Thursday, March 19, 2009

A day in the life of a burpee addict

Hey Guys!
I am so excited to be part of the new enthusiasm around the burpee challenge! I am about 30 behind in the grand scheme, and think I might get current (or closer) today.
With all the discussion of what this challenge is and how we survive and are we crazy etc, I thought I'd give a sidelong view into my burpee day.
7:00 AM, WNYC on my alarm; get up, regret my decisions.
7:15, set of 15 burpees, a moment to get in touch with my body. Feel the physical aches and pains from practice last night, the psychic aches and pains of being human.
7:30 breakfast is cooling, another set of 15 burpees. Now that I am waking up, I am start to remember why I love this challenge; I get to be in touch with my body at all moments of the day. My frontal quad and pecs are sore, and I love that. I feel stronger for being sore, and healthier for having committed to this.
7:50 one set of ten before I leave the house, heading to the train with almost a full work out done.
8:10 Awkward stares from downstairs neighbors who I pass on the way to the train, their eyes ask "Who or What are you doing up there?" My smug reply, "If I told you I'd have to invite you, and this is mine. See you in the blogosphere, losers."
Throughout the day, I'll do a set of ten burpees in-between periods at the school where I teach. "Mr. Diesel is doing the farting thing again." "When you gonna stop that and join a gym?" etc. Love the high school kids.
4:00 pm, get home, finish off with a few sets of ten in between emails and other paperwork. By practice time, I am already fully in touch with my body and have revved up my muscles, not to mention have something to be proud of. Insofar as this is instructive, I enjoy burpees not only because of the challenge, but they also get me in touch with the best gift I can give myself, health and fitness.
I hope you find the time to do a set of 10-20 burpees today and experience the joy and regret we have all become intimate with!

3 comments:

  1. Waking up with burpees is wonderful/terrible. My body has no desire to be in touch with anything upon waking up, let alone my concious self. Still, I'll do a set of 6-15 in the morning, depending on what day it is. (I like to continue the day with a number ending in 0 or 5.) Then I'll do sets at work. My office burpee count varies; sometimes there are supervisors in my office space who probably wouldn't be so accepting of burpees between projects. I tackle whatever is left as a warmup/ pre-workout workout at the gym or to keep my body moving between drills at rugby practice. On the weekends I like to run to McCarren Park in Williamsburg and do sets of 10-20 with core exercises in between, then run home. Or, on less motivated days, just do them in sets at the bar, on the train, in various living rooms, wherever :).

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  2. I like to get my burpees done early too, because the later in the day I leave them, the less likely it is that I'll be able to fit in a few extra sets. I've actually taken to putting "15 burpees" after every few tasks on my to-do list, so my Type A self needs to cross them off!

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  3. THis was good to read! Thank goodness I am current on my burpees because I don't get started on them until the afternoon. I try to do them in sets of ten but I am getting for realz sore so sometimes I do fivers.

    Oh and those odd danglers on like day 79 for example? (the nine of the four, depending on how your sets go). Those I keep for the end because they are MY REWARD FOR FINISHING UP!

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