Pushups - End of Week 3 Report

Today marks the end of week 3 of the 100 push-up challenge. This week was the hardest yet by far. I was not able to complete the full workout so I'll have to repeat this week. My wife, Kim is doing it was well and is making some impressive gains. She started by only being able to do 7 and now she can do 20.

Here is today's workout for me:

30

2 min rest

22

2 min rest

22

2 min rest

20

2 min rest

Max set - do as many as you can until you fail (at least 27)

If you are doing this with me, let me know how it's going for you.

Why Exercise Is Important For You Spiritually

Our bodies are not merely disposable containers for our eternal souls. God could have made us to be disembodied souls, living forever in a condition like the souls in Heaven live while waiting for resurrected bodies…But He created us to be complete as a unity of body and soul…

One of the ways the body can have a positive effect upon the soul is through recreational physical activity. Because most spiritual practices [disciplines: reading, writing, study, meditation, etc.] are by definition spiritual and not very physical, if our daily work is mostly mental and sedentary then there’s little diversity in the kind of stimuli we experience. And the monotony of that can lessen the impact of our spiritual practices. The variety that recreational physical activity provides to the brain cells and muscle fibers of a body may help to refresh the soul that dwells in it.

-Don Whitney, Simplify Your Spiritual Life

(HT: Derek)

Pushups - Day 1 Report

Well, yesterday I started the 6 week 100 Hundred Pushup Challenge. To start off you have to max out and see how many pushups you can do at once. Go until failure. I did 36. Not bad, but not quite as good as I thought I would do. I keep forgetting that I am old and crusty now. My wife also has decided to join me along with about 10-12 other people that I know. Should be a fun ride to see who makes it to the end.

Here was our first work-out from last night:

10 reps - 60 sec. rest - 10 reps - 60 sec. rest - 8 reps - 60 sec. rest - 6 reps - 60 sec. rest - Max out (Go until failure)

It wasn't that bad but since I was so sore from the day before's max out test it was harder than I thought it would be. I am VERY sore. The last set where you have to go until failure works you over pretty good.

I'll keep you posted...

Fat Kids

From this Time.com article, How America's Children Packed On the Pounds:

In 1900 the average weight of a college-age male in the U.S. was 133 lb. (60 kg); the average woman was 122 lb. (55 kg). By 2000, men had plumped up to 166 lb. (75 kg) and women to 144 lb. (65 kg). And while the small increase in average height for men (women have remained the same) accounts for a bit of that, our eating habits are clearly responsible for most. Over the past 20 years in particular, we've stuffed ourselves like pâté geese. In 1985 there were only eight states in which more than 10% of the adult population was obese--though the data collection then was admittedly spottier than it is now. By 2006, there were no states left in which the obesity rates were that low, and in 23 states, the number exceeded 25%. Even those figures don't tell the whole story, since they include only full-blown obesity. Overall, about two-thirds of all Americans weigh more than they should.

"Sit down on a bench in a park with a person on either side of you," says Penelope Slade-Royall, director of the U.S. Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion. "If you're not overweight, statistically speaking, both of the other people sitting with you are."

If there was any fire wall against the fattening of American adults, it was American kids. The quick metabolism and prodigious growth spurts of childhood make it a challenge just to keep up with all the calories you need, never mind exceed them. But even the most active kids could not hold out forever against the storm of food coming at them every day. In 1971 only 4% of 6-to-11-year-old kids were obese; by 2004, the figure had leaped to 18.8%. In the same period, the number rose from 6.1% to 17.4% in the 12-to-19-year-old group, and from 5% to 13.9% among kids ages just 2 to 5. And as with adults, that's just obesity. Include all overweight kids, and a whopping 32% of all American children now carry more pounds than they should. "There's no way to overestimate how scary numbers like this are," says Seeley.

Obese boys and girls are already starting to develop the illnesses of excess associated with people in their 40s and beyond: heart disease, liver disease, diabetes, gallstones, joint breakdown and even brain damage as fluid accumulation inside the skull leads to headaches, vision problems and possibly lower IQs.

(HT: AB)

100 Push-Ups?

I think I am going to start the One Hundred Push-Up Challenge on Monday. Anyone want to join me?

Here is the description:

If you're serious about increasing your strength, follow this six week training program and you'll soon be on your way to completing 100 consecutive push ups!

Think there's no way you could do this? I think you can! All you need is a good plan, plenty of discipline and about 30 minutes a week to achive this goal!

No doubt some of you can already do 50 consecutive push ups, but let's face it, you're in a big minority. Most of you reading this won't even be able to manage 20 pushups. Actually, I'm sure many of you can't even do 10.

However, it really doesn't matter which group you fall into. If you follow the progressive push ups training program, I'm positive you'll soon be able to do 100 push ups!

Running

I have started running again. At the Albuquerque elevation of 5,000ft and not having done anything cardio for about 6 months equates to one thing... PAIN.

This too shall pass. For my wife and I running is the fastest way to get a decent workout and with three little kids, doing things in a timely manner is important.