Declutter and Plank Challenge Days 29 & 30

I made it 30 days! I cannot believe it has already been 30 days since I started this. Time sure does fly! I am so glad I did both of these challenges and I could see that the past 30 days I was more motivated to do things. I definitely plan on continuing to try and find things that I don't need anymore and get rid o them as well as continue my plank challenge to increase my time. Maybe one day I can make it the full 5 minutes!

Declutter

Item(s): USc sweatpants and a cardigan

Why I'm getting rid of it: I got the USC sweatpants when I was first accepted to USC. They have had been great to me but I find them in my drawers more then I do wearing them. I figure it's time to move on and let someone else get some joy from them. The cardigan I got sometime in college and wore it a lot but it doesn't match with many things I wear so I'm just going to get rid of it as well.

Where is it going: Donation pile!

Plank

How I felt: 5 minutes was extremely hard. I found myself consistent with where I have been on staying in form with no breaks and switching to my knees. One thing I could tell the difference in was that I really felt like I kept my hips down for the entire 5 minutes. If I felt it creeping up I would force myself right back into form. 

Overall Experience: I'm happy with the results I've seen over the past 30 days. When I first started I could feel myself wanting to give in under a minute but now I feel extremely comfortable planking for a minute. I plan to continue and plank every day and just max out each day. Hopefully in the near future I can make it to 5 minutes, but in the mean time I'll focus on taking baby steps!

Thanks to everyone for your support throughout my challenges. I hope I was able to motivate some people to better their own lives!

Declutter and Plank Challenge Days 27 & 28

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Item(s): Some white capri pants (with belt) and a pair of cheer shorts

Why I'm getting rid of it: Neither of these I wear. I have a pair of white jeans that I prefer over the capris and I have no use for these shorts anymore as I've found a different type of short I find more comfortable.

Where is it going: Donation pile!

Plank

How I felt: I've increased to 4 minutes for the past 2 days and haven't seen much improvement. I'm staying pretty consistent which is good but I'm also focusing more on holding my form which I think is important. I'm sure I won't significantly improve over the next 2 days but I plan on trying my best!

Goal for tomorrow: Keep my form and try to improve on my time.

Declutter and Plank Challenge Days 23, 24, 25, & 26

I know I haven't posted in awhile but I promise I haven't been slacking! I've just been too busy to post! I had quite an eventful weekend because Friday was my birthday :-)

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Item(s): Another ribbed tank top (which has a bleach stain on it), a white zip-up hoody from high school, a bathing suit and matching dress, and a pair of jeans

Why I'm getting rid of it: The tank top and hoody are so old I have no idea why I still have them. I actually love the look of the bathing suit and matching dress but the bathing suit bleeds (even though it's years old) and I never wear it because of that. I got really tired of the jeans. I bought them at Ross so I don't feel bad not wearing them until they rip.

Where is it going: Donation pile!

Plank

How I felt: Thursday I felt great and improved by 5 seconds both with no breaks and before I switched to my knees. Friday was really tough for me. I don't know if it was because I was tired from my workout or because my motivation was low since it was my birthday. I fought through it but I didn't get any improvement and I increased to 3:30. I took a break Saturday because I figured my body could use it and then today I got right back at it and stayed with the same times. I really focused on keeping my form today and even switched my method to my hands instead of forearms so I could make sure my shoulders stayed over my hands. I could definitely feel the difference in the amount my abs were working!

Goal for tomorrow: Keep my form and try to improve on my time.

Declutter and Plank Challenge Day 22

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Item(s): Another sorority shirt (how many of these do I have?!?!)

Why I'm getting rid of it: I'm beginning to wonder if I'll ever get rid of all of my sorority shirts with how many I have found in my closet. I'm letting go one at a time.

Where is it going: Donation pile!

Plank

How I felt: I must have been breathing faster today because when I opened my eyes I was only at 1:15. I really tried to focus and fight through and made it to 1:40 without any breaks. I made it to 2:40 before I had to switch to my knees. I can definitely feel myself getting stronger but I know I need to work on the mental game to try and fight through the pain. I also noticed that once I shift my weight in any form I break my concentration.

Goal for tomorrow: Try not to shift my weight so I can hold my concentration.

Declutter and Plank Challenge Day 21

Declutter

Item(s): A basic white ribbed tank top

Why I'm getting rid of it: I never wear it and have plenty of white shirts to wear as an undershirt.

