It has been a bit over a month since I started my most recent run at getting in shape. Â Phase 1 was 100 Push-ups, and at this point I am actually doing my 100 within ten to fifteen minutes. Â I’m still a bit away from my goal of going it in three minutes or less, but I have definitely seen huge improvements. Â So, I feel it is time to institute Phase 2: 100 Sit-ups.
Now, doing sit-ups is both going to be easier and harder for me. Â My abdominal muscles are actually in pretty good shape… however, I have cleverly hidden them under a plump gut. Â See, I actually use my abs quite a bit, getting on and off the couch, lifting things incorrectly, and other stuff, much more than I use the muscles in my arms (as a computer geek, my arms spend a lot of time resting on the desk while my fingers do all the real work). Â That said, I did my first 100 Sit-ups last night in well under an hour, probably less than half an hour, but they were more crunches than sit-ups. Â That gut covering my six-pack does a decent job of preventing me from completing the full sit-up (and I can’t touch my toes either).
I see getting through Phase 2 much more quickly than Phase 1, so I already need to start looking for a Phase 3… I’m thinking it is going to be some form of cardio… I do own an elliptical machine, so I might as well start using it. Â The key here is that I am not currently in any life-threatening danger, but I do want to make sure I never am, so I want to add and make changes to my life a little at a time. Â Small changes are easier to keep than drastic ones.