Day 5 - Still Challenging

I kept thinking that by Day 5, things would get easy. While indeed, things are easier now than they were on Day 1 and 2, the exercises are still challenging. Here are my top 3 challenges and top 3 improvements:

Challenges:

1. Push-ups - will I ever be able to do unmodified push-ups? The first couple days, arm power was an issue and I could feel my arms straining to hold up even my weight from doing modified push-ups. Now I'm feeling the strain across my chest and in my pecs.
2. Lunges - Traci wrote a post a couple days ago tagged "quads on strike." I think mine are permanently unemployed. It seems that the lunges never get easier. I raise and lower myself like a rusty, creaky piece of industrial age machinery that needs some oil.
3. Jumping Rope - these always give me some burn in the calves.

Improvements

1. Jumping Jacks - dare I say it? I may.... be.... starting... to... like.... these.
2. Squat and Press - the first few days, I was really feeling the burn on these. These past couple days, these have become considerably easier.
3. General Sweat Factor - as Traci mentioned, that first day was a puddle factory. These past couple of days have earned some sweat, but not nearly that see-through drench from Day 1.

P.S. I'm keeping a weight graph that I will unveil on Day 30. Let's just say that this week has experienced a spike.