Day one of the new workout is now gone, and I’m not sure whether it worked or not. Spoiler, it probably did and I’ll probably feel it tomorrow!

Let me explain… As I mentioned yesterday, today I was doing a workout called Perfect Score, from the N+TC app. At first it looked complicated, but while doing it, I realised it was just the same exercises over an over again, for 30 minutes. Don’t get me wrong, it wasn’t boring at all!

The workout asked for 4kg dumbbells, which as you know, are heavier than I normally use (double the weight, actually). Here are the exercises (note that all the photos below are screenshots from the N+TC app, I didn’t take them, I’m just sharing them for illustration purposes!):

1. Deadlift with alternating rows.
   For this one, I had to stand with my legs a bit wide and a bit bent, bend down with my back straight, and then lift the weights sort of perpendicular to my back. Right, left, and up again.



2. Walk out press up to swivel.
   This one was tough. Standing with my legs apart and straight, I had to bend down, touch the floor (without bending the knees) and walk out with my hands until reaching a press up position. I had to do one press up, and then lift one knee, and twist my hips, knee to the opposite side. Repeat with the other leg, then walk back up again.



3. Single leg clock squats.
   I couldn’t do this one, mainly because I don’t have any balance and my knees were hurting. Supposedly, I had to stand on one leg, slightly bent, and squat down, each time moving the weight in increments to one side. I did it by standing with both legs together instead.



4. Side plank reverse fly.
   First of all, I couldn’t hold a side plank position today, so I did it from the knees instead of my feet. I had to hold the weight on the “top” hand, and then lift my arm straight and over my head, and back down.



5. Russian twists.
   I hate doing this one, because my lower back hurts. In theory, you sit down, legs bent and up in the air, and twist your upper body to each side while holding a weight in your hands. I usually do this, but with my feet touching the ground.

I had to repeat these exercises over and over again for 30 minutes. At first, I thought it was going great and I felt powerful. Towards the end of the workout I could feel my arms burning. I don’t have the feeling I worked my abs that much (a bit of the core with the Russian twists – and some Crazy Ivans, as they call them), but usually I work it harder. However, I have the feeling tomorrow I’m not going to be able to move. You’ll see, tomorrow I’ll be all ha, and I said I didn’t work my abs much… ouch! Ha-ha!

Before this workout, I did 15 minutes steady run, as requested by the plan.

I am starting to feel the tiredness and a bit of tightness in some of my muscles, which is good news. Working out is such a great feeling. First you don’t really want to do the session, then you start and once you’re doing it, it becomes a bit easier, just before it becomes hard again from all the reps. Afterwards, it hurts, but it gives you an amazing feeling.

Hopefully, no sickness or injuries prevent me from keeping at it this time around (fingers and toes crossed!). Tomorrow, I’m doing 15 minutes of Dynamic Yoga, whatever that means. I just know that there’s a crow exercise. I did that once, when I attended a Nike yoga class, and I only managed to maintain my posture for about a second, before I became scared of falling face first on the floor and stopped. It’s one of my life goals, to be able to do the crow.

There’s something that is true, no matter what. We can’t control what happens to us and around us, but we can control how it affects us. At the moment, I’m making some right decisions (I hope) around my personal life. They’re a bit on the difficult side (not everything is smiles all the time), but I think they will work out well in the end. Sometimes, we need to push ourselves in order to snap out of an emotional coma. If I’m left to my own devices, I never get anything done. I think and evaluate all the options, just to avoid making a decision, making a move, and that’s why shock therapy works a bit better with me. Sure, I have a tough time when working through my issues, but once it’s done, it’s done.

I remember once there was a super tiny spider in my bathtub. I saw it some evening, and it scared me. When I say super tiny I mean about 5-10mm in size! Before I got rid of it, I decided to do a test… I tried to touch it. Of course, I didn’t manage, I got about 1cm close to it, touched the bathtub and then removed my finger from its vicinity as fast as I could, but I’ve never come that close to a spider before, not since I started being terrified of them.

Sometimes, you have to put yourself in a situation you know you’re not going to enjoy in order to see the whole picture, and that’s what I’m doing at the moment. I’m trying to touch the spider.

So that’s it. I just wanted to share a bit of my first day of this new workout. I know I talk about Nike and N+TC a lot, but I am not on their payroll, I promise. I just think they have a great offering of free workouts and events going on, which means there’s no excuse about gym memberships or anything like that for you to get moving and get the most out of that body of yours. I know I’m quite a lazy person, but I also know that once I start moving, I love it and want more.

What’s your favourite workout plan? Do you use any apps or follow any routines?