The motivation for this challenge presented itself a few months after I stopped my high intensity aerobics class. It presented itself in various forms, but mostly right on my inner thighs. I was still running a few miles 3 or 4 times a week, but I was not seeing even remotely similar results.
With the thought of bikini season frighteningly near, I did some research. An article by Peter Jaret published in the NY Times states,
"... new evidence suggests that a workout with steep peaks and valleys can dramatically improve cardio vascular fitness and raise the body's potential to burn fat."
General consensus: shorter, high intensity work outs burn fat and boost your metabolism much better than longer cardio sessions. Not only that, they are significantly easier on the joints. Better results in shorter time... this sounds like an infomercial.
The Goal: Trim fat, tone up
The Challenge: For 4 weeks, follow a set workout program
I'll be using this program from Women's Health Magazine. I chose this program in the interests of simplicity. 6 moves, no props necessary, in under 30 minutes. Women's Health suggests doing the program every other day. In addition to this program, I'll also be doing running interval training once or twice a week to work out five days a week. That's exercising for under thirty minutes, five days a week, for four weeks. Sounds easy enough, right?
Difficulty Level: It's a relatively short workout, but I am in the middle of exams and in the process of moving out of my apartment. In one week I'll be going to Bordeaux
Overall difficulty level: (A confident) 5/10
Start Date: May 26th
End Date: June 23rd
Not a runner? I have heard AMAZING things about Cardio-Barre, a dance based fitness routine. I am thinking about picking up Richard Giorla's DVD's... they get great reviews on Amazon.com
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