Challenge me!(PLEASE)

Okay congrats for asking for help! I think that is so key when someone is actually ready to make a change. I know that you are already logging all of your food on MFP so that helps already. What are you doing for exercise? I tend to like challenges that involve burning a certain amount of calories. I would be happy to help you along your journey because that helps me stay accountable too.

Also...what does 30DS stand for?

Jenn

I find numerical reps help - and I let myself break them up to a cumulative total if I have to! I also find it helps if the final result would give me an improved fitnesss test total.

How about something like: every day for 3 weeks (21 days) do 21 push-ups. (If you can only manage 5 at a time, that means 5 at each of 4 tv commercial breaks) As you get stronger, clump more together per session (6 at a time; 7 at a time etc) until you can do all 21 at once. If you can already do 21 push-ups from your knees, do 1 (or as much as you can) with straight legs, then the rest of the clump from your knees, and strive to change the proportion (more and more straight legged before dropping to knees)

Upper body is a particular challenge for me - so that's what i thought of pushups first. What's your personal weak point that you want to see improvement on? (cardio? leg strength?) With some more info, I could come up with something more specific for you.

I would concentrate on getting in the exercise...is 30DS set up to be a certain number of days a week. If it is 5 days a week then I would start with doing it 3 days the first week, then 4 days then 5 days or working up to whatever it is if you have been out of the exercise routine for awhile. Also make sure that you SCHEDULE your exercise. If it is in my planner for a specific time for the day then I am more likely to do it.

A challenge from me to you: cut your daily max Sodium intake by 200 mg.

If you have a long-standing back issues ... I gotta assume you have or will clear with a doctor about what kinds of modifications you should be doing!!!

If you apply the "sneak the reps in when your body isn't paying attention" idea I first mentioned in relation to push ups, why not start with "how long can I hold a plank?" at comercial breaks. This is in addition to your regular 30 DS or whatever exercise routine.

For a starter bench mark, have someone time you for 1 minute, and mark down (a) how many breaks you had to take plus (b) how difficult it felt (1 = no problem at all; 10 = thought I would die before time was up)

For how ever long your challenge window is (eg every day for 1 month), whenever you are watching TV and a commercial starts, you start a plank and hold it as long as you can. If it is only a short time at first, so be it, but do it again at the next break, and the next one. Same thing the next day, and the day after that. Each time, go as long as you can.

If you don't watch tv, you have to get timed once at some point during the day, and once just before bed. So never less than 2 per day

On the last day of the challenge, you do the benchmark test again (have someone time you for 1 minute, and mark down (a) how many breaks you had to take, if any plus (b) how difficult it felt (1 = no problem at all; 10 = thought I would die before time was up)

The same idea could then either be applied to doing a plank challenge again, or any other doctor-approved core exercise.

How's the 30 DS going?

Did you pick yourself an additional challenge? What was is?