Day 28

Today was a super busy and exhausting day. I had a ton of stuff to do and work and squeezing in my training was not easy. I really really didn't want to do that second hour or finish my push-ups. I forced myself to do it and managed to make it through but I'm incredibly tired right now and today I'm really looking forward to being finished with this 30 day thing. Anyways, it was rough but I did it and now I'm going to sleep!

Day 27

Only 3 days left.
I'm not sure if I feel primarily excited or sad. I'm really happy that I've accomplished what I set out to do and that I've stuck to the plan and not cheated at all. I'm proud of myself and so grateful for everyone being so understanding and supportive. I really do feel as though this consistent training has become a part of my life now. It's a whole new lifestyle which was exactly what I was hoping for when I started. Not only have I integrated this into who I am, but it's also leading me down new paths of self-discovery. I'm learning more and more about who I am and what my beliefs and values are. It's totally rad.
I'm also a little bit sad that it's coming to an end. Although I have every intention of continuing to train hard, my little project is now done. It's no longer as new and exciting. Now my biggest challenge will be to keep it fresh and interesting so that I have fun and stick to it. Deep down I know there's no reason to be sad because this really has become a part of me. I will never go back to who I was before I began and I will always remember what I've learned.
For now I'm going to enjoy these last three days and train harder than ever. Finish it off with a bang!

Day 26

Despite the wonders of magnesium my shoulders were still a bit stiff today. I decided after some kicks, forms, and push-ups to give them a good stretch with a yoga routine focused specifically on shoulders and back. Great idea! I was careful not to do too much and to listen to my body so I think I got a really effective stretch while staying safe. Sometimes I feel like I shouldn't use my training time for yoga because I should be focused more so on just kung fu but at the same time, it's a great way to take care of my body while still progressing. I think it's better than taking a rest day... baring any serious injury of course. I feel as though I still get the benefits of consistency and discipline but I also get to mix it up and nurture myself at the same time. It works for me anyway. I'm pretty tired today though so good night.

Day 25

My shoulders and arms are pretty sore right now. Last night at class we did sparring with hands only and then today I did my push-ups of course as well as swimming, some weight training and working out on the heavy bag. That's a lot of upper body work and I'm feeling it now. I have some magnesium to take before bed so I shouldn't be too bad tomorrow. If you've never tried taking magnesium after a workout before, I highly recommend it. It helps to relax the muscles so you'll be less stiff and sore the next day, it helps you sleep at night, it's really effective for restless legs or nighttime leg cramps, it eases menstrual cramps, it prevents headaches due to neck tension, it can help with constipation, and it even helps your body to absorb other minerals like calcium. Magnesium is especially important for athletes because during strenuous exercise our bodies excrete it in our sweat.
I know this all may sound a bit cheesy but I really do love it and it is incredibly useful.
This is a diagram of a magnesium molecule.

Day 24

Today went well. I was feeling strong again for push-ups and pull-ups. It was just one of those days where I felt like I could do anything. I think that's happening more often which is exciting. I guess it's partly because I am stronger and more fit now. I'm glad that I've done all of this training before going to China. I think it'll really help me with the transition to what the routine will be like while I'm there. I'm getting more and more excited and nervous about the trip. On the one hand it still seems really far away, on the other hand time is just flying by like crazy. I'm already on day 24! It seems like I just started a few days ago and here I am already almost done. This goal has gone really well, I hope that I get as much learning and discipline from all of my future goals. I can't stress enough the benefits of writing out a goal and an action plan and following through. It's completely changed the way I feel about myself and my life. A while ago I wrote about keeping promises to yourself and this has been a wonderful exercise in that. I used to feel guilty because of not practicing consistently enough and I would get very down on myself which made me not want to try very hard at all. Now I feel great inside because I know I've done my best and there's no limit to what I can accomplish if I do my absolute best.

Day 23

It worked!

Waking up and knowing that I had extra push-ups to do today really motivated me to get started right away and push myself to complete them. I felt strong and able while I was doing them. Some days I feel so strong, as though I could do anything and some days I feel weak and tired. I'm still not sure exactly what makes such a big difference. I know it has something to do with my frame of mind though. More and more I'm realizing what a huge impact it can have on my experiences. Even though I know to a certain degree that our thoughts create our reality, I'm seeing real proof of that all the time and I'm learning it on some deeper level now. I think with a concept like that (thoughts and beliefs create reality) you can know it in theory but to really integrate it into your life you need to know it experientially. It's kind of like "the secret" except that it's not a secret and it's been around for thousands of years. So many people see the movie or read the book and think "Ok, now I can just manifest whatever I want" without doing any actual work. You can think positively all you want but you also have to take ACTION! You have to change your habits and rearrange your life to make room for this new stuff that you're manifesting. You have to look around and see all the opportunities that are around you and jump on them. I'm not saying it has to be difficult, but you do have to change your beliefs on a fundamental level. That's the real "secret" in my opinion.

I think I've ranted long enough now. Good night.

Day 22

I had an interesting day today. After work I went to the community hall where I teach my yoga class on wednesday nights but when I got there I found some people setting up for a concert. Turns out the hall was double booked for the night so I couldn't teach my class. I came home and decided to do yoga anyways for what was left of my training for the day. Steve joined me so we had a mini class in the living room. It was really relaxing and a good way to stretch out after the strength training we did yesterday. I'm really glad that I was able to stay calm and go with the flow so that I could enjoy the evening and get the most out of it. I think that as I age I realize what's important and don't get bent out of shape over the insignificant glitches in life. I can picture a younger me in the same situation being frustrated and angry even though there was nothing I could do about it at the time. Now if only I could maintain this calm attitude on a busy day at work...

I've been feeling really bored with my push-ups lately. A big part of me just wants the 26 weeks to be over with not because I don't want to do push-ups, just because I'm not excited about them anymore. So I decided that today I would do less and do the extra ones tomorrow to give me more of a challenge. Something to get pumped up about! I'll let you know how it goes.