Set up a mini-commitment for this last week of January to focus and set myself on the right track come February. Last week, I toyed with the idea of including ALL of the exercises I want to do to strengthen my body, and I did a few sessions with a bunch, but found myself skimping on some very core exercises I need to do (i.e. toe raises and knee lifts).
So instead of spreading myself a bit thin and getting distracted, I am recommitting to the exercises that will give me the most bang for my buck: glute bridges, squats, knee lifts for hip flexors, and toe raises alternating with the FD series. 4 main exercises is a good number, otherwise I start to feel overwhelmed. Because there are other exercises that I will want to revisit when appropriate, I've included them in my spreadsheet as a reminder, so they are at the ready when appropriate to include them in my schedule.
This week is all about anchoring the habit and committing to the schedule. I've tweaked my spreadsheet to reflect my priorities. This week, I will do 1 session of the FD series in lieu of toe raises on Wed and Saturday. On those days, I will do the easier version of the hip flexor exercise --that is, standing knee lifts. On other exercise days, I will do the seated excentric knee raise with scarf to really concentrate on lowering the descent as much as possible and strengthen my hip flexors. Each day, I increase by one rep. On Monday I start with 2 sets of 6 reps, increasing everyday, including rest days, until Sunday, when I will complete 2x12 reps. Respectable. :)
I will then create a new commitment for the month of February, in which you will see that I will increase reps until I have 3 large-ish sets. But that is to come, stay tuned. Other ideas for February are: -to do 3 sessions of the FD series instead of 2, -to include the plank and the clamshell, etc.
For today, pre-new commitment, I will attempt to do 11 reps of the 4 exercises in this commitment. Note: the # of reps in the commitment does not apply to squats. Squats are very, very challenging to do, so I will focus on good form, stability, and aim for 4 reps of 5+ seconds.
More on this mini-commitment: I have 2 scheduled rest days, Tuesday and Friday. These are both purposefully on work days, and I intend to use the time and energy not spent exercising to shower on those days. I committed to 4 days only, you will notice. This is to give me a buffer. This brings me to consequences.
Consequences:
Should I follow my spreadsheet schedule to a 'T', which means:
- 5 ST sessions including 2 FD series,
- 2 stretch sessions per day (1 morning before work, 1 evening before bed), including 1 with those for back (CHQ+),
I will reward myself by putting 50$ in my Luxury Fund.
Should I miss one workout, or a stretch session for the day, but I complete 4 perfect days,
I will reward myself by putting 35$ into the Luxury Fund.
Should I not meet my commitment, but I complete 3 perfect days, I will put 15$ into the fund.
If I fail to achieve at least 3 perfect days, including a minimum of at least one FD series, I must PAY NURGLE 15$. |