30 day Squat challenge update

It's been a long, hard month.  My butt and thighs both hate me and thank me!  Back at the end of May, I looked at this challenge and never thought I could do it.  I honestly thought that I would be cheating and skipping days or failing to reach the squat goal by the end of the day.  (I never did, though) 50 squats looked too hard, forget about my body being able to do 250 in one day!  I thought I would be dying from the pain, that I would be flunking out of this challenge and I would be a big failure.  I told a friend "If I die doing this, please bury me ass up..... atleast it will be more toned!" But today I have reached the last day.  (I am doing this with a woman from Australia, and they are one day ahead of us - this is the last day of June there- so I follow her calendar for doing my squats)  It has been a struggle, but I have done it. 

It was a 30 day challenge, 3 days of squats, 1 day of rest and so on.  Each day was 5-10 squats more than the day before, and after each day of rest, there was a 10-20 squat jump.  The first day was 50 squats and the last day was 250 squats.  The beginning of the month was fairly easy.  I could break the squats up into 1-2 small groups and even though my legs felt like Jelly by the end of the day, I did it.  As time went on, I found myself taking more time, doing squats for an hour, with a small break here and there.  I tried to concentrate on something other than what my body was doing.  I would play candy crush, catch up on emails, or flip through a catalog, all while making sure I didnt lose count of my squats and concentrating on my form, also.  I found it easier to complete more squats when my mind was occupied, rather than letting it think too much about the ache in my thighs.  I found my favorite times to bang out a whole bunch of squats at a time (brushing my teeth, shampooing my hair in the shower, making my protein drink, talking on the phone) and I also found when the worst times were (anytime my 14 mo old was around.  I had a squirmy worm climbing up my legs, or into my arms...... there were many times I was squatting with her 18lbs of extra weight on me!)

My legs feel stronger now. I had many nights when they hurt so much that I couldnt sleep on my sides. I couldnt lift my legs up to the footstool that sits in front of my couch. But as time went on, my legs became stronger and more willing to push themselves and me to do more. I could feel the muscle burning but there was nothing telling me to stop, instead my legs were telling me to do more, that they could do more. And then there were days when my legs screamed out "NO MORE!" (like on relay day when I was on my feet for 13 hours straight). Luckily, those days became more rare as the month went on. 

I took before pics, and I revisit them every week or so.  There is not a huge change, which of course I wish there was!  I notice a lot more smoothness in my butt and thighs.  I never did my measurements, which I wish I did, so I dont really know if there is a difference there.  I do notice my jeans fitting differently, a little looser.  I have lost 6 lbs in the month, which isnt a huge difference, but it is nice to see any drop at the scale.  I dont think there is a huge difference in the appearance of my body, but I'm totally willing to continue with the squats so I can continue seeing changes. 

All in all, I thought this challenge was going to be a big bust for me, that I would be cheating and dropping out mid way, but I have impressed myself by finishing each day thoroughly.  I am impressed by how much stronger I am than I actually thought (both mentally and physically) and I am impressed by the fact that it really wasnt as hard as I originally thought.  The woman who asked me to do this challenge with her is starting a new challenge for July, and I have no idea what it is yet, but I am excited for it.  I'll keep all you readers posted on what it is, and hopefully you'll join me for that one, too!