30 Day Ab Challenge

Happy August! I cannot believe that it is already August - this summer, and really this entire year is just flying by. The next thing I know it will be 2014 and I will be graduating from college. But let's not get ahead of ourselves!

I didn't have to work until noon today, so I took advantage of a free morning by waking up and taking my time fixing breakfast and getting ready for the day. I had my usual scrambled egg white breakfast with a heaping side of grapes.

I let my breakfast settle, passing the time by reading Divergent - it's really sucking me in, before heading up to the gym just before 10:00am. I knocked out 5.25 miles in 45 minutes, doing the same 45-minute treadmill workout that I did earlier this week. I think it's the constant changing of the speed that keeps me from getting bored. After my run I went over to the free weights corner and set out to complete day one of the 30 Day Ab Challenge.

Last night I received an email from Active.com that had "30 Day Ab Challenge" in the subject line. This appealed to me because, if you are anything like me, I tend to slack on the core part of my workout, mainly because I never go into it having a plan of action. So, when I opened the email detailing five simple ab exercises that are to be done 30 days in a row, I couldn't help but think August 1 would be the perfect day to start. The six exercises are as follows:

• Ab Crunch

• Bicycle Crunch

• Scissor Kick

• Leg Lifts

• Hip Raise

• Plank

Leg lifts have always been difficult for me, and hip raises have never been my favorite, but what better time to learn to love a few new ab exercises than the month of August? I simply completed 20 reps of each exercise, and then held the plank for 45 seconds. The important thing to remember is this: you don't have to do every exercise all at one time, just as long as you do them over the course of 24 hours. And it doesn't matter if your plank is 15 seconds or 90 seconds. The important thing is to watch yourself make progress over the course of 30 days. So, if you're looking for an exercise challenge, do the 30 Day Ab Challenge with me - we can hold each other accountable!

And now I must get back to my book. I'm about halfway through already, and it is most definitely a page-turner!

*All ab images courtesy of Active.com