From 25 to 30

It's been exactly a week since my post on the push-up routine I've started. Today(or yesterday I guess) I started doing eight sets of 30 instead of sets of 25. This puts my daily push-up count at 240.

At the start of the routine last week 25 push-ups in a row was quite challenging, but by Monday and Tuesday of this week it was a piece of cake. I'm starting to like the pump. It's a great anxiety buster and helps me focus at work.

I haven't noticed many gains yet, although this is only the start of week 2 into the routine.

What I have noticed is that my shoulders tend to sit wider rather than slouch, and my posture is more upright. My arms are a little bigger from the constant pump, but I haven't noticed anything on the pecs (this is probably from too much shoulder activation). Putting my feet up on something all the time feels like it puts some stress on my trapezius muscles, they've been tighter than normal. I've asked a yoga friend to show me some stretches later this week that I can perform daily to keep myself loose. I already have a theracane if it comes to having to push out any knots.

I took some pictures today. When I decide this project is over I'll have some photos to study.

I'm also considering putting sit-ups into the mix, and possibly making a super set of sit-ups and push-ups in the morning, to knock out two or three of the eight sets for the day in one sitting, alternating between the two exercises.

I've also changed my diet to exclude any processed sugar and minimized my meat intake to two times a week. I don't want to overwhelm myself with a strict diet so I'm starting with some simple rules. They should be easy to stick to. The diet idea is also a big money saver, I'll hardly be eating out at all. The diet is mainly to reduce my body fat % and to clear my skin of any acne.

Overall so far I'm feeling more alert and more calm. I'm able to control my emotions much better and I feel generally better and more upbeat throughout the day.

That's all for now.