overly challenged

There is nothing like a challenge to jump start a stalled workout program. Challenges can bring new focus and clarity. Challenges can increase strength. You learn new things about yourself through challenging situations. What doesn't kill you makes you stronger.

Blah, blah, blah....

Okay you get it challenges are a good thing.

But my question to you is can you be overly challenged? Overly challenged as in too many challenges!!!

Challenge #1

Corepower Yoga is offering a summer yoga challenge. The challenge there is to attend 40 yoga classes in 14 weeks. Seems easy enough 40 classes between Memorial Day and Labor day. I sign up, during class that day I'm trying to calculate how many classes that works out to per week. Having a hard time focusing due to difficulty of class and poor math skills. Give up on coming up with actual number and focus instead on how buff my arms are going to be after 40 classes. 40 classes multiplied by an average of 15 to 20 chaturangas per classes= hmm? Once again stumped by the math and the heat and the,may I repeat myself, difficultly of the class. Let go of the math and make it through the class. Make it to 3 classes that week. Week 2, my little princess comes down with pneumonia. I make it to 1 class. Week 3, I've made it to 2. The numbers are not in my favor. At this rate I'm going to have to go everyday in August to met the challenge. But once again encouraged by how buff my arms are going to be. Vanity anyone? Wait I think I meant to write Enlightenment anyone? Oh well the truth is out.

Challenge #2

one hundred push ups
The goal here is to be able to perform 100 push ups consecutively. The 100 push up folks nicely give you the option of doing the girly kind of push ups on your knees but I want the real ones. See reference to really buff arms in preceding paragraph. There is an assessment test to see where your at and then 3 workouts a week to get you to your 100.

two hundred sit-ups
While on the site I discovered the 200 sit ups challenge and thought "why not?" I'm already on the ground doing my push ups. I'll just flip over and during the 60 second rest period between each push up set I'll do my sit ups.

There is a cool tool called the push ups logger to keep track of your progress. They've even thoughtfully provided a space for you to write notes about each workout. It's a really big space. I mean a really, really big space. Check it out. I mean what could you possibly say about 5 sets of push ups or sit ups that would require the space of a novella to notate it. I of course feel compelled to try and fill up the space. Notating hand positions, cute outfit worn, energy level, emotional state, temperature, air pressure, cleanliness of my wood floor.....

Challenge #3

I'm a big Jillian Michaels fan. I get my circuit training from Jillian. I recently discovered the boards on her website. The boards are a way for people to connect and support each other as they workout and lose weight. They are also a way for someone like me to sign up for more fitness challenges. Thanks to Jillian and the gang I'm currently doing 100 lunges, 100 bicycle crunches, and 100 push ups each week. There's also some random stuff to do like journaling, weigh ins, and throwing out all your junk food. But let's focus on the physical challenges for now and the fact that someday soon I will look hot in my bikini according to the bikini challenge I signed up for.

My problem with adding on the Jillian challenges is that I work out a lot on my own. Running, biking, swimming, strength training, yoga.. So can I count the exercises I'm already doing towards my challenge totals? Or should it be something completely separate. At Corepower Yoga we mix multiple sets of core work between the vinyasas. Now if we happen to get in some yogi bicycles can I count that towards my Jillian bicycles. And if I do try and count them how can I possible keep track of them during class. You know my problem with numbers!? Yikes.

Somehow if I count one activity towards the other I feel like I'm cheating. So for now I'm keeping it all separate. No crossover. So what if I end up doing a million sit ups or push ups in one week! I'll just log them all down and keep on going.

If you have any suggestions for me or would like to share some of your summer challenges please leave a comment. I'd love to hear from you.

xoxo
-ski girl, I'm overly challenged and I just wanna ski!

p.s. Did I mention the lunge challenge? I'm holding off on that until after my triathlon this weekend. Fresh legs and all that.