What 110 days of Workout did to me !!

With the Covid Eclipse across the world, it's difficult to look at positive moments in 2020, but personally, it was a great year for me. Apart from meeting a lot of personal and professional goals, 2020 was a stellar year in terms of achieving my workout goal.

Towards the end of Aug 2020, I set up a personal target of 110 days of regular workout (workout for 110 days without skipping a single day). I really wanted to test myself and see if I had the consistency to meet this goal. My goal was to get fitter and maybe lose a bit of weight.

So on 1st Sept, I started on my 110 days of workout with the following plan:

1. Run everyday — 5 km
2. 20 Pushups + 20 Squats + 20 Abs

I was spot on for a full week but then on the 8th day, I had leg cramps. So I went for a 5km walk instead of a run.

I live in Myanmar and its rains quite a bit here and on the 9th-day heavy rains started and continued for over a week, so I started to walk in the compound but 5km in the compound was getting very boring.

Suddenly on the 14th day, I was overwhelmed with the effort and missed 3 straight days. I tried to get back on track, but something or the other would come up- like a late work meeting, or a call from family, or a sudden hunger pang and I would miss a day again.

By the end of 20th Sept, I had worked out for a total of 15 days. I had only met 75% of my target and realized that the plan is not working.

So I say down, took a relook at my plan, and made the following changes:

• I created a new plan which could be done indoors. I named it “The 110 days of ASP” ( 100 Abs + 100 Squat + 100 Pushups)
• The plan was to do complete 100 Pushups + 100 Squats + 100 Abs every day in 20–30 min. I did not specify when and kept the time flexible.
• I decided to skip the everyday run since it was the rainy season and there were covid restrictions on moving out.
• I created a Tally Chart to measure my everyday achievement. I had a date column with three more columns, one each for Abs, Squat, and PushUps.
• I pasted this tally chart of 110 days on my wall and decided to mark each day with a (tick) once I completed each days workout
• And on the 21st of Sept, I kickstarted The 110 Days of ASP.

As I write this article on the 17th of Jan, 2021, I can proudly say that I completed the 110 days challenge without missing a single day of workout.

I am a 6ft-1nch tall, medium built male and was fairly fit before I started The 100 Days of ASP program. But by the time I finished the challenge, I was fitter, faster, stronger, and better physically, mentally, and emotionally. I don't have before-and-after photos to show the effects of the program, but here are some of the results:

• While I was quite fit before also but after the program, I feel much stronger from an overall body strength point of view.
• My legs feel great and much stronger than ever before and my running has improved a lot.
• Now I can finish a 5km in 25 mins flat, whereas earlier I could only finish a 5km in 30 mins.
• My Abs and Core are much stronger and I can feel a general strength overall across my entire body. I can do 100 abs is one set now.
• My ability to lift weights has improved tremendously. I can do 4 sets of 100kg chest press without breaking a sweat.
• My shoulders have become much stronger and I can do 50 push-ups in one go.
• While I continue to weigh 90kg, but that weight has shifted from mass to muscles.
• My knee pain is gone, my legs are stronger and muscular and I can feel it and see it too :)
• I had energy issues, was always lethargic to get out of bed in the mornings, and had a drained out feeling. Now I spring out of bed. My inertia is completely gone and I am very energetic.
• Bending, Lifting, Jumping, Running, Sprinting — all have become much easier than ever.

I must admit that I did not lose much weight especially in the abdomen area, but the overall impact of the 110 days of exercise has been fantastic.

I am Faster, Stronger, and Fitter than I ever was.

The best part is the feeling of having completed the workout challenge. Now I have a personal milestone that will always be there to motivate me and make me do better.

I am sharing the tally chart I used to measure my everyday progress and commitment in the hope that it inspires all of you to take up similar challenges to become better during this pandemic. It's a great opportunity to invest in your well being and come out as a winner.

110 days of ASP workout

I now am on a 110 days challenge of Run 5km or 100 x ASP (abs:squat: push-ups) on alternate days. My goal this time is to lose the abdominal fat and a bit of weight while I maintain my newly acquired strength.

I will try and share the results of the same when I am done.

So see u soon and hope u start your own journey of a happier and healthier you.

Love and all the best !!

Nitin