The 30 Day Workout Challenge
If you want to start a fitness program or add to you current routine, try the 30 Day Workout Challenge. This challenge will test
you both physically and mentally as you work to complete it. Plus, you get the added benefit of daily exercise for 30 days! This
program is designed to start out relatively easy and gradually become more difficult as the month progresses. Give it a shot!
What is the 30 Day Workout Challenge? What are the rules?
The challenge is pretty simple. On day 1, you will perform 1 air squat, push up, sit
up, and jumping jack. On day 2, do 2 air squats, push ups, sit ups, and jumping
jacks and so on and so on until day 30. You don’t have to perform all of the exercises
at the same time though. You can break up them up and do them throughout the
day. But, you cannot miss a day! If you miss a day, you have to make them up the
next day. So if you miss day 16, on day 17 you would make up the 16 repetitions of
each exercise that you missed, then do 17 more repetitions of each exercise. If you
miss a day make sure it is in the beginning of the challenge as missing a day later
in the month increases the difficulty of the task.
A couple of other rules: if you perform squats, push ups, sit ups, and jumping jacks
in your regular workout (separate from the challenge) you can count those towards
your total for that day. Also, if you want to start the challenge, you don’t have to
start on day one. All you have to do is “buy in” the number of squats, push ups, sit
ups, and jumping jacks you missed up to that day. So if you wanted to start on day
15 you would have to do 120 repetitions (day 1 + day 2 + day 3 + … day 15
= 120) of each exercise on your first day! The next day would be day 16 so you’d
do 16, then 17 and so on. A “buy in” on day 5 would only be 15 repetitions of each
exercise. That is much more manageable number to start with.
What are the descriptions of the exercises in the challenge?
Air squats
The air squat is performed by keeping both feet flat on the
floor, shoulder width apart, with the knees and feet pointing
slightly outward. Keeping your back straight, chest up, and eyes
forward, squat down, dropping the hips. Once you are certain
you are executing squats with good posture and technique, you
should try to go down to where your hip crease is lower than
your knee with your heels flat on the floor. Be sure your knees continue to go in the
direction your feet are pointing, keep your weight in your heels and do not lean
forward. Likewise do not let your back curve.
Push ups
The push up is executed with the toes and hands on
the floor. From the bottom position, the hands are
directly under the shoulders; chest and thighs are
touching the floor and shoulder blades are pinched
towards each other. When doing push-ups, the hips should be locked so that the entire
body is flat. The hips should not dip down or rise up ahead of the body. Contract the abs
during each repetition to keep the body flat. If regular push-ups are too difficult, try a
modified push-up done with the knees on the floor and your feet in the air. If this is still too
difficult, do the push-ups against the wall or the back of a sturdy chair or sofa.
Sit ups
The sit up has many variations, most of them involving
the position of the legs and hands. For our sit up, put
your arms at your sides and put your feet flat on the
floor with knees bent. You may hook your feet under
a sit up bar or other object (such as the bottom of the
couch). Squeeze your abdominal muscles and sit all the
way up so you can touch your heels with your hands. When you come down, touch
your shoulder blades to the ground. If regular sit ups are too difficult, try crunches.
For crunches, lie with knees bent and feet flat on the floor. Cross your arms over your
chest or put your hands behind your neck. Tighten your stomach muscles and raise
your shoulder blades off the floor. Don’t lead with your elbows or use arms to pull
your neck off the floor. Hold for a second, then slowly lower back down.
Jumping jacks
Stand upright with your feet together and your arms
by your sides. In one jumping motion, move your
feet out to the sides until they’re approximately
shoulder width apart. At the same time, arc you arms
overhead until your hands touch. As soon as your feet
hit the floor and your hands touch (in unison), jump
back to your starting position by bringing your feet
together and your hands to your sides.
Track your progress as you go.
Over the course of 30 days you will perform a total of 1860 repetitions. That is a
lot! Track your progress by timing how long it takes you on days 5, 10, 15, 20, 25
and 30. Make the commitment to finish the challenge. Plus, you’ll get the added
benefit of exercise everyday. So take the 30 Day Workout Challenge and see how
you do. Good Luck!
Did You Know?
If you’re a seasoned walker, keep doing what you’re doing. If you’ve been inactive and tire easily, it’s best to start
slow and easy. At first, walk only as far or as fast as you find comfortable. If you can walk for only a few minutes, let
that be your starting point. For example, you might try short daily sessions of five to 10 minutes and slowly build up
to 15 minutes twice a week. Then, over several weeks’ time, you can gradually work your way up to 30 to 60 minutes
of walking most days each week.
http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/walking/HQ01612
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information contained herein with other sources. Patients and consumers should review the information carefully with their professional health care
provider. The information is not intended to replace medical advice offered by physicians. © 2011 Our Clinical Team, LLC
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