Planking my way through winter

It's a snowy Monday here in Stockers, and the beautiful winter wonderland I'm always dreaming about is right outside my window, falling as we speak. This is frigid February - a special month for me (my bday month!), and also this year, the start of a challenge: the plank challenge. 

These 30-day challenges seem to be the new work-out trend. There's an abs one, squat, chest, burpee, thigh... the list goes on. I guess it makes sense; 30 is a nice round (and manageable) number to start off each month. 

not exactly planking here, but close

So yesterday, I started with my first 20 seconds of planking. The thing is, in my current housewife status, I've been going to the gym - Friskis & Svettis (Fresh & Sweaty in English) - nearly every day. There's not much of an excuse for me not to. Plus, I can get there on foot in about 5 minutes. 

I've got the gym class schedule down flat, and know most of the instructors' names. I know whose classes are the toughest, and which ones I can be a bit lazy in. I've mastered the online booking system. In a city so crowded, it's often necessary to book classes a whole week ahead of time. Crazy, I know, but I can so I do.

Part of my work outs on most days is a plank, usually for about 80 seconds. I struggle through it, huffing and puffing, in hopes that it will be easier the next day. It never is. Now I'm back to 20 seconds - names problemas - but according to the challenge, will be hitting 240 seconds by the end of the month. Can you imagine doing a plank for 4 minutes?! I certainly can't. Baby steps. I'll be reporting back on my planking in a month, either with rock hard abs or ... more likely not. Wish me luck!

Shoes - 1, Me - 0

On Sunday morning, I took a lovely, rainy, 8-kilometer walk with my mother-in-law around Maren lake in Västervik. On Monday evening, I did an Interval Body Pump class at my gym. Same shoes. No problem, right? Big problem in Sweden.

Maren lake on a rainy day

Since the start of my gym-going days in Sweden, I've scoffed at the idea of having a separate pair of indoor training shoes. That's ridiculous, I always insisted. Such an expensive, unnecessary luxury. 

Instead of abiding by this nation-wide rule, I would sneak into the gym with my outdoor shoes only. It's all in one's self-assurance, right? No hesitation, no questions.

But today's gym experience was worse than questions. About 10 minutes into my 75-minute class, I looked down to see my entire area covered in pieces of dirt. Big and small, some with clumps of grass - it was not a pretty sight. And only got worse over the next 65 minutes. 

I was ashamed. The other 29 pairs of shoes in the room were flawless - not a spot of dirt to be found across the grey rubber floor (although plenty of drops of sweat). And so I hopped, I squatted, I lifted for the remaining 65 minutes surrounded by the stigma of my carelessness. 

At the end of the class, I tried to discreetly sweep all the dirt up with a wet paper towel. And another. And then another. So much for discretion. 

Will I change my habits? Probably not. I'm not exactly in the position to spend 2,000 sek on another pair of training shoes for the gym. But I will never forget to scrape off my shoes after a muddy walk. And neither will anyone in the class who stood behind me.