Rest Stop - Visit with Dr. Hardman

Yesterday was my three month check up with Dr. Hardman.  When she came in to talk to me I got a big hug from her, I usually don't get a hug until I leave.  According to her records I have been losing about 10 lbs a month for the last six months.  That made me feel good and she is extremely happy with my progress.  She said to keep doing whatever I am doing because it is working.

As we talked she asked if Dr. Scott had added exercise to my journey and when I said yes she asked for my exercise plan.  She is keeping close tabs on what I am doing and how I feel.  I told her I feel great.  I then asked with my breathing up and weight going down if I had done these things earlier, if I could have kept my job with the city and she said "NO!"  She said, yes the weight loss is helping my breathing but probably the biggest factor to my dong better is the fact that I am inside all the time and not out in the pollen and bad air all day, every day.  I still have to check the air quality and pollen count on a daily basis and with all the fires burning around the West I am pretty limited to the time I can spend outside, especially with ash lightly falling from the sky.

As Dr. Hardman and I talked about the exercise program I am following, I happened to mention I was going to do the thirty day plank challenge.  She wants to see which one of us can hold a plank for five minutes, which is the end result of the thirty day challenge. This is what the challenge looks like:

 But after doing my first one today and making a whole 12 seconds, 5 minutes at the end of thirty days isn't going to happen for Santa Clause.  My challenge will probably be something more like this:

That's seconds not minutes.  I did find a sheet with some hints on doing planks:

Then when I was really down, I came across an article that added insult to injury.  I was reading an article from Men's Health and it said the scorecard:

Below Average: You can't hold a basic plank for 60 seconds

Below Average: Fewer than 15 push ups

Below Average: Fewer than 3 chin ups

I already knew I was way out of shape. But then:

On the positive side I came across a YouTube video on doing planks that gave me hope.

I will start will the easy level and work up to the advanced level as I start getting in shape.  I will be trying hard to make five minutes by the time I see Dr. Hardman in three months.

If I get up that mountain, then I may take on this challenge:

LET THE PLANKS BEGIN