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:

Declutter

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

Declutter

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

Declutter

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

Declutter

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.

Declutter and Plank Challenge Day 9

Declutter

Item(s): A black pair of dress shoes
Why I'm getting rid of them: I hardly ever wear heels anymore and when I do I have another black pair that I love way more than these. I figured it's time to let these ones go on to a better home.
Where is it going: Donation pile!

Plank

How I felt: I am actually pretty surprised how much more difficult adding another 15 seconds was to increase to 1 minute. I was able to last until the minute but I know the 30 second increases are going to be even more difficult. I think I may try to do some 1 minute planks randomly throughout the day to help increase my endurance for the later days of the challenge.

Goal for tomorrow: Do a one minute plank in the morning and in the evening.

Declutter and Plank Challenge Days 7 & 8

I can't believe it's already been a week since I've started this challenge. Time sure does fly.

Declutter

Item(s): For day 7 I decided to get rid of a gray long sleeve shirt.  For day 8 i decided to get rid of a sorority homecoming shirt.
Why I'm getting rid of them: When I bought the long sleeve shirt I didn't realize it was sleepwear so I hardly ever wore it. I think it's pretty self explanatory why I'm getting rid of an old homecoming shirt :-).
Where is it going: Donation pile!

Plank

How I felt: Well day 7 was a rest day but I did do 45 seconds. I didn't take a photo because I didn't have my phone but I still felt great doing it. Today was a lazy day in general so it was a struggle to make myself do it. I did it though and plan on never wearing sweats again when I do it because I started sweating within 15 seconds haha.

Goal for tomorrow: Really stay focused since the time is increasing.