A Little Respect
Habits make up our daily life and routines. Some habits are good and healthy, others not so much. As I was creating my list I decided to include some new habits, the good ones. Not quite sure how planking each day for 50 days made it to my list, but it did.
My goal was to plank for 3 minutes each day for 50 days in a row. I had one friend who suggested 5 minute planks- I’m so glad I didn’t listen to her. I did my research on proper planking technique and how to build up to 3 minutes. I created a chart to capture my time and ensure I was being true to my goal. I was ready to begin. The plank plan I found online had me starting on day one with a 20 second plank. Being an over achiever I did 30 seconds- no problem. The plan progressed at a reasonable rate increasing by 15 seconds every couple of days. After a minute, the plan increased by 30 seconds. Wow! That was harsh. I was able to do a minute and a half real well, but was struggling to get to the two minute mark. I was worried!
I encountered a few challenges.
1. My parent’s dog, Nike, thought planking time was playtime. He would bring me his toys and blanket in hopes for a game of catch during planking time. Planking with both hands on the floor is hard enough without having to throw toys or push a licking dog away.
2. I had gnarly sores from the rug burn on my elbows. Alexandra encouraged me to get a yoga mat and after a few weeks my elbows were healed.
3. Music choice for planking was a challenge. At first I had no music and was praying during my planks. I thought my prayers for strength and endurance would help me get through the 3 minutes of planking faster. It didn’t work. I tried lots of different genres of music from Rock ‘n Roll, Oldies, Jimmy Buffett, Country, Christian, Pop and finally settled on one song- Aretha Franklin’s Respect. Why it made planking easier, I don’t know- but for me it worked. The song is only 2 minutes and 36 seconds so I created a planking playlist on spotify which includes only two songs: Respect and Respect. I learned when I made it past the instrumental section I was halfway there. I’m a little worried next time I’m at a dance party and the song comes on I’ll end up hitting the floor in a plank.
4. My biggest struggle was my lower back. It hurt, bad. I could plank comfortably the first minute and endure the second minute but really struggled to get to the three minutes without a back stretch. I was holding my abs in tight but my lower back still ached. I decided on day 27, having not yet reached three minutes, it would be alright to do my 3 minutes in two parts with a couple yoga poses in the middle to stretch out my back. Success! I finally was able to get a full three minutes of planking.
Fortunately planking is portable as I did some travelling during this time. I planked at home, in hotels, and dorm rooms. I planked celebrating Easter, graduation, and summer. I planked in the morning, mid-day and at night. I planked from February 26th until May 16th in order to reach my goal. I successfully planked for 3 minutes each day for 50 days.
I have the utmost respect for Mao Weidong a Chinese policeman who is the world record holder for planking 8 hours, 1 minute and 1 second on May 2016. I wonder what music is on his playlist. #12✔
