Challenge: accepted (I think)

If we're friends on Facebook, you may have noticed that I recently joined two groups: a 30-day Ab challenge, and a separate 30-day squat challenge, both set to start on Sunday (June 1).

If we're friends on Facebook, you probably also know that this is exactly the type of thing that I normally shake my head and tsk-tsk at. It's true - generally, I think this is a dumb idea. But these two things both caught my eye this time, and I found myself joining the groups and looking at the calendars before I even thought twice about it.

Here's why I am planning to participate in these challenges:

1. I'm hoping that the Facebook groups will serve as daily reminders, and I won't forget to participate until week 3. 
2. I could use a fitness jump-start. Nothing seems appealing lately as far as exercise goes, so I'm hoping that these daily sets of things I can do while watching TV or brushing my teeth or whatever will at least keep me moving. 
3. I do love a good calendar. #organizeallthethings 
4. Doing a few extra squats and crunches never hurt no one. Even if I miss a few days, the days when I do remember to play along will be good for my booty. 
5. I'm hoping it encourages people around me to workout, too. Nothin' like some motivation from friends! 

Looking at the comments on the groups, there is so much negativity - everything from "there are better exercises to do" to "no one has time for this" to "this is stupid, you'll always be fat." It's amazing! Trust me - I am aware that there are more / better / easier / blah blah ways to do this. I don't believe in insta-results and I have no delusions about 30 days of crunching somehow creating a six-pack in my stomach-region. However, I do firmly believe that any movement and exercise is better than no movement and exercise, and, for me, this is a good addition to my regular workouts. So I'm printing out my calendar and sticking it on the fridge, and I'll do the best I can. I'll reiterate #4 - MORE squats and crunches never hurt no one!

For my own sake, I combined the two challenges into one calendar. If you'd like to play along with either or both, feel free to use the image below. I have no idea how do-able it is (200 squats seems like a freakin' lot...) but it's worth TRYING. So... who wants to play??