The Start
I decided to pursue fitness for my seven day challenge. I play basketball and lacrosse, so I do consider myself active; however, I rarely go to the gym. My goal was to target specific areas and specifically work on strength. I am always "too tired" or "too busy" or "active enough" to get myself motivated. This opportunity will force me to follow through on a commitment I have made to better myself. I am good when I write down goals, because I love checking items off of a list. One exercise that I will be sure to include is a plank. I can barely hold a plank for a minute, so one way I will measure my increased strength is to work my way up to a two minute plank. I have written out the plan beside this post. Let's do this thing!
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Day 1
Alright, I did it.. well once at least. I was right; I am weak. It is a bit dejecting to discover that I literally cannot do more than three regular push ups. I had to change my original plan to ten modified push-ups. The good news is that I did my exercises in my house, so no one can see me fail. All I know is that the failure will lead to eventual success. I just have to stick with it, and work on my focus. I will include below a list of the work outs.
45 crunchs 10 leg lifts 10 modified push ups 35 squats 1 minute plank (working up to 2 min) |
Day 2
Today I did my work out after having basketball open gym. Surprisingly, I was energized from practice and motivated to be fit! I will get shredded. This coming season I will play a lot more than last year on the varsity team. I pretty small for my age, so I really want to continue working out over the summer and in the fall before the winter season begins. I have to be able to hold my own on the court, especially since I am not the most incredible player. The seven day challenge is the jumping off point. The competition won't know what hit them.
Day 3
Yesterday I was not that sore, but today it hit. Well really, it began to hit last night around 11 pm. I had already written my post, but I will update you now with the fact that I got some pretty bad shin splints. I'm sure this was from scrimmaging at basketball, but the 35 squats sure did not help. Today my shoulder are pretty sore form planks and push ups. I think strengthening my shoulders will actually be super beneficial for me in the long run. I have poor posture, which gives me neck pains. If I strengthen my shoulders, my posture will improve and therefore my neck pain. A little pain now hopefully means gain for the future.
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Day 4
I had zero time to do my work out today!!! I am adding on one to tomorrow. (Which is actually today, because that is when I am writing this.) Two in one day was difficult, but it was my fault for doing it last night. Something else I have discovered while working out even for a short burst at night is pump-up jams. It is so key to have some inspiring and up beat music to get me through the work out. My dad made a playlist on Spotify with his older rap songs, for example, some classic Sugar Hill Gang and Will Smith are on there. These songs get me in the mood to grind out the exercises. Feel-good music means a feel-good me!
Day 5
The whole work out takes me about eight minutes now. I have worked my plank time up to 1 minute and 45 seconds! I am proud of myself for improving my core strength in order to tackle this challenge. I have discovered that this whole "get shredded" thing is more of a mental challenge than anything for me. Once I actually get going and after I finish I feel great. It is the getting going that takes an extra push, particularly after a draining day of school. My parents are in France for ten days, so my little brother is responsible for making sure that I complete my daily challenge. He laughs at my modified push-ups, but otherwise he has been supportive. He is much stronger even now at the age of 14 than I will ever be. It has been nice having a little cheerleader in my house each night these days.
Day 6
Today I did my work out right before I showered this morning. I felt really energized for the day, because my heart rate was up, and I had been motivated to early. I even took my dog for a walk after I showered. I have found that I feel much better when I am active! My plank time is still at 1 minute and 45 seconds. It is fairly painful however (not going to lie). Another exercise I have shown growth in, even over such a short period, is push-ups. I can much more easily do ten. This plan has just shown me that if I am dedicated enough to keep working out over the next weeks, I can really improve my overall strength and mindset.
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Day 7
My seven day challenge has come to a close. I did my final official work out with two girl friends of mine at the lake. We actually did it on some rolled up towels on the dock, and it was super fun! Working out with friends is really motivating. The combination of tubing, wake boarding, and a final work out will make me sore tomorrow. Honestly though, the way I feel now is totally worth a few achy muscles. My plank is finally up to two minutes! I reached my goal, although it is rather difficult, and by the end, I always collapse on the floor. Maybe if I keep working at it, I will be able to maintain two minutes easily or even keep adding more time.
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The End (sort of)
This challenge as made me feel so great even just for a week! I intend to continue working out at least three out of seven days. Although, I may change up the routine, because this one will get boring eventually. I believe my bicep and core strength have improved the most since this venture. Push-ups come much more easily now -- even if they are still modified. I am really happy with my end mentality, and I hope to pursue further strength building especially before basketball season. I may even try a few more seven/thirty day challenges. Some I have in mind already are wearing a brace to fix posture, keeping my room clean/clothes folded, drinking a gallon of water a day, and reading some of the Bible every morning. Who knows? . . . I might even try flossing.