Where is it going: Donation pile!

I am actually noticing a difference in my closet! I really hope I notice it even more after the next 9 days!

Plank

How I felt: As you can see, Bandit decided to plop under me while I was planking. He's such a great partner. I've found my rhythm to fight through the pain. If I focus on taking slow, deep breaths with my eyes closed I am able to really focus. Again I decided to breathe 20 times. I notice after about 10 breaths I want to just breathe fast but I slowed them down more than I did yesterday. I made it to 1:30 after my 20 breaths and then fought for another 10 seconds. I am so happy I improved on my time without taking any breaks! I also improved my overall time by 5 seconds and made it to 2:35 seconds before I switched to my knees.

Goal for tomorrow: Continue to improve and focus on breathing.

Declutter and Plank Challenge Day 20

Happy Saint Patrick's Day!

I hope everyone enjoyed this wonderful day (or weekend). Today I made sure to wear my Irish Drinking Socks (that I bought in Ireland) to celebrate.

 I know I haven't posted since Thursday so technically 3 days have passed, but I went out of town to celebrate my amazing friend, Katie's, birthday and...well...I was lazy. I'm not going to BS around it, I didn't plank (even though Saturday was an off day). So I'm starting right back where I left off and instead of taking a break tomorrow, I'll do 3 minutes of plank, 4 days in a row (including today).

Now that I'm back home, I'm back to doing my 30 day challenge!

Declutter

Item(s): A sorority tank top

Why I'm getting rid of it: I'm trying so hard to move on from college. Even though a lot of my shirts have sentimental meaning, I'm learning to let go.

Where is it going: Donation pile!

Plank

How I felt: I really think the 3 day break helped me out a lot. Even though it wasn't planned, I think I was more determined then ever today. I wanted to prove to myself that although I was lazy for the last 3 days, I could push through the lazy mindset and hop right back into it. I made it the longest I have made it today, both without breaks and with a few breaks. First, I made it 1:30 without taking any short breaks! I tried to close my eyes and really focus on breathing. I told myself I had to take 20 slow and deep breaths before I could open my eyes and look at the clock. That took me to about 1:15 and I fought another 15 seconds until I had to stick my butt up. Second, I made it to 2:30 before I had to switch to my knees! I am so proud of myself and really hope to continue improving tomorrow.

Goal for tomorrow: Make it longer than 1:30 before I take any break.

PS - In honor of St. Paddy's Day, I stayed in my green shirt :-)

Declutter and Plank Challenge Days 18 & 19

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Item(s): An old work shirt and cardigan.

Why I'm getting rid of them: I got the shirt more than 2 and a half years ago when I first started working and the cardigan has seen better days. Although both are still in decent condition I usually avoid wearing them unless I haven't done laundry.

Where is it going: Donation pile!

Plank

How I felt: Sorry for only 1 picture today. I was lazy yesterday and didn't feel like taking a picture since my phone was in the other room. Yesterday I made it to 2 minutes and 10 seconds with a couple of 2-3 second breaks again (not dropping to my knees but sticking my behind up in the air). I eventually had to drop to my knees and finish at 2:10 but I'm happy I made it to the 2 minute mark. I actually was doing extremely well for the first 1:30. I kept my eyes closed and focused on breathing and really activating my abs. Then I somehow lost my focus but if I can really concentrate like I was I think I can get to 2 minutes without any breaks.

Today I felt really great for the first 1:30 again. I can definitely feel it getting easier for that time period. Once again I had to take a few short breaks of 2-3 seconds but go right back into my plank. I made it to 2:15 before I switched to finish it up on my knees.

Goal for tomorrow: Keep improving on my time before I switch to my knees. I know the time is increasing to 3 minutes but as long as I see improvements then I'm happy.

Declutter and Plank Challenge Day 17

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Item(s): A shirt I got for recruitment and also wore to work

Why I'm getting rid of them: It's old and I don't like it any more.

Where is it going: Donation pile!

Plank

How I felt: My lower back was actually pretty sore from my workout yesterday so today was very difficult. I could feel my back wanting to take over and as much as I tried I couldn't keep it from doing it. I made it to about a minute and 15 seconds before I had to switch to my knees. I could definitely still feel it from my knees but I really want to make it to the 2 minutes.

Goal for tomorrow: Tomorrow I'm supposed to increase to 2:30 and I will try my best to make it but I still really want to make that 2 minute mark.

Declutter and Plank Challenge Day 16

Well I'm over the hump! I can't believe I've made it more than halfway through the challenge. It's been tough so far and I know it will only get tougher but I know if I keep the right mind I will conquer these challenges.

Declutter

Item(s): A dress that I got with work in mind

Why I'm getting rid of them: I just don't wear dresses enough to work and I found this was one I wore the least amount.
Where is it going: Donation pile!

Plank

How I felt: I did better than I thought I would today. I actually made it the full 2 minutes with 2-3 breaks of 2-3 seconds each (basically giving a quick rest to my abs by sticking my butt up really quickly and getting right back into form).

Goal for tomorrow: Make it to 2 minutes with less breaks (and hopefully none).

For everyone who is doing the plank challenge with me, how are you doing? Are you pushing yourself to the max? Have you made it to the allotted time every day? If not, keep pushing yourself and you will get there eventually!

Declutter and Plank Challenge Days 13, 14, & 15

Well the weekend kept me quite busy (from doing household chores to running errands to watching movies with Branden to running in the beautiful weather) so I got too lazy to post. However, I wasn't too busy to continue doing my challenges! Here are the activities from the last 3 challenge days:

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Item(s): On day 13 I found a basic t-shirt, day 14 I found a long sleeve exercise sweater/shirt, and day 15 I found a little red sweater/cardigan.
Why I'm getting rid of them: I found that I don't really like the basic t-shirt anymore because the sleeves always roll up (even though I love the pattern on the shirt). The workout sweater doesn't fit me quite how I like it to because it's kind of tight when I wear a shirt under it (which I almost always do). Finally, the little red sweater/cardigan doesn't really match anything I wear and it doesn't even really fit me right.
Where is it going: Donation pile!

Plank

You can see Bandit doing a reverse plank next to me :-)

How I felt: Friday I was really tired when I did my plank but I fought through the pain and was able to make it to the full minute and 30 seconds. Unfortunately I was unable to take a picture because I didn't have my phone with me but I hope you believe I still did it :-). On Saturday I took a rest day (per the calendar) but made sure I was still active! Today I really struggled with the 2 minute plank. I wasn't able to make it the full 2 minutes before I switched to my knees but I did make it pretty darn close. I think I switched with about 15 seconds left.

Goal for tomorrow: Really push and make it the entire 2 minutes of plank. If I don't make it try again until I max out.

Declutter and Plank Challenge Day 12

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Item(s): Yet again another sorority shirt.
Why I'm getting rid of them: I'm learning to let go. It really is time to move on from college and be an adult :-)
Where is it going: Donation pile!

Plank

How I felt: Well I did it! I did start laughing with about 15 seconds left because our cat started walking under me and purring really loudly, but I was able to get back into form for the last 5 seconds. I was really happy I was able to do it. I could tell that if I had tried it yesterday I probably wouldn't have made it because I wasn't mentally strong. The key really is staying strong mentally.

Goal for tomorrow: Try to do it in the morning right after I do my workout with boot camp.

Declutter and Plank Challenge Day 11

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Item(s): Another homecoming shirt. This one is from 2007.
Why I'm getting rid of them: Just like all my other clothes, I hardly wear this.
Where is it going: Donation pile!

Plank

How I felt: I've realized that when I do my plank after work on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays I tend to struggle a little more. My guess is because my body is tired from my morning workout. I made it to 1 minute but I'm not looking forward to increasing 30 seconds tomorrow.

Goal for tomorrow: Make it the full minute and 30 seconds.

Declutter and Plank Challenge Day 10

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Item(s): A sorority shirt from our philanthropy event in 2009
Why I'm getting rid of them: Once again this is something I never wear. I loved it in college but not so much anymore.
Where is it going: Donation pile!

Plank

How I felt: 1 minute is still pretty difficult but I was able to power through it. I could start to feel my lower back wanting to take over so I really tried to focus on using my abs. I know it will be quite difficult to not let my lower back take over with longer amounts of time. I was also able to do a second minute a few hours after the first attempt but it was much more tiring than the first of the day (as expected)

Goal for tomorrow: Do two sets again and focus on not letting my back take over.