Assuming The Position

I’m about three weeks into my latest fitness challenge. The challenge is staying with it. I’m great at starting to workout, but usually by week three or four, the enthusiasm wanes and my workouts get less frequent and then non-existent. A few weeks or months will go by and I’ll begin again.

So far, I’m still good with the motivation, but I weighed myself this morning and was somewhat discouraged by the number. Then I remembered that I hadn’t weighed myself before I started this challenge, so I had no reason to be disappointed. My stomach looks flatter and I’ve had more energy so things must be working.

This morning I changed my strength training routine because I’ve read that’s what fit people do. I decided to time myself holding the plank position. I can’t remember the last time I did planks, but it’s been awhile. I thought I could hold it one minute. After all, one minute isn’t very long.

Until you find yourself in the plank position. I started the stopwatch feature on my phone as I assumed the position. I thought surely my minute was almost up when I chanced a glance at the timer. Thirteen seconds! A very long thirteen seconds, but I held the pose still thinking I could get to a minute. By twenty seconds, I knew there was no way I would make it to a minute, so my new goal became forty-five seconds. I gave out at 33.71 seconds.

My immediate reaction was, “I’m such a wuss!” Upon reflection, I realized that 33.71 seconds was a good first attempt. After all, when I first started doing men’s style pushups, I could barely do two and now I can do a couple of sets of ten.  I just need to keep adding one or two seconds each time I do it and before I know it, I’ll be at a minute.

There is probably a metaphor in there somewhere, but I’ll let you find it on your own. In other news, I’ve had to enter my sundress wearing phase. Normally, I don’t venture out in sundresses until May, but we have been having delightful warm weather, so I have shifted into sundress mode. It’s always nice when I get that little breeze under the skirt on a warm day.

To celebrate the vernal equinox I was going to dance naked under the full moon. Then I checked and the moon won’t be full until March 30th. Maybe next year the planets will align so that the moon can cooperate and be full on the vernal equinox. Instead, I painted my toenails a lovely bright orange.

Orange is such a happy color. And I hope each of you is happy on this first lovely day of spring.