harder than it looks

Yesterday, for the first time, I actually managed the 50 pushup goal - mostly because after a couple weeks of intermittent bursts of pushups, I got to the point where I can knock off sets of 10 instead of sets of 5, and it's a whole lot easier to remember to do 10 pushups 5 times in a day than it is to remember to do 5 pushups 10 times in a day.

Today I'm adding in a new thing - Get-Ups. Basically, hold a weight above your head in one hand, while lying or reclining, and then stand up, holding the weight up the whole time. Then lie down again, but keep the weight up. There are refined versions of this kicking around on some of the kettlebell sites, usually called "Turkish Get-ups" but I like the one illustrated on stumptuous best (it's about halfway down the page). It looks like she's using a sissy weight, but really, not so much. I used my 7-lb LDC and that was sufficient for 5 on each side to feel like I was doing something. Actually, it was kinda hard. Getting up once is easy, and usually it's sufficient for whatever purpose - but getting up from lying down over and over, and holding a weight over your head at the same time is challenging. I won't lie and say it's *fun* but it's technically easy enough and quickly enough accomplished that it's a good little "while the kettle's coming to a boil" exercise, if you get bored of pushups.

(Um, and on the weight front, I have to admit that I totally fell off the wagon while my mom and my sister were visiting and I actually put on 3 or 4 lbs. Bad me. I'm back on the wagon now and experimenting with intermittent fasting - I will post on that if it turns out to be actually a good thing. One of those "evolutionary biology theory predicts this will be good for you but let's see how reality works out" things. I will say at this point that it is entirely possible - based on one data point - to go for 24 hours without food and be hungry without feeling any decrease in energy or mood.)