Body by Plank + Walking

I was invited by a friend to participate in a local #ClimateStrike protest September 20. It was great to see a student led protest and so many young people fired up about something as important as climate change. At one point, the group was too small to march, yet once more people arrived, we marched. During this walk/march, my feet, legs and hips experienced varying degrees of pain. The student speeches were a welcomed time to rest, while being motivated to do more for the environment. Walking back was at at a slower pace and I was very appreciative of being seated in the car as we drove to lunch and home. I was exhausted and sore when I got home. I stretched out my muscles later that night and had a new inspiration to walk and spend a few minutes in plank each day. On Saturday morning and Sunday, I woke and went on a long walk, finishing with three plank exercises. Right now, I start the plank workout with two 30 second sessions of "dolphin plank" from 21 Day Fix Extreme, which is a movable plank that goes from a full plank to a downward dog pose, teetering between the two poses. I then complete two 30 second sessions of wide plank, which is a forearm plank similar to the one above, except for the arm placement being wider. I finish with two 30 second sessions of the forearm plank pictured above.

When I first began dolphin plank in August as part of the 21 Day Fix Extreme program, I could only do this move on my knees and was unable to hold it for the full minute. However, I continued with working out and getting stronger. At the beginning of September, I was able to do full plank position in dolphin for 10 seconds and the rest of the time on my knees. Now, I can do this move for a full 30 seconds in full plank position before resting and completing another set of 30 seconds in full plank position. I have a healthy sense of sore limbs and muscles since I have begun the walk and plank workouts on Friday. Being that it is "walking season" and the Breast Cancer walk will be upon us in October (as well as other walks my brother has planned in honor of our deceased oldest brother), I am taking this opportunity to actively train for the season. This also means that I am spending more time stretching as well. It feels good to do something to get me closer to my goal of losing 100 pounds.