Today marks the 11th day since starting my 30-day exercise challenge. It’s been an interesting experience, full of a mix of expected things and random surprises.

More than the 11th day, this marks at best the 20th time I’ve willingly exercised/been to the gym in all my life. Now, if you’ve been poking around this blog, and paying attention to my writing, you know how sad of a story that is, considering how old I am.

Late little bloomer that I am, I don’t care about the past. I care about now. And right now I’m pretty stoked because I’m making progress. I’m moving forward with this challenge. Ultimately, that’s what matters.

Let’s take a look at how these past few days went.

Day 5 (Sunday) – I wake up with bruises all the way down to my knees, product of the lymphatic drainage massage. All I’m going to say is this better be working. I’m disappointed to report I never made it to the gym, never got to exercise.

I’m going to take responsibility and blame it on bad planning on my part. I was too sleepy/exhausted in the morning, and I wanted to get last week’s post in before I left the house. I was meeting up with my brother and my nephew for a little family bonding afternoon. The plan was to spend a couple of hours with them and then come back and hit the gym for a quick cardio session. Of course, the afternoon turned into evening and by the time I got home I just wanted to go to bed and get some rest in prep for the week that was about to start. Like I said, super bad planning on my part.

Day 6 (Monday) – The week and I both start with a vengeance. We always start our routine with 30 minutes of cardio. Thanks to TBS and the magic of reruns, I have Sheldon Cooper to help me laugh my way through the session. Nothing like a good spanking to keep a girl motivated, right?

Cardio session over, I tell D we must absolutely work on our arms and shoulders. She hates me for it, but that’s exactly what we do. E is also there watching while he exercises, and making sure we push ourselves and give it our all.

Day 7 (Tuesday) – I wake up feeling great. Dare I say it? I’m afraid if I do, I’ll jinx it. But I have to say it because something amazing starts to happen. I realize I love, love, love working on my upper body. Like I can see myself getting obsessed with it. I’m digging the fact that it’s making me feel stronger. Also, the prospect of losing all that flabby fat living in my underarms makes me want carry dumbbells everywhere. To work. To the grocery store. To the shower. Everywhere.

I know that’s not how it works, though, so we work on our lower bodies. It’s a pretty nice workout too. I’m feeling it all over my body, and I’m sweating, sweating, sweating.

Also, no one told me how intense BO was going to get down there. Like seriously strong. So strong I’m afraid to even move for fear of people getting even a whiff of what’s going on down there. Yikes!

Yeah, the old princess in me wouldn’t have been happy with that.

Day 8 (Wednesday) – Can it be? I could swear the skin on my legs and butt feels tighter. I check myself out in the mirror, and things look pretty much the same, but the feeling on my skin is hinting at a different story. I’m not sure how to explain it. There’s definitely no visible signs of any progress, but there’s just something different. Not pain. Not soreness. Tightness. Good tightness. A feeling of taking up less space. Maybe it’s all in my head.

D is feeling somewhat low so, after 30 minutes with Shelly, I head home.

Day 9 (Thursday) – My sneakers are drilling holes into my feet. Specifically, my right shoe is peeling off the skin over my Achilles tendon. It hurts. It bleeds. I wear bandages, they fall off. I keep going. This is also the day I start playing with the incline on my treadmill. I know, right?! Huge deal for me. We work on our arms once more, and this routine is so hard. Working my biceps makes me feel like I’m a cartoon character whose arms have turned to jelly. We push on and finish a great workout.

Day 10 (Friday) – Something unexpected happens. For the first time in my life I turn down an invitation to party so I can work on my fitness instead. Say what?! I know, that’s silly. But I’m going to be honest here and admit that this challenge is kicking my butt. The simple daily tasks of a normal adult have become a struggle for me. This has thrown my normal routine out of whack, and I’m just fighting to keep up. By Wednesday I was just so sleepy! With this party being almost an hour away, and me not wanting to skip a workout, I just knew how hard it would be to do both successfully. And by successfully I mean without falling asleep at the wheel on my way back. So I choose myself over the party. And then I meet Betty Rocker and the rest is history.

Day 11 (today) – I’ve yet to work out on this day.

The plan – Phase 1

• Starting September 7, 2016, I will go to the gym and exercise for at least one hour for 30 days straight. I will also commit to donating $5 to charity for each day I don’t exercise during those 30 days. This plan may be extended for a longer period of time. UPDATE: In progress. Total I must give to charity so far – $5
• I will seek education opportunities to help me grow into a healthier lifestyle, including the way I eat. UPDATE: This will be incorporated into phase two, when I should have a better grasp on my new daily activities.
• I will document my progress on this blog on a weekly basis. UPDATE: Week 2, check!
• I will drink 100oz of water per day. UPDATE: Doing better, but I should start counting them so I can ensure meeting the daily goal. Good news is the diarrhea is gone!
• I will start taking a vitamin supplement to boost my energy levels. UPDATE: Started taking a vitamin supplement twice a day and it’s working!

The stats

• Height: 5’6″
• Age: 36
• Weight: current 202.8lbs. Goal 150lbs. Variation: -1.2lbs
• Pants/dress size: current 14/goal 8. Variation: n/a
• According to 40plusstyle.com, I’m STILL Obese Clas I.

Now that the week is done and dusted, this is old news. Time to get started on new daily accounts. Until next week!

MA