Drop and Give Me Twenty: Days 26 to 30 and beyond...

It's been way past Day 30 for me. Life has a way of changing plans on you. The challenge, though, has been completed... or rather, it continues.

I did this challenge because I wanted to see how I would change if I did push ups every single day. And here's what I learned:

• It's pretty difficult to do push ups every single day. Sometimes, it's best to let yourself rest so that you can recover and do better the next day.
• The only way to get better at doing push ups is by doing push ups.
• The only way to stop hating doing push ups is by doing push ups.
• Everyone will tell you how to do push ups and that the way you're doing them is wrong.
• Push ups are best done privately.

I was hoping I'd like my arms better after this challenge, and well... I do a little. I mean, they're better, but I think I'll have to keep doing what I'm doing for a long while before I'll actually be happy with them. I'm far better off than NOT having done it. Here's how I know:

• A dress that was too tight around my chest and arms is ALMOST wearable now.
• An abs circuit that was impossible for me to do two months ago is achievable now.
• I am now on hole two of a belt that I could only get to hole one last month.
• I dropped a bra size quicker than I've ever done throughout my whole weight loss journey.
• If I hold my arms just so I don't mind wearing a short-sleeved top.
• I can hold a plank for a whole minute and a side plank for almost a minute.

What's really nice is that I've worked in a couple of sets of push ups into my evening yoga routine. Even if I think I'm too tired to do them, after I do a few poses, I find myself saying, "You can do them. Go ahead and try a set." I usually end up doing at least two. And I'll just keep doing them now.

So, while it's true that you can't spot reduce, you can focus on one spot and find that MANY spots improve. Weird how the fitness people are usually right, huh?