitting, I would have laughed, and told you that you had the wrong girl. But I just did it! Me! Caitlynne Scagel, hater of all things aerobic (not really, but it does sound more dramatic that way) did 35 sit ups with minimal breaks. Before today, I couldn't even fathom doing 35 sit ups. And by the end of the challenge, I will be doing 180 in a workout. 180! That is insane! But I am actually very excited about it.
When I first found this Challenge on Facebook, I was like, okay cool, this starts out simple.
NOT!
Just to see where I was, I tried to do a sit up. I did two. Two. That's it. And day one of the challenge is 15! Fifteen.
I was going to quit, and to throw in the towel a full week and a half before I even started the month.
And then I said "No. I am better, stronger, and more determined that his. I will find a way." And I did.
The 5 days before the program, I worked myself up slowly to doing the first day's worth of reps.
This is what my schedule looked like:
Monday 24: 3 sit ups, 1 crunch, 1 leg raise, 6 sec plank
Tuesday 25: 6 sit ups, 2 crunches, 2 leg raises, 7 sec plank
Wednesday 26: 9 sit ups, 3 crunches, 3 leg raises, 8 sec plank
Thursday 27: 12 sit ups, 4 crunches, 4 leg raises, 9 sec plank
Friday 28: 15 sit ups, 5 crunches, 5 leg raises, 10 sec plank
This got me up to doing day one of the Challenge. Now, I know this may not seem like a lot at first, but the most important thing about this is, do what you can with the best for you can. If you hurt yourself because of bad form, that isn't you not being fit enough to exercise, that's you being lazy enough not to learn your form correctly. Even if you can only do one of everything, at least you know that you have worked the correct muscle groups.
Go online and watch some videos of people doing these exercises sot hat you can see how they are done properly. Learn hand positions and leg angles, and let yourself be taught. Listen and watch, don't just brush it off at a sit-up, it's an exercise, treat it like one.
I'm only on day six of thirty, and I am sore and tired and want to know what I was thinking, but I happy I am doing this, for my mind, and my body.
For me, this is the perfect exercise in non-instant gratification. While I am doing it, it sucks, and it hurts, and I want to whine like a baby, but when I suck it up and do what needs doing, I feel great, and I couldn't be happy, though I couldn't be more sore! And, I'm sure, after 30 days of doing this, I will see results at the end of March. At least I hope so. Let me know if you want pictures. I might post them irregardless. We will see.
Every day, I will update you on how I did, what I did, and how I am feeling. Some days might be longer than others. But, for the most part, you will see a lot of pain, and struggle, and frustration, but also a lot of confidence, and determination and resilience.
I hope this inspires you to hop off the couch and onto the floor or the gym or the road and challenge yourself. It's the only way you will know your boundaries.
I'm off to bed for the night, but I will post my ab diary in the morning.
Happy crunching!
Warm wishes.
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