Last month’s challenge was a smashing success! There was only one day, a Sunday, that I didn’t complete at least 900 push-ups (I think I did 450 or so that day), and there were only a few days that I didn’t get in the full 1,000. However, the last week of the challenge I added 100 extra push-ups each day to make up for any that I missed previously in the challenge.

All that to say, I am confident that I performed 30,000 push-ups during the course of the challenge. It definitely is one of my favorite to date. I think this is a great example of the power of 30-day challenges. I gave a speech this past week comparing 30-day challenges to New Years resolutions. I don’t think anyone would give a New Years resolution of doing 1,000 push-ups a day and definitely not for a year.

However, when put in the context of 30 days, it becomes a challenging yet attainable goal, especially if you break it down into small chunks that are purposefully scheduled throughout the day. Honestly, I don’t have that much else to comment on with this challenge, so instead of doing a more formal evaluation, I will just give a few observations and intentions.

• It was easier during the week than on the weekend. The biggest factor in completing the push-up challenge was not how busy I was. Knocking out 100 push-ups was relatively easy to do, especially by the end of the challenge. The most difficult part was remembering to do them. When teaching at school, each bell that rang was a reminder to knock out 50+ push-ups. Without these reminders, it was easier to get behind.
• Chest-to-ground push-ups are not for me. Why? Well, I don’t really have a chest. Some of this is due to my kyphoscoliosis, but whatever the reason, touching my chest to the ground doing push-ups was not feasible. I did practice with this a little though during the challenge.
• I will continue the practice during the work week days. Doing 50 push-ups between each class period was awesome. It was a great way to get some exercise in during the day and feel physically refreshed without breaking a sweat or being a time drain. Just great!
• I will feel sorry for anyone that does a push-up challenge with me. I enjoy doing abs workouts with my brothers when we visit each other. Abs exercises have always been tough for me, and I find doing timed workouts or pyramids quite challenging. However, push-ups, especially now after doing 1,000 a day for the past month, are as simple as walking.

That’s it. I have already picked out what I think my next monthly challenge is going to be: hourly consciousness focusing. But more on that when I detail the specs.

Namaste.