The 4 Week Body Challenge
by Rosemary Marchese
Are you a regular runner or jogger? Got yourself in an exercise rut? Easy to do. For those of you who have been pounding the pavement regularly but are getting a little stale try making some changes to your routine over the next 28 days. Here are some tips to help you recharge your exercise routine. Pick one of the following options and replace one of your weekly runs (or two if you run more than four to five times per week) with the suggested alternative. The idea is that you will increase the intensity but reduce the length of your workout by about 20 to 30 percent.
1. Add some hill running to your program, particularly if you have been running or walking. You could shorten the length of your workouts but increase the intensity by adding the hills. For example in a 30-minute workout you could add in a 30 second to one minute hill run (depending on your fitness level and the slope of the hill) once every five minutes.
2. Get yourself to the beach if possible…replace one of your weekly runs with a session on the sand (the soft sand if your up to it!).
3. Add stair climbing to one of your weekly runs. Find a set of stairs to challenge your cardiovascular system and coordination and balance. Depending on the height of the stairs you will need to climb one to two stairs at a time. Sprint up the stairs and recover with a slower pace down the stairs taking care to not lose your balance or footing. Replace about 20 percent of your workout with some stair running after a decent warm-up. You could do this in the middle or towards the end of your workout to really challenge yourself.
4. Break up your run with some resistance work in a park. Replace about 10 minutes of your run with 10 exercises – do as many of each in one minute as you can. Rest for the remainder of each minute, for example do as many push ups as you can in one minute…if you can do 30 push ups and it takes you 40 seconds, then rest for the remaining 20 seconds. Here are a list of ten exercises…try them in order so that the upper and lower body get a break between exercises:
i. Push ups (narrow grip)
ii. Squats
iii. Dips
iv. Lunges
v. Chin ups (find a bar in a park)
vi. Calf raises (kids playground equipment can be useful as a step for these)
vii. Air boxing
viii. Running on the spot
ix. Push ups (wide grip)
x. Step ups (using a park bench)
Note: Remember that you will need to seek out a suitably qualified fitness professional to instruct you on the proper technique of each exercise before you start!
Overall, variety is the key but so are the goals you are trying to attain. It is best to have your programmed reviewed regularly to avoid boredom and overuse injuries. We can all get stale and even the fittest runner can plateau. Reducing the length of workouts and increasing the intensity is one of the easiest ways to increase variety and add some spice into your workouts! Best of luck.
Rosemary Marchese is a Director and the Editor of fit for life online www.fitforlifeonline.com.au. As a registered physiotherapist with over 15 years of experience in the fitness industry she brings to fit for life online a wealth of health and fitness writing and editing experience. She is the co-author of the best-selling book ‘The Essential Guide to Fitness: For the Fitness Instructor’, which was specifically written for those people wanting to start a career in the fitness industry. She is also a former Editor for Ultra Fit magazine and is now writing her second fitness book. Rosemary is a fit and healthy mother of two young children dedicated to helping busy mums achieve their health and fitness goals.