Part 3a: The Million Steps Fit For 15 Series: 3, 5, 7, 10 minutes Conditioning with MJ Gordon
When we were working on the full Million Steps journey, we were clear; as best as possible, we want participants to have a journey.
Walking is amazing, but what else could we do? We spoke to health professionals, Personal Trainers and we knew what the physical activity guidelines said.
But where could we begin?
And what did we want to leave participants with? We drew up a list of the key strength and conditioning routines, and we nailed down a routine that we knew was doable but would give participants a really good daily workout.
And we came up with Million Steps Fit For 15 Series.
It’s a key routine that’s done for 15 mins, and participants could double or triple up to 30 and 45 mins.
Immediate problem. But how could we get a participant to a point where they could do a 15 min strength and conditioning exercise right the way through?
We tried it and realised, for many participants, it was going to be a tough call. And as we reviewed our material, reminded ourselves of what we wanted to achieve, what we wanted to leave participants with, and the principles of greasing the groove, we realised we could break it down and LEAD participants through to a point where 15 minutes could be effortless.
We also realised that if we did it in a clever way, we would be giving participants shorter routines which may suit them just fine for daily workouts.
And hence the Fit For 15 Series.
To get participants FIT ENOUGH to BEGIN that 15-minute routine, and then to do it till it became natural enough to be effortless.
So we broke it down to:
· Three minutes done for three days
· Four for four days
· Five for five days
· seven for seven days and
· 10 minutes for 10 days
It’s simple. It makes sense. It’s gradual.
It slowly works through your muscle groups.
It’s a motivational way to climb through the stages.
And it really gives you a sense of your progress.
So let’s get straight into it!
Oh, wait!… But before we proceed …
THE SAFETY AND HEALTH WARNING
Before we proceed, we want you to understand that these articles and the content we provide are based on simple daily increments and it is EXTREMELY important not just for understanding what success is but also how not to injure yourself. (i.e. injuring yourself is not success)
As a Million Step Participant, you have already agreed to our health and guidelines on safety. BUT we ask that you read them again HERE.
For anyone else reading this, again, we ask that you use common sense, do only what you can and also read our guidelines HERE.
Stage 1 Fit for 15 with MJ Gordon