Climbing the Walls: Challenge too great, but I’ve learned lesson

Mrs B did (and she’s all smug about it – fair enough), but I was done at 80.

There are many things going for the number 80, but using it as a number of burpees in a challenge is not one of them.

In fact, it’s a stupid number of one exercise – never mind the 85, 90, 95 and 100 I ‘missed out on’ the days after.

It’s not that I couldn’t do it – at least that’s what I’m telling myself – it’s more a case of I didn’t want to.

The last couple of days were an effortless process through the number, rather than making any discernible effort to do them at any speed.

And eventually, despite the best cajoling of members of my household, I simply refused to go on.

However, it won’t be the end for burpees – I want to be able to continue doing a fair number of them and for all the pain and suffering they cause are actually an excellent quick all-over workout with no equipment.

So, dear readers, it is my commitment to rattle/struggle through 30 burpees in my down time. That feels like an OK number, I think...

Much more interesting on the sporting front has been my continued return to the outside world.

I picked up a tennis racket for the second time in a week and discovered I do actually remember how to play parts of the game – even if my body refuses to follow through with instructions sometimes.

And with the social distancing guidelines in place, singles is all I can play – much better for the fitness than doubles, though I do miss out on rebuilding my agility round the net.

I’ve also learned to let go of the player I used to be – when I was young, fit and half-decent – so finding myself able to enjoy things much more.

And the good thing of weeks of PE With Joe – something else that has fallen by the wayside recently – is that I feel I have a good base of fitness and strength.

I have swapped PE With Joe for a walk with my three-year-old son while my two daughters and wife carry on with PE. He is not interested in PE, so a wander down to look at the electricity pylons – ‘BIG TOWER!’ as he calls them – gets him out the house and also my legs moving in the morning.

The biggest thing I’ve learned in recent weeks, that whether it’s your wife, children, friends, mum, dad, whoever, it is much more fun to exercise with other people. And as we move back towards some form of normality, I can’t wait to experience more and more of that.