by Ethan Johnson
January 18, 2007

I haven't been talking about this publicly (until now), but for the last 7 days I have been conducting a 30-day trial. I wanted some wind at my back before I said anything official.

For this trial, I decided to implement an easy, portable total body workout routine that cannot be derailed by things like inclement weather. I searched around for some ideas, and latched on to part of a larger routine provided by David Boles. This person ultimately goes "hardcore Vegan" and so forth in his quest for ultimate fitness and health, but for now I just need some forward momentum. Here is the exercise routine that I have been doing for the past week:

1. 100 Jumping jacks
2. 25 deep knee-bends
3. 25 side leg entensions (per leg)
4. 25 front leg entensions (per leg)
5. 25 back leg entensions (per leg)
6. 25 push-ups
7. Lay on your back, bring your knees to your chest 25 times
8. Lay on your back, fold arms across chest, and raise back 3 inches off the floor and hold for about a minute
9. 50 torso twists with arm extensions
10. 50 toe touches

Note that the above list is the ideal workout (for me, for now). In my advanced state of doughiness, I am doing a percentage of the above and working my way up to the ideal. I thought jumping jacks were no big deal, so I tried to do all 100 the first time out. I was so winded for the remainder of the routine that I could barely see straight. Now I am doing 25; 50 if I'm really feeling inspired.

This is a fantastic routine for getting into exercising daily. My body was achy in places for the first few days but now it is getting with the program and adapting to "how it's gonna be from now on."

I'm not weighing myself or anything, as this is only one fix of many that would need to be implemented for weight loss. I'm more interested in the physical fitness/activity, and this routine can be done virtually anywhere. No excuses about rain, ice, places to be, things to do. It only takes 15-30 minutes to complete and you'll start feeling the difference after about 3 days.

My advice to anyone who tries this routine: Don't try to do it all up front, especially if you haven't been leading a particularly active lifestyle. Takes cues from your body as to how many reps per exercise you can do safely. The goal is to build momentum and stamina. Once your body takes the hint that daily exercise is on the menu, it will start to work with you rather than against you. <EM>