I am very lucky to live in the dorm right across from the campus rec center and have unlimited free access. However, I find that I often lack the motivation to get up and go work out. So I put myself to the challenge to get out there and work out everyday for a week!
Day 1 – Sunrise Yoga
For the first day of my challenge, I went to a sunrise yoga class with a friend at 8:30 a.m. and I loved it! The class was one hour long and we did various stretches including child’s pose, downward dog and many others. The class was calming yet somehow really woke me up, and I went through my day feeling more energized yet calm than usual.
Day 2 – Cardio
For day two I did something I never really do and went to the gym by myself! I got there early again and I spent about 15 minutes on an elliptical machine and about 25 minutes on a bike machine with a screen that simulated biking races, on mountains and tracks. I had my earbuds in the whole time blasting fast-moving songs and I surprisingly liked working out by myself. I came back a lot more tired and sweaty than I did after yoga, but I felt very productive and this sense of productivity lasted throughout the day.
Day 3 – The Mat
On day three I was still pretty sore from my intense cardio workout from day two. I decided not to use any machines and try some different stretches I researched. I did the butterfly stretch, crunches, sit-ups, leg raises and a few others for about 30 minutes. I could really feel it in my arms, legs and core after a while and I enjoyed feeling more flexible than usual.
Day 4 – Strong by Zumba
This was my hardest and most intense workout by far! Strong by Zumba was not a typical Zumba class, because instead of dancing, this class consisted of doing different stretches such as push ups and squats across the room to the beat of the music. I was exhausted all day after but it really gave me an incredible sense of accomplishment!
Day 5 – Taking a walk
As simple as it sounds, taking a walk is actually a great activity for aerobics and legs. I was still drained from my most intense workout ever from day five, so I figured I would take advantage of the new spring weather and take a long, peaceful walk rather than breaking a sweat at the gym. Luckily, campus has some beautiful views (especially the city view) and many different walking paths so it was really nice to just walk all over campus and clear my head and reflect while taking in some beautiful views. I actually hope to do this a lot more often and I am looking forward to my next walk!
Day 6 – Steps
Day six was a very busy day for me and since I already knew I had a million things to do, I knew I wouldn’t have time to actually make it to the rec center. Inspired by my walk from day five, I wanted to get creative and find another way to work out. There’s an extremely long flight of steps outside my dorm, so for my workout today, I decided to take those steps instead of the other walkway for day six. I did this in booties, so I felt it in my feet and legs!
Day 7 – The Track and Weights
Since day seven was my last day, I wanted to go all out and give my whole body a workout, so I started out on the track with some friends. I’ve never used this before, but I really liked it. I walked, ran and jogged the track as needed for about 15 minutes and could feel the burn of running in my whole body from head to toe. Afterward, I realized that most of my workouts focused on my legs and cardio, so my friend and I decided to do an arms workout and try the weights. I hadn’t lifted weights in a long time before this so I used the five pounds, but I could still feel it in my arms and was satisfied with my workout.
By the end, I enjoyed this challenge. It pushed me out of my comfort zone and gave me a sense of accomplishment. This whole week felt productive and I felt like I had a lot more energy and motivation than I have any other week. After completing this challenge, I plan on to work out more often and am no longer intimidated to work out alone. I also now look forward to simple exercises such as taking walks, and I encourage anyone else who wants to break a sweat or even just find a new way to gain a sense of accomplishment to try this challenge as well!