In late December store staff were casually talking about resolutions and our collective tendency not to make any. Spontaneously however, staffer Erik and I settled upon some 2010 goals. Always up for a challenge, Erik’s intention is to do one more push-up each day than he did the day before. My plan is more modest: Drink a cup of tea (no kidding… when I say modest, I mean it) and, do any sort of core exercise each day.
I've always had an interest in the idea of doing core exercises - like reading about “the exercise of the month” in women's fitness magazines or sitting in front of the television and watching people workout on fitness programs. My problem came when it was time to actually “do” instead of think about doing. Helping to push me toward action were three factors: #1 - an occasionally sore back, #2 - vanity (my already un-toned tummy has been looking and feeling increasingly marshmallowy) and #3 - recently turning 44, I know it’s increasingly important that I focus on strength and not just cardio.
I figured any sort of core exercise commitment was better than none. I set a very low bar initially, both to avoid injury and to ensure follow-through. To successfully reach my daily goal I need to do at least one core exercise. To clarify, I don't mean one set or one session, I literally mean one sit-up, for example. My primary intention is to form a daily habit and I’m banking on the fact that as long as I’ve gone to the trouble of getting down on the floor, I most likely will do more than just one.
And you know, it's actually been working out! I haven't set aside any particular time, but have found time every day to do it. When I say I am an upper body weakling, I'm not kidding. Confession here: as of this writing it's been over 40 days and I still can't technically do even one real push-up, but I can do more repetitions of modified ones and (big step for me) I've actually started to do some sets and branched out on the type of exercises I’m doing. It's pretty exciting, really. I'll never run as fast as I had, but I can be stronger and this just might be what it takes to jumpstart myself.
Finally, it certainly has helped that Erik took on a challenge at the same time. It also helps that his resolution seems so much more difficult than mine. If he can keep going, of course I can.
Before this year, Erik had never made a New Year's Resolution, but when asked to come up with one he quickly came up with his progressive push-up challenge. He didn't make it easy on himself by starting with one push-up. Since he was accustomed to doing some already, on January 1st he started with 40 push-ups. By adding one additional push-up daily, if he makes it through the year (and he has every intention to), on New Year's Eve he will be doing 405 push ups!
He likens his quest to the story of Milo the ancient Greek athlete. Legend has it that Milo one day lifted a calf and continued to do so daily for four years straight! As the bull grew in size and heft, so did Milo’s strength accordingly. It may have been the first recorded instance of progressive resistance training. Erik, with a master’s degree in exercise science, is curious and excited to make like Milo and test himself physiologically.
He's happy to report that making this daily commitment has motivated him to more consistently get back into a more purposeful, thorough and muscularly balanced resistance training program. Last year, dabbling with some basic strength exercises a few times a week, he found that his strength level had plateaued with his typical resistance training routine. As of this writing he hasn’t had any difficulty executing his plan and on occasion still does his push-ups all at once without stopping before setting out on a run. As the months pass his plan is still to do all the push-ups in one session (with breaks as necessary) and add other exercises to balance his overall strength.
When I’ve shared our goals with different people, people lament not having started on January 1st, but the beautiful thing is that a yearlong goal can start any day. Want to start one today?
Genevie Roguski