I can’t straighten my arms today. And I haven’t been able to for over 24 hours. The pain is excruciating, and I think I may just straighten them really, really fast to just get it over with, but I’m afraid if I do I might cause a real injury.
Yesterday, I completed a month-long challenge called the King and Queen Challenge The challenge involved two tracks from a choice of four – logging miles on a treadmill/elliptical, laps swum, meters rowed, or classes attended for the entire month. You could pick two to focus on. I chose miles on the treadmill and classes attended.
I feel like this guy – that I could move this oak with my newly found strength and confidence.
The other track consisted of weekly challenges like longest plank, most bench presses, chin ups and last week’s final challenge “the Kettle Ball Squat High Pull.” Two minutes to squat with a 35-pound kettle ball, then pull it all the way up under your chin as many times as possible. I did 40. My arms were jello when I was finished, and now two full days later I still can’t straighten them.
As far as the miles on the treadmill/elliptical, I logged 36.5 miles, 21 of which were last week alone! Why so many in one week? Because this was a competition and someone almost edged me out in week three, so if I was to have a chance to win that category I had to really go the distance in the last week.
It’s all for prizes and bragging rights, or course. And I’m pretty sure I won the treadmill track and the classes attended track. I also won the weekly challenges on chin ups, rowing and bench presses.
But that doesn’t really matter. I won a lot more intrinsically than the logo’d water bottles and t-shirt.
I won confidence:
. . . . in exercising
. .. . . in competing
. . . . in setting a goal and achieving it
. . . . learning the truth of the old adage “no pain, no gain.”
And I also set a new habit. A habit that’s great for my long-term health. Instead of exercising “a little bit” three times a week and wondering why I wasn’t really in shape, I spent an entire month exercising “a lot” five times a week and I can feel the changes in my body. It’s huge.
And something else?
I am darned proud of myself. I tried something I’d never tried, having no idea if I’d succeed. And I did.
The human spirit is amazing, when given the chance to shine, isn’t it?
Have you ever done anything like this? Would you?
xo
Missy
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