All of a sudden we are in week #8 of the 360 Challenge! Oops….I haven’t been so great about posting these last couple weeks. My son was sick for a week and had to stay home from daycare, I wasn’t sleeping well because he was in our bed coughing most of the night, work piled up and then my computer broke!!!
What a crazy couple weeks it’s been! But, I’m proud to say that my #1 commitment I made to myself (and you guys!) still happened every single day. Of course some days all I could squeeze in was 10 minutes and I decided that was enough for the day. Even after only 10 minutes I felt better physically. And, even more importantly, I felt better MENTALLY knowing that I took care of MYSELF and kept true to MY GOAL and didn’t let an entire day pass by without taking that time.
Everyone is busy and everyone has demands that pull on their time. It’s okay to sometimes just say “NO” to extra events that take you away from the way you’d like to live each day. I know for me I would like my house to be a heck of a lot cleaner and more organized but I have to take a step back and realize what is REALLY important is that I make the time for myself and become okay with a bit of a mess. That is my choice. But of course there are some things you can’t say no to….like keeping your child home from school or daycare when they are sick. For those days you just need to get creative of course. For me I chose to not feel guilty to putting him in front of the TV while I did a body weight circuit on the floor right in front of him. It wasn’t ideal- but it was something. There are tons of workouts in previous blog posts that can be done right in your living room.
It’s also not too late to join this challenge- to commit to doing something active and fit in exercise for at least 10 minutes every single day. Putting your health at the front of your mind is so important! Join our group on Facebook at Altman Fitness 360 Challenge to get inspired and for updates!
For today’s “Workout Wednesday” I’m going to share with you an awesome “Peak 10” workout I just did on the treadmill and that you can do the next time you are stuck using a piece of gym equipment and you don’t want to do the same old boring steady state cardio. This workout is INTENSE but it’s only 30 minutes and that INCLUDES a warm up AND a cool down. Please note: this can also be done on a stationary bike, elliptical, stair machine or even with body weight moves that really get your heart rate up!
Side note: I love to run and have been a runner for a long time. I’m going to post EXACTLY what my number on the treadmill are, but everyone is different. Use my numbers as a guide, and adjust according to your fitness level. If you have a heart rate monitor (and I HIGHLY recommend using one during this workout)- you should get your heart rate to over 90% Heart Rate MAX during at least 6 of your “peaks”. Heart Rate MAX is generally calculated as 220- (your age). BUT , if you are in good cardiovascular shape you can push it a bit more than that. I tend to go up to about 95-98% of my number after about my 5th peak. So….what I’m saying here is – PUSH as HARD as you can during your Peak and then allow yourself 1 full minute to recover before doing it again.
Also, the reason I do 1 minute intervals is because when my treadmill is at a 3.0 speed and a 1% incline, it takes about 20 seconds or so for it to reach that “PEAK” speed and incline so I am really only “all out sprinting” for about 40 seconds. Then, when it gets to the top of the next minute I typically jump my feet to the sides of the treadmill and wait for the speed to go back to 3 for about 20 seconds before I start walking. My legs (and heart!) need that break.
30 Min “Peak 10 Ladder”
1-5min warm up- No incline, speet at 6.0 mph
Min 5- incline to 3, speed at 7.5- ” Warm up Peak”
Min 6- incline to 3, speed to 4
Min 7- incline to 4, speed to 8.0- Peak #1
Min 8- incline to 1, speed to 3
Min 9, incline to 5, speed to 8.0- Peak #2
Min 10- incline to 1, speed to 3
Min 11- incline to 6, speed to 8.5- Peak #3
Min 12- incline to 1, speed to 3
Min 13- incline to 6, speed to 9.0 – Peak #4
Min 14- incline to 1, speed to 3
Min 15- incline to 6, speed to 9.0- Peak #5
Min 16- incline to 1, speed to 3
Min 17- incline to 6, speed to 9.2- Peak #6
Min 18- incline to 1, speed to 3
Min 19- incline to 6, speed to 9.2- Peak #7
Min 20- incline to 1, speed to 3
Min 21- incline to 6, speed to 9.2- Peak #8
Min 22- incline to 1, speed to 3
Min 23- incline to 5, speed to 8.5- Peak #9
Min 24- incline to 1, speed to 3
Min 25- incline to 3, speed to 7.5- Peak #10
Min 26 incline to 1, speed to 3
Min 27-30 – light walk at 4.0 or jog at 6.o depending on how you are feeling. No incline.
Whew!!! that was a good workout!