(This story is for everyone this week, paid subscribers and free subscribers and drop-ins. Consider a paid subscription so I can retire by age 95)
I could not begin to try and explain my thought processes on the day I decided to sign up for the Push-Up Challenge. But somehow, I completed 2000 push-ups between February 1st and 10:00 pm last Friday night.
Sometime in the middle of January I was contemplating my usual February ‘be better’ personal planning that sometimes, but by no means all the time, results in an attempt to mentally or physically better myself. Whatever it turns out to be it’s usually partially successful. Why February? I use January to observe all the hot and trendy New Year resolutions and decide which ones are puffery and which ones look like they might stick. Then I make all the changes in February. Or March.
2000 pushups over three weeks was not on my list. Honestly, I don’t even know how it popped up on my radar.
I keep myself reasonably (doctor gave me two thumbs up last visit) fit but there’s no routine or regimen that I follow. I walk about five kilometers, five days a week and do some urban cycling a couple times a week. So the prospect of doing 2000 push-ups in less than a month was somewhat daunting.
One of the things that appealed to me was the fundraising aspect for the Canadian Mental Health Association. It’s changing, but for the longest time, good mental health didn’t get the limelight it deserved. So I thought it would be appropriate to engage the fundraising aspect of this challenge. I set a low bar for donations; I’ll know better next time. I forget sometimes how generous people can be. If you would like to donate to this cause, you still can for a few more days. GO HERE.
I don’t think I’ve done sets of push-ups for decades. And it showed. First day I could barely do five push-ups before I was shaking and gasping. But slowly, my strength and stamina grew. By the second week I was knocking off 20 at a time. Towards the end, 30 was a doable set.
The result: stronger arms, especially the triceps and shoulders. Plus the clicking and grinding in my shoulder sockets seemed to abate as muscle and other components tightened up.
Will I do it again? Maybe. For now, it’s part of my daily routine. But I’m keeping to about 25 - 30 a day total.
I thought it was pretty good for a 65 year old. Coupled with that the fact I only drank on Fridays during February. But that’s a story for another day.