Push-ups and sit-ups is the foundation for a basic calisthenics routine for many people. These two exercises help to develop and strengthen the core, arms, chest, and back. The general thinking on sit-ups is that they can be done every day of the week because this type of training is more along the lines of developing flexibility than strength training and doesn’t require as much time to recover (https://www.outsideonline.com/1769271/should-you-do-push-ups-and-sit-ups-every-day). In addition to the core development, doing sit-ups regularly can help improve balance, posture, and diaphamatic strength, while also reducing back, hip, and pain and stiffness (https://www.healthline.com/health/sit-ups-benefits). Push-ups, on the other hand, also help develop strength in the lower back and posture, while building the arm muscles and protecting the shoulder as push ups call upon stabilizing muscles, which surround the rotator cuff joint, this area of the body is strengthened and conditioned for dynamic movements (https://www.keepinspiring.me/10-massive-benefits-of-push-ups/). Push-ups and sit-ups, because of their bodyweight focus, don’t overload the muscle groups with hypertrophy and can be done nearly every day without needing to skip a day before doing the same exercise again.
Day 1:
For weeks I’ve been thinking about whether this challenge would present enough difficulty to be worth it. I thought, “well, 50 pushups and 50 sit-ups used to be nothing, and I’ve done a lot more in the way of physical exercise in the past few years.” I continued to live in my doubts until after I had done a complete yoga flow class tonight. As I began going into my pushups I realized I could only do 10 at one time, then had to take a break, and followed this by doing another set of 5, breaking, and finishing it off with a set of 10. Doing 25 sit-ups between this set wasn’t super difficult, but is definitely not as easy as I remember. The next set of 25 pushups was even more of a struggle, but I managed by separating them into sets of 5. Ending with another 25 sit-ups was slightly challenging, but I made it to the end and decided this was probably the perfect challenge.
Day 2:
Today wasn’t any easier than yesterday in completing this challenge. I waited until the last minutes of the day to complete it (11:45 PM), and tried them after playing the new Ring Fit for Nintendo Switch for 30 minutes. This challenge will truly be a difficult one for my lazy ass self. At one point, while doing the pushups, I ended the set and exclaimed, “Jesus!,” to which my watch replied by showing me the Wikipedia page for Jesus of Nazareth. What a sassy bitch.
Day 3:
I did my Ring Fit game time in the morning followed by Hot Yoga and Restorative yoga in the afternoon/evening. I didn’t attempt the challenge until after dinner, and even though my stomach was settled, it being full made the sit-ups much more difficult. I was able to crank out 25 push-ups without stopping, but each sit-up made my want to puke. The pushups are easier this round because I did them with my elbows out to the side instead of tucked in tight in my body. The variety of push-up styles will probably be helpful in strengthening my arm muscles and getting stronger with the push-ups. Maybe I should incorporate a variety of sit-ups too?
Day 4:
I did the switching between styles of push-ups, combining elbows out with tucked in. The pushups were pretty easy in the first set. I did 15, took a break, and then did 10 more. I also gave myself enough time after eating to digest the food so I didn’t feel like puking during the sit-ups. This didn’t mean that the sit-ups were difficult, just that my guts just didn’t feel like they were going to explode while I was doing them. The second set of each of the exercises was a bit more difficult. I was able to do 10 push-ups, then 5, then 10 again to push through to the end. The sit-ups were the same strain as the first, but I was guided by the fact that it was the end of the challenge and I could go to bed.
Day 5:
My favorite way to get into the push-up posture is from downward facing dog. It lets me set up the hand position and practice a bit of yoga. I could definitely feel the pushups in my abdominals tonight. This is probably because that’s where I’m supposed to feel it and also probably because I was feeling a bit gassy after the dinner we had the night before and that bubble in my guts kept being pushed on. The first 25 were easy, as I did them with elbows out, and I was able to do them in one set. The 2nd set was with my elbows in and I had to do it in 10, then 5, then another 10. I’ve been noticing that I often slide backwards while doing sit-ups and then have to re-situate myself half way through them. When I looked it up, I found out that what I’m doing is letting my leg and back muscles do all the work hence end up pushing my butt backwards when I sit up. I’m going to try to anchor my feet to something and do crunches instead, not going all the way up but stop halfway up and then go back down while tensing my abs, then immediately go back up without letting my back touch the ground. This will be the practice for tomorrow.
Day 6:
Because I wasn’t able to find anything to put weight on my feet, instead I did a slower crunch and focused on my butt staying in place and lifting with the core. This meant that my abdominal muscles could solidly feel the burn for both sets of the 25, but that the exercise changed from a sit-up to a crunch. I was able to complete 25 reps of the pushups in one go using the elbows pointed out. For the second set I did 10 reps, another 10, and then 5 with the elbows tucked into the body. My goal for tomorrow will be to complete 15 the first round of the 2nd set of pushups, and then only have 10 left to do.
Butter Chicken and Corn Rice
Ingredients
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 cup chopped yellow onion
1 tablespoon finely chopped garlic
1 Tbsp fresh ginger
4 teaspoons garam masala
2 1/4 teaspoons kosher salt
2 teaspoons ground turmeric
1 cinnamon stick
1 1/2 cups tomato puree (from 1 [28-oz.] can)
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1/2 cup heavy cream
2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs
1/2 lb frozen green peas
1 can of sweet corn
2 cups of Basmatti Rice
1 cup water
1 more tablespoon butter (salted possible)
How to cook it up:
1. Add all ingredients, up to the chicken, to a crockpot. Stir gently
2. Lay chicken on top of the other ingredients
3. Cook for 4 to 6 hours on low
4. Using two forks, shred the chicken
5. Add green peas to the ingredients
6. Cook another 30 minutes to an hour
7. While the green peas cook, add the rice, corn, butter and water to a rice cooker or pot and cook on low
8. Serve with heated Naan