It's 19:44, and it's time for an update on how the workout goes.
If you've been tracking my progress through the Google Spreadsheet, you'll notice that I've skipped or half-assed quite a few days. I've hit a depression streak down the road, which made it so much harder to get things done, and since they all appear in one big chunck rather each one separate as they are in reality, going for it became even harder.
Still, I worked my ass off for this, and I'm proud of what I've achieved so far. There's been a lot going on lately - what with my possessive parents helicoptering me - and this thing is one point of pride I can latch on. It was hard getting here, and I'm glad I took the steps.
One thing I noticed is that I'm no longer afraid of what people will think of me as I turn to exercises. I guess by telling myself "What will others think" I actually told myself, secretly, "What will others think if I fail". Really, the reason I was afraid to fail because of was me not doing what I knew I wanted to do; even since I started actually doing it, things inside of me settled: I'm in accord with myself. I no longer look around, trying to read what others think of me, because I don't care: I do what I see best for me. The way I see it, - if they don't know me, their opinion is of no matter.
On the days when I got up way late - 9:00 AM+ - I pushed the exercise forward until it's nearing evening; this is how I skipped a few of those: by wasting time until I feel so tired sitting all day in front of the screen that I couldn't bring myself to do it that day. If someone was to tell me exactly that, and not that I'm "procrastinating", I'd be far more likely to get my ass off the chair and get some doings going. Still, today's was such a day, and I beaten it, which I'm proud of.
Returning to the workout after three whole days skipped - I've spent those in another city, looking for an apartment to rent, with no reasonable space to exercise - was hard, especially as my mind was mostly set to resting. It took the combination of fair physical and mental rest and the good mood to get things rocking again. I don't have anyone to look for support, so it might be much easier for you: don't hesitate to talk about your weaknesses with those you trust - they're there to help, and their support is more precious than any diamond. Trust me on that one.
I had to be careful about spending my energy while doing challenges. A few days of exercise were lost because I spent them bicycling through the city, which I didn't notice to be such an exhaustive activity before. I like biking, so one idea I had - for those of you in similar situations - is to give myself a day off every finished week. I did it once and would do it again if I didn't have burpees to catch up to. Otherwise I've lost energy and willpower required to even start.
Speaking of burpees: those are fantastically hard! Running, while seeming hell, has nothing on those devilish exercises. I don't know if I could hold onto them and reach the hundred burpees at the end of Week 4, as per the challenge. Maybe I'll have to abandon them and find a replacement for the next exercise month. So far, other challenges scaled very well for me; this one doesn't.
To all of those doing exercise for a long time: does it increase the energy levels? It's an important goal of mine with all those challenges. If there's something I can do to increase it - an exercise or a food - please let me know. How much does diet affect energy levels? Is it possible that mine - a terrible one - hampers my performance? Are there some guidelines to follow while eating in general? An answer to either of those questions would be greatly appreciated.
Well, that would be it for this week. All that's left to say is that running was a great success: it turned out to be quite fun, running for minutes at a time. Week 8 results promise the astonishing thirty minutes of running non-stop, and with all the progress I've made so far on the well-written challenge, I feel like I can tackle it when time comes. I like running very much - which is to say, it's a big step forward from the sense of dread that I beared quite close to the concept of a run.
It's 20:24. I'm off to rest. Keep your mind healthy, and your body will follow. What was it that I always ended with? "Have a good day, and be healthy"? Well, let's put it this way:
Have a good week, and be healthy.
After reading your updates I've decided to try out these workouts too, I don't have access to a great gym so things that are doable at home would be great. Going to start off with a bit more running, probably, but only because I've been somewhat consistently running for a couple years now.
It seems you've figured that the real consequence of skipping a day is losing motivation for the next day, rather than a loss of improvement. The number I've heard for how long before you actually start to lose any gains you have made is 6 weeks, so if you get really bogged down for a week apartment hunting, you can get back into it almost where you left off. As long as you get back into it. That's the hard part.
For the burpees, I'd say break them into sets. They exist in this odd category as a mostly anaerobic cardio exercise that require a certain level of strength too. So, like sprints or strength training, I think it would be perfectly reasonable to keep breaking them into sets.
- For the burpees, I'd say break them into sets
I did; they still seem freaking hard. I suppose they're meant to - per aspera ad astra - but right now, they feel too hard to pursue. Like I said in the post: I get a certain level of endurance and strength for each consequent day, while with burpees, all I seem to do is challenge myself.
It might very well be that I've picked the wrong challenge for me: while Running and Core Challenges work slowly but steadily towards the goal and I get the feeling that I can tackle the next one since I did all the previous ones, Burpees Challenge just tires me physically and mentally.
If I decide to drop it - which seems more and more like a reasonable idea - I can always pick it up later, or include them, in a different fashion, in further challenges, or leave it on the floor and, instead, take up something that suits me more.
I think part of the reason you're finding the burpees especially tough is that you are doing them last after both running and pushups earlier in the day. Basically, if those challenges are pushing you well, the burpees may be overkill. Getting rid of them may actually help with the other Challenges.