Saturday, February 25, 2012

THE 40 DAY CHALLENGE


The personal challenge for the next 40 days.  “40” has some significance.  The Israelites wandered in the wilderness for 40 years.  Moses was on the mount for 40 days.  Jesus fasted in the wilderness for 40 days, Noah survived 40 days and nights of rain.  I’m not “lenting”.  I’m starting on Tuesday, February 28th, and will complete my challenge on the Saturday before Easter.  A friend who saw my post on FB felt inspired and she sent me a link on an30 day challenge. ( Matt Cutts: Try something new for 30 days | Video on TED.com
www.ted.com 30 days is going to come and go; will it be meaningful to you?  Good thought.  I will watch this clip several times thru the challenge, I’m sure.   

Thinking about what I should do, I decided to go with what I really need to do most, and what I have put off doing consistently all my life.  I have plans.  I am going to spend 1 hour a day exercising for 40 days.  (I may be able to make this a way of life, but I’m not going to state that at this point.)  I know that it isn’t wise or healthy to do strenuous exercise every day, so I will incorporate breathing exercises and relaxation exercises in with the plan.  I have a decent collection of work out DVDs of various types and will move the dining room set and use that hardwood floor there as my studio. 

The Runtastic app on my phone will post to facebook daily.   Really?  Yup, really.  … I think.   

The Firm has several, and the one I like best is a work out that will “burn 500 calories in an hour”.  The leader’s name is Kelsey and she is a wild woman.  She talks the whole time and has a really sweet voice and says things like “ok, girls, let’s party” as the music cranks up and the 5 chicks really work it.  UGH!!  Sweat, sweat, pant, pant, gasp, gasp.  But I’m not going to hate Kelsey.  That girl has sculpted arms and strong legs and could kick my trash with a smile on her face!!

Suzanne Deason has some nice yoga presentations.  I like yoga because you sweat without pumping your heart and getting all out of breath.  It feels kind of graceful.

One yoga instructor started us out with a breathing exercise.  If I light some fragrant candles or oils, dim the lights and put on some nice spa-ish music, the breathing and relaxation will be a great benefit to me on my non-work out days. 

Jillian Michaels was a beast-woman on The Biggest Loser, but on her own releases, she is very encouraging and mild.  

Hartland pool has a good water aerobics class on Tuesdays and Thursdays at 5pm with Cheryl.  I hesitate to do that in the winter months because it’s so cold coming home. 
I also have a TOTAL GYM.  J-man got sucked into an infomercial with the Texas ranger guy and Christi Brinkley.  I did actually use that for a while and the Pilates work out was fab.  It actually did change the way by bod was shaped.  It was much more work for “easy storage” than they demonstrated on tv.  That sucker is heavy, so I put it away and didn’t pull it out again.  Maybe it’s time to find a place for it. 

They say if you work out, you can feel it in 3 weeks, the family will see it in 3 months.  I wonder if there will be a physical change.  Hmmmm.    Guess I should buy a dress to wear on the weekend that I end this.  If I can find something on sale, maybe even from a re-sale shop in a size 10, that will be part of my plan. 

If you’re interested in joining me on a 40 day challenge, let me know.  We can cheer each other on, and whine to someone who will truly understand.  

I’ll be a size 10 in 42 days, so for now I need to go clear the dining room floor and move LuLu’s table.  

1 comment:

Unknown said...

Awesome challenge! I wish I had an hour a day to workout. Someday!