My July and Low Impact Round 2 Complete

For the first time in my life I’ve completed a workout program!! And it feels amazing to accomplish something. I actually finished in 6 weeks but there’s nothing wrong in delays as long as we didn’t quit, right?! (I only learned to use the FB calendar when I bought the program!) I caught a cold after Week 1 and decided to take several days off. I wanted to keep moving so I did gentle exercises on days that my body allowed me, in the process I was able to finish the 3-Day Flexibility Challenge as well! I believe the stretches relieved my stress and helped me recover faster. I honestly cannot recall kicking a cold after just 8 days… in years! When I hit 30s I get sick often and recover too slowly like 2 weeks or even longer. (I wasn’t prioritizing my health and neglected self-care more so when I became a mom. Not going back to that! Ever.) When the cold was gone, instead of jumping right into Week 2, I did cardio recovery workouts and rescheduled Week 2 to start on a Monday.

When I began this program I’ve only been working out regularly for a month. I lived a sedentary lifestyle before that. According to a 2009 study, it takes 66 days on average until a habit sticks. Today, I’m well past that number, it’s been 79 days since I started and I really hope this habit stays for life!

Every day I look forward to get up and get moving. Exercise became my stress reliever, my “me” time, motivates me to eat healthily, and helps me cope in this pandemic. I’ve only been to the gym once in my life. It’s not the best option for me, more so now. Home workouts all the way! Thank you so much, K&D!!!

PFT

Push Ups: 4 → 13 (shallow)

Half Push Ups: 20 → 30

Squats: 40 → 56

Static Plank: 28s → 1m 4s

Half Static Plank: 1m 3s → 3m 27s

Sit and Reach: +6cm → +12cm

Takeaways:

1. Do the exercises starting with your non-dominant side for balance. Your dominant side is likely used more with daily activities. (Daniel’s advice)

2. It’s enough to begin.

3. Pace yourself.

4. Breath.

5. One day at a time.

PS: I strained my upper back after the PFT. Probably for doing the static planks too long and probably my form was off. I slept on my back with head slightly elevated to relieve the pain. Thankfully, it wasn’t so bad and it stopped aching after 2 days. However, I won’t be doing a static plank again for more than 45s. Has anyone experienced the same? Anyway, these stretches really helped:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hhfYHjj8Rmk

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a9WC_eLmP30

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bTn89EBKJdM