Posts Tagged ‘getting in shape’

It’s been way to long since I have written on this blog. But rather than get into the reasons why, I would rather like to talk about why I will be writing more often.

A couple years ago, I did a Get Fit in 30 Days Challenge. The challenge was to see how good of shape I could get into by exercising 5 times a week and not changing my diet. I also limited the amount I was able to exercise to 5 hours per week. I was actually surprised at how good of shape 30 days really made. The project was a lot of fun.

This April I will turn 30 years old. And since I am not in the best shape after the  holidays (not bad, but not great), I figure what better way to start off my 30th birthday than being in the best shape I have ever been in.

This year I am changing the rules a bit. Since I am going for max results rather than testing to see what simple exercise can do in 30 days, I won’t be limiting myself to a certain amount of hours/days per week.

However, all exercises will be something that anyone can do at home with minimal equipment. I don’t believe that a gym is necessary to get in shape. Though it might be helpful to get coached and stay motivated

THE RESULTS

For the last challenge I took pictures once a week and then posted them each week. This time I will take pictures every day and then turn them into time lapse video.

THE PROGRAM

I will be following two programs. One is a workout/ab program and the other is on dieting/eating. I will not be following these too tightly though as I will also be using my own exercises. I will write more about these later.

A lot of the exercises I do will be my own (not part of the program), and I will mention these as we go along.

COMING

In the next few posts I will talk about the programs and equipment I will be using.

GETTING STARTED

I believe the best time to start is always now. So I will be taking my first picture today and the end date is April 18.

Wish me the best of luck and feel free to follow a long and do your own challenge. Also feel free to comment and give me feedback. I am sure there will be times when I need the motivation.

Today was the last day of the 3rd week. I have been exercising for 15 total days and about 12 hours of total exercise time. I feel great and have much more energy then when I started. I also have less pain. I injured my shoulder when I was was in my late teens and it has bothered me ever since. Since I have been working out consistently for 3 weeks, it feels much better. I think the pull-ups are a biggest reason for that. After taking my picture today, I can also see more definition then when I first started. The ab program I have been using is working great. However, there is one thing that I realized I didn’t mention about the way I have been working out.

My workout is usually broken into sections throughout the day. On most days I exercise between 30 minutes to an hour, but usually not all at one time. I may do a couple different sets of sit-ups and a few push-ups in between other tasks I am working on for the day. I also occasionally do some sit-ups or pull-ups just because I walk past the pull-up bar.

Most of us are busy. And with the increasing amount of information we all have to take in, it isn’t going to get better. Learning to manage your time better will definitely help, but who wants to spend all of their time exercising? Not me. I would rather try to make it more effective so I can get it done as quick as possible.

If you are doing the right exercises then you don’t need to spend a lot of time doing a lot of repetitions. Nor allocate a full hour to spend at the gym. I have been doing my exercises when I have an open slot of 5-15 minutes. Finding a full hour can be difficult. Finding a 5-15 minute gap is much easier. I can even do it without working up much of a sweat (no need to change into workout clothes).

Next week is the last week of the challenge so please be sure to tune in for the final results. I will also be going over some of the exercises I feel have made the biggest difference as well as giving a full review of the program I have been using. Sign up to my RSS Feed to make sure you don’t miss it.