Okay, so we all know by now that when I get into something new (scrapbooking, gardening, chickens, running), I kind of like to talk about it... nonstop. I'm easily entertained. Otherwise known as a big ol' dork.
Well, my dorky self stumbled upon this Plank-A-Day challenge on Instagram, and for some reason it just resonated with me. Why not give it a shot, right? Like just for thirty days. What could it hurt?
Planking's been around forever I guess... it's some sort of 'isometric' blah blah blah stuff. Here are a couple of links for more information:
http://www.livestrong.com/article/500440-what-does-the-plank-exercise-benefit/
http://www.fudiet.com/plank-a-day-revolution/
Basically, you just get into a sort of push up position and hold it for a period of time. Easy peasy right? HA! It sucks. My arms burn, my back cries, my quads kill and let's not even THINK about what my abs are doing (imagine a shark attack... from the inside out.)
But it's super easy as far as just DOING it. You don't need any special equipment, it takes just a few minutes, you can do it in your bare feet and pajamas, (NO BRA!!) and you can do it with a buddy (in my case Lizzy accepted the challenge and has been doing them with me... she's much better at it.) All of these are excellent perks of this very basic excercise, so I figured, what the heck.
Here's me... in my pajamas... tonight, after washing the dishes... in my kitchen...
Check me out... STARING at the stopwatch on my phone, praying to get to the 2 minute mark.
When I first tried it, I managed to struggle to 1 minute. Then I did four x 30 minutes. Now, on day 27, I'm able to do one 2 minute plank followed by 1 x 1:30, 1 x 1:00, and 1 x 30secs for a grand total of five minutes.
Look how happy I am...
Ah... so refreshing. NOT. It's seriously horrible.
(Thanks, Big Dave for the stellar Iphone photography.)
I've NEVER EVER EVER been 'strong.' So now that I've hit this 40 year old midlife crisis where I am trying my best to become a strong, healthy, fit person, I can't believe how good it feels to notice my 'core' engaging as I run.
But of course, as much as I like to feel strong, I'm vain enough to crave an aesthetic improvement, (ie, my goal to look as good as I can when bikini season rolls around.) Alas, I would be lying if I said that this wasn't my primary motivation.
However, I've learned that good lookin' tummies are not made by simple crunches or planks or any sort of excercise... they come from losing body fat. You can have strong abs, but if you want to see a flat tummy, you have to lose the blubber that covers those strong abs. That's where eating right comes in. Okie dokey. Hello Weight Watchers.
So, all that being said, I've got some pretty fun pics to share. I'm in my 6th week of Weight Watchers, I'm on day #27 of the plank-a-days. And I'm kind of stoked at the results so far. Ready? Here goes...
Admittedly, I am lacking in my 'before' and 'after' photography skills, but check it out.
Giggle... I am stoked! If this is where I am 6 weeks and 27 PAD's in, I can't wait to see what's going to happen in the next 6 weeks.
So, not that I'm telling you planking and Weight Watchers is the best thing for you, what I would recommend is that if you decide to do some sort of fitness/weight loss plan, PLEASE do yourself a favor and take some 'before' pics. Talk about some serious MOTIVATION. The scale and the measuring tape are good reinforcers, but actually seeing the difference in my body is SO freakin' cool.
I'm a dork. Yes. Forgive me for my giddiness. :)
Yeek!