That's right – challenge completed. "I am the champion, I am the champion, no time for losers, 'cause I am the champion - OF THE WORLD!" Oh, sorry, are you still here?
So, the original plan was for my 30 days of exercise to take 5 weeks (6 days/week). The mathematicians among you will be able to spot that my "5 weeks" actually took 38 days (not the traditional 35). So, yeah, "champion" may be a bit of an overstatement.
I did alright.
I had one major goal in this challenge – to stick with it. In the past, when I've hit that exercise plateau or missed a day or two in a row, perfectionism has gotten the better of me, and things have unraveled.
I'm trying to take a long-term view, and realize that exercise is something you do for the long-haul, not a mad 8-week rush to a goal followed by 6 months of Thundercats reruns and Cheetos.
Here's the recap.
I tried not to make this about specific targets, but I definitely saw improvements. My 30 minutes on the treadmill went from a 2.73-mile run to a 3.01-mile run. I started the challenge doing 5 sets of 13 push-ups (65) and finished doing 5 sets of 20 (100). Not too shabby.
So, what's next?
I'm going to do my best to stick to this plan. Actually, the 5 week chunks work out great, and I'm going to try to do 4 weeks of full intensity followed by a half-intensity rest week. I'm in this for the long haul.
Stay-tuned - I'll be announcing the next 30-day challenge a week from Tuesday (3/1). It's that thing that goes along with exercise, but I'll try to keep it fun.