28 Day Fitness Challenge - Day Three #28DayFit

Tip: If you already exercise regularly, using any of these exercises, choose something different. If you do the same thing day in and day out, your body becomes accustomed to it, and, because of this, you will no longer be getting the maximum benefit from the exercise. Shake things up by doing something different.

If you don't want to give up your normal exercise for the day, try adding one of the below fifteen choices to do in addition to your normal exercise routine. (If you already spend 60 minutes or more exercising daily, then try adding one of the beginner or intermediate level exercises to your workout routine for the day. you probably won't need to add another advanced level exercise when you are already doing advanced level exercise.)

Day Three
(aerobic/cardio)

Beginner Level

1. Run up and down one flight of stairs (in your home, at work or at the mall) 12 times (that's up AND down counted as one time). This is a great way to get your heart rate up. Just remember to be careful; the last thing you need at this point is to slip and fall down a flight of stairs. Make sure to wear appropriate shoes.

2. Walk for 35 minutes at a reasonable pace. Make sure you are wearing comfortable walking shoes. If the weather is not conducive to outdoor walking, go to your local mall or shopping center. You can also use a treadmill, if you have access to one. Take deep breaths as you walk, letting oxygen fill your lungs.

3. Jog for 15 minutes. You can do this either by jogging in place at home, on a treadmill if you have access to one or by jogging outside for 10 minutes. Make sure you wear appropriate shoes. Don't forget to stretch before and after you jog. If jogging for fifteen consecutive minutes is too difficult for you, break it up and do two separate sessions of jogging for 7 1/2 minutes each.

4. Jump rope for 12 minutes. If 12 minutes of jumping rope is too difficult for you to achieve all at once, you may break the session into two six minute sessions. Make sure you are either wearing appropriate shoes or are on a padded surface (rug or mat) to prevent overly jarring your joints.

5. Do ten star jumps/jumping jacks. You start with your legs together, then jump them apart. While this is happening, you are also bringing your arms up to clap above your head, keeping your arms straight at all times. Then bring your arms down as you jump your feet back together. In the USA, these are called "jumping jacks," and in the UK, these are called "star jumps." Do this ten times.


Intermediate Level

1. Run  up and down one flight of stairs (in your home, at work or at the mall) 30 times (that's up AND down counted as one time). This is a great way to get your heart rate up. Just remember to be careful; the last thing you need at this point is to slip and fall down a flight of stairs. And wear appropriate shoes.

2. Walk for 45 minutes at a fast pace. Make sure you are wearing comfortable walking shoes. If the weather is not conducive to outdoor walking, go to your local mall or shopping center. You can also use a treadmill, if you have access to one. Take deep breaths as you walk, letting oxygen fill your lungs.

3. Jog for 23 minutes. You can do this either by jogging in place at home, on a treadmill if you have access to one or by jogging outside for 23 minutes. Make sure you wear appropriate shoes. Don't forget to stretch before and after you jog. You should be able to run a little over 2 miles within this time.

4. Jump rope for 24 minutes. If 24 minutes of jumping rope is too difficult for you to achieve all at once, you may break the session into two 12-minute sessions. Make sure you are either wearing appropriate shoes or are on a padded surface (rug or mat) to prevent overly jarring your joints.

5. Do 15 star jumps/jumping jacks. You start with your legs together, then jump them apart. While this is happening, you are also bringing your arms up to clap above your head, keeping your arms straight at all times. Then bring your arms down as you jump your feet back together. In the USA, these are called "jumping jacks," and in the UK, these are called "star jumps." Do this fifteen times.


Advanced Level

1. Run  up and down one flight of stairs (in your home, at work or at the mall) 45 times (that's up AND down counted as one time). This is a great way to get your heart rate up. Just remember to be careful; the last thing you need at this point is to slip and fall down a flight of stairs. And wear appropriate shoes.

2. Walk for 75 minutes at a fast pace and then jog for the last five minutes. Make sure you are wearing comfortable walking shoes. If the weather is not conducive to outdoor walking, go to your local mall or shopping center. You can also use a treadmill, if you have access to one. Take deep breaths as you walk, letting oxygen fill your lungs. If you find it difficult to fit in 80 minutes of consecutive exercise into your schedule, break it down into two 35-minutes walking and 2 1/2-minutes jogging sessions.

3. Jog for 50 minutes. You can do this either by jogging in place at home, on a treadmill if you have access to one or by jogging outside for 50 minutes. Make sure you wear appropriate shoes. Don't forget to stretch before and after you jog.

4. Jump rope for 12 minutes, then do star jumps/jumping jacks for 12 minutes, then do another 12 minutes of jump rope and finish with 12 more minutes of star jumps/jumping jacks. Changing up the exercise helps to break the monotony of doing the same thing. The mind likes having the second-long breaks between doing one action and doing the next to look forward to. Make sure you are either wearing appropriate shoes or are on a padded surface (rug or mat) to prevent overly jarring your joints.

5. Use the elliptical crosstrainer for 60 minutes. You need to either vary your speed and incline or you need to stay at a mid-to-high range with both. Varying speed and rate of incline will give you the most effective workout. Don't forget to keep your arms working too. Elliptical crosstrainers give an overall body workout while keeping stress to your joints at a minimum. (Obviously, if you don't have access to a gym or have an elliptical crosstrainer at home, you won't be able to choose this exercise. Check with your friends; one of them might have one you can use for the day's activity. If not, choose one of the other activities for today's exercise and look for some new choices in the days to come.)