The first time I saw the 12-3-30 (12 incline, 3 mph, 30 minutes) challenge on TikTok, I scrolled right past it. It seemed impossible to me that such a short workout involving only walking could be so effective. However, as it kept crawling onto my For You page, I decided to look into it more. What I discovered is that the workout itself is brutal. It puts you into “fat-burn mode” faster than most other workouts and sets your body up for amazing endurance. The comments and videos I saw inspired me, and I decided to capture my first week as a 12-3-30 girl.
- Day 1
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I walked into my local gym expecting something easy, but got exactly the opposite. Pushing through the first ten minutes with no breaks was almost impossible for me, and for the last 20, I had to take breaks every five minutes. I promise you, you will sweat like there’s no tomorrow. Sweat came from places I did not know I could sweat from, but soon discovered because of this workout. When I finally reached 30 minutes, I stepped off the treadmill and collapsed, exhausted, into my car.
- Day 2
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For some reason I had the expectation that day 2 was going to be much easier than day 1, but I was sadly mistaken. In fact, day 2 seemed to be harder than day 1. Instead of pushing through the first ten minutes without breaks, I made it through about seven before taking some well-deserved, stand-still deep breaths. This time, I knew about the sheer struggle of this workout, but refused to give up. I ended at exactly 30 minutes (no extra time for me) and followed my routine of collapsing in the car. I think I sweat out at least my entire water bottle.
- Day 3
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See day 2! Yet another day of barely making it through the workout. This time, I prepared myself with two water bottles filled to the brim and a towel to catch the immense amount of sweat from my face and neck. While these were luxuries I’d wished I had before, it still didn’t mask the burning pain in my legs. However, I finished at 30 minutes regardless and went on with my day.
- Day 4
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This day was my saving grace. The prior three days of struggling and sweating were awful, but day 4 made it worth it. This was the first day I started to see some real change in my body. I was approaching the ten-minute no-break mark easier than the first day and truly feeling how much my leg muscle had grown. It was amazing to me just how fast the workout started causing change in my body! Of course, the workout was still incredibly difficult, but my new positive outlook caused the aftermath to be much nicer. I felt energetic and ready to tackle just about anything.
- Day 5
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This day was the first time I really looked at myself in the mirror and, though it may have just been placebo or newfound positivity, I was happy with what I saw. Even if there was barely a difference, I still felt the difference, and that’s what matters the most. I pushed through this day’s workout with that in mind and distracted myself by watching Netflix on the treadmill. Though the minutes still felt incredibly long, watching Netflix helped keep me occupied much better than listening to music did. I really recommend this if you feel like time is getting slower and slower.
- Day 6
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The second to last day! I was ecstatic to finish the challenge and came fully prepared to the gym. Originally on day 1, I brought myself and a water bottle. Now, I have myself, my AirPods for Netflix, two hefty water bottles, a sweat towel, and a protein bar. I felt like a real “gym rat” despite only doing some quick cardio. My legs were burning up as I tried to reach 15 minutes with no breaks. I didn’t quite make it all the way there, and ended up with about 12 minutes. Though it wasn’t the original goal, I was still proud of myself for even making it that far in less than seven days.
- Day 7
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Finally, the very last day of this crazy challenge. I ended up losing 2 pounds in a week with no diet change (keep in mind I’m very fond of pasta…) and was more hydrated than I’ve ever been in my life. I completed the seventh day with some struggles, but compared to day 1 and 2, they were miniscule! Even though I only told myself I’d be doing this for seven days, I think I may even continue further.
If you’re thinking about or have ever thought about trying this challenge, I highly recommend it. Pushing through the first few days, and even the first week, can be really difficult, but the results are worth it. I felt stronger mentally and physically as well as healthier overall. I can’t imagine what my results would have been like with a more sustainable diet!
I hope TikTok puts more workouts like this one on my For You page, and I hope this inspires other women to attack the 12-3-30 challenge.
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