Surviving the 30 Day Plank Challenge

I have decided that for each month of 2015 I am going to complete 1 (or 2) personal challenges or changes. These might not be anything particularly challenging or worth documenting for a lot of people, but from someone with no New Year's Resolutions it's a bit of a fun project I've set myself. 

So here's January's challenge...

(Insert generic fitness image here)

30 DAY PLANK CHALLENGE!! 

You can find these in abundance on the internet, I found mine on Instagram and it builds you up from 20 seconds to a whole 5 minutes in the space of 30 days! Here's my tips for finishing the month...

 Remember to do it everyday! This is actually harder than you think, sometimes life just gets in the way. But I promise you that it is 1000 times harder to find the motivation to put yourself through physical discomfort if you gave yourself a free pass yesterday. GET TO IT! 

 Take your mind off things. The worst thing you can do is watch the clock. I tried listening to music, watching YouTube videos, singing and all sorts to distract myself and it helps so much. Honestly the easiest plank I did in the whole 30 days was one when I was listening to my mum and sister stressing about being late (sort of wrong I know), but because their conversation took my mind off planking, I was completely fine and it was over before I even realised.

 Use music as your timer. This links directly into the last point. If you can find a song that is about the same length as the plank you need to do, e.g. 3.5 minutes, then you won't need to watch the clock. 

 Take it at your own pace and learn to enjoy it. Near to the end of the month I got up to my first 4 minute plank and I just couldn't make myself stay, so I came back to it later in the day when I was feeling less hot and bothered, but ultimately you have to make yourself do it. And I promise you, no amount of singing to Bohemian Rhapsody makes a 5 minute plank easy, it all comes down to you in the end. Aswell, remember that your body will quite happily hold itself for a lot longer than you think it will, your head will give up long before your body does! 

 Lastly, BREATHE FGS!! No seriously, 1) because holding your breathe for over 2 minutes actually gets quite difficult and 2) because holding your breath causes excess tension and the creation of lactic acid in your muscles. Not good! So just take a few deep breaths and BREATHE!

Did I notice a difference? Yes, my core feels so much stronger, even if the visual effect is only slight.

Would I do it again? Yes, it's something that I'm proud that I've finally stuck at and completed. And let's face it, it's not that bad...

Have you completed the 30 day plank challenge? Did you start and not finish it? What monthly challenges would you recomend trying?