239/365 Stop and Stair

Friends and Fitness Enthusiasts,

I so enjoy using one's environment to build a workout. It allows you to get creative, be resourceful, and do exercises you wouldn't be able to do in a gym. Enter staircase. Your heart will race while your legs burn. Be sure to go inside afterward to exercise your upper body.

Here's a 15 minute workout that you can do using a staircase, the longer the better y'all! If it becomes too intense, you can walk down after each exercise coming up.
- Sprint up
- Side step up: left leg leads, walk down, right leg leads; for more of a challenge, keep two steps in between your feet
- Bunny hop up on both legs
- Two steps at a time
- 15 push ups on the stairs
- Sprint up
- Side squats up: left leg is up two steps, squat, shift weight to left leg, rotate up so that right leg is now two steps up, squat, repeat
- 15 dips on the stairs
- Repeat!

If you have questions or want further details on how to do these, don't hesitate to ask.

In health,

Lauren

178/365 Stair Stepper

Friends and Fitness Enthusiasts,

You've seen it at the gym. You've heard it grinding away, demanding it's user to take one step right after the other. What is it? The stair stepper!

I know this machine can be intimidating but, it is an incredible exercise that can be addicting. It of course an activity of daily living (ADL) that you will be doing throughout life. If you feel winded when you go up a flight of stairs, why not practice getting better at it? Plus you never know when you'll find yourself in an action movie like scenario where you'll have to race your way to safety on the top of a roof and the elevators are out of service. It's also a way to break up the monotony of treadmills and ellipticals that you can feel within minutes.

You can start out with your usual cardio for 20 min then finish it off with 10 minutes on the stair stepper or do the reverse. Later you can switch it up to 50/50 then maybe a day on your usual card then a day on the stair stepper. Interval work outs to come...

In health,

Lauren

139/365 Winter Workout at Home: Sprint Strides

Friends and Fitness Enthusiasts,

The temperature is dropping and so is my motivation to leave my apartment. Cold weather and rain are the major deterrents for going to the gym. I will provide you with some exercises that you can do at home over the coming days.

A staircase can be used in multiple ways to help you stay in shape. You can also do push ups and dips to work your chest and triceps. You can of course run up and down the stairs, take them two at a time, or climb them laterally. Here's another cardio move you can do: sprint strides!

1. Begin at the bottom of the stairs. Place one foot on the step (the higher you go, the more challenging).

2. While staying quick on your toes, alternate touching that step with the opposite foot.

Keep your arms active throughout. Don't let them just hang at your sides. Get into it and get quick. You can add this into your winter workout at home as a heart pumping interval in between those push ups and dips. This exercise works your quadriceps, feel your hip flexors burning!

In health,

Lauren