The No Excuses Workout - Day 6

Who would have thought that something so simple would already be turning into a fairly challenging workout?

Each day I add another exercise and a couple of repetitions to the workout.  That doesn't seem like much - until a week has passed.  Or three weeks.  Or a month.  Each day simply pushes things a little farther - and before I know it, I'll be back in shape.

It doesn't make sense that something so simple could be so effective until you're able to see it in the rearview mirror.  The first week or so builds foundation and makes exercise a habit.  Each and every day builds on that foundation.

Simple and effective.  My favorite approach.

Exercise:

One additional exercise and a couple more repetitions...

Table Top - three times (from Day One)

Hug and Release - three times, ten repetitions (from Day Three)

Elevation - three times (from Day Four)

Lift - three times, ten repetitions (from Day Five)

And the new exercise - Tic-Toc.

Still on my back (from Lift) I stretch my arms out from my sides and draw my feet up to my body (so that my knees are bent like I'm kneeling and sitting on my heels and at a 90 degree angle from my torso).  I pull my navel toward my spine and, keeping my shoulders and upper back on the bed and my thighs perpendicular to my torso, I slowly lower my knees toward my right side, like the hand of a clock moving from 12 to 3.

Tic-Toc.

Keeping my navel pulled toward my spine, my abs engaged, and my shoulders flat on the mattress, I roll my knees back UP through the same arc, going from 3 back to 12.

Tic-Toc.

Then I do the same to the left side, from 12 to 9.

When my knees travel that same arc from 9 to 12, that's one repetition.  I did five this morning.

Cardio:

One more block, bringing the distance up to fourteen blocks.  On Monday, I'll mix things up a little.

PM Workout

There's no PM workout tonight since it's Saturday night.  I give myself one 24-hour break each week.  In my world, if I take an entire day off, I'm tempted to break my building habit.  So instead, I take a 24-hour block off, skipping a Saturday evening workout and a Sunday morning workout.  The next workout is Sunday night - and then things begin Week Two.

In one week, there's been a noticeable increase in my fitness level.  After two weeks, those changes - lean muscle, more stamina, additional strength and flexibility - will be more noticeable.  If I extend things out, looking down the road, I can already see all of my fitness goals coming into view.

It's really just this easy.