Workin' the plank: good things come to those who Google.

As I sprint to the "finish line" of this project (dude, I'm only getting started!), I'm taking a more serious approach to the exercises I still can't complete. Specifically, I'm talking about my personal favorite: the FIVE sets of 90-SECOND planks. For some of you lucky hardcore crazy people, this ab-rocking task is easy. You are all my heroes.

Literally, you are heroes. I did some research. Fire fighters who train at the Mississippi Fire Academy only perform the plank pose in 30-second intervals. Which means that we should all be climbing up and down poles on day 90. And rescuing people and cats from the flames. Like this hottie:


Yesterday I approached plank with a smile. I told myself this move was not going to conquer me. I did the slow breathing, I went to my happy place, which for me is this plank-like spot where I spent many a wonderful hour (a dock on the island of Itaparica, in Bahia, Brazil):



I counted some crumbs on my rug and tried to focus on the E! True Hollywood Story about NBA wives or something. During my third set, I felt pain in my shoulders and neck. I figured this was not where I should be feeling the burn (since my "core" wanted more). I slid backward and forward on my toes, trying to adjust, but that only caused my lower back to ache.

I took a break and Googled (that internet thing is so cool) and found this awesome article on how to plank.

Some of the author's many insightful tips about maintaining the correct posture during the pose include connecting the abs "in and up" (is that what the Pilates teacher means when she says "pull the belly button towards the spine"?), rotating the inner elbows forward, pulling the shoulders away from the ears, and softening the "creases in the ankles." It sounded a bit abstract at first, but I made the modifications and felt my lower abs fully engaged. Additionally, the tension in my neck, shoulders, and back eased up.

In other news, the indulgence is here and I'm going to try and not over think it this time. Though I would love it if my boyfriend cooked me a lavish organic-local- free-range-grass-fed meal. With ice cream. BABE. Are you listening?

Or maybe I'll just drink all 1000 calories and go sing karaoke. Kidding! I can't imagine what my tolerance for alcohol is like now (and how much cheaper it's going to be to get tipsy when this is over!).