The Healthy Truth: Mid-month update on the stair challenge

Dear Friends,

We have officially reached the mid-way point of the 30-day stair challenge and I have definitely seen some great improvements. If you recall, on day one, my co-worker and I did all nine-and-a-half floors in four minutes and 49 seconds. After two weeks we have successfully completed this challenge in two minutes and 48 seconds — yup, that’s right. We managed to shave off a complete two minutes! I must admit though, even though the timer suggests we are completing these stairs quicker, on some days, it is still quite hard to push yourself up all the stairs.

Some other changes I’ve noticed are that we now run more than we do walk, so clearly, our endurance is improving as a result. It also seems like we may have hit a plateau in our success.

Take a look at our times:

11/1/2017 – 3:09
11/2/2017 – 3:03
11/3/217 – 2:49
11/4/2017 – 3:01
11/5/2017 – 2:59
11/6/2017 – 3:01
11/7/2017 – 2:59
11/8/2017 – 3:01
11/9/2017 – 2:48
11/10/2017 – 2:49

As you can see, we are hovering within a 10-second bracket that we can’t seem to shake – any suggestions?

We still have about two weeks left, so we are hopeful that we can still manage to bring down that time.

This is what Jordan (my stair buddy) says about his experience with this challenge:

“I’m glad we’re doing it because it gives me an excuse to get up and move in the middle of the day, otherwise I’d just be sitting here all day. Although it sucks to do it, after about half an hour I feel fine and maybe even have more energy for the rest of the day… It doesn’t seem like it gets easier, though.”

I have to agree with Jordan as well. Even though it may not feel easier, it is rewarding to see our time and how much lower it has gotten.

We have our days where we are not motivated to run upstairs, but this is why it’s so helpful to have a buddy because we can continue to push each other throughout the process. I would recommend that regardless of whatever program you are starting, you don’t do it alone. Having a friend by your side definitely helps keep you going throughout the process.

As for other changes, I have noticed that my legs feel stronger for sure. Unfortunately, I didn’t take any measurements, so I can’t compare weight or even the size of my legs. My clothes still fit, though, so I don’t think there are drastic changes there. But respiratory wise, this challenge has helped me breathe better. I find I take deeper and bigger breaths as a result. I feel as though my endurance in my Zumba classes has improved as well. I am taking fewer breaks between songs.

In two more weeks, we will have the final numbers of this challenge, and hopefully, we have broken our current record of two minutes and 48 seconds. You’ll just have to wait and find out!

Until next time,

Emily Lunardo

[adstoappear]

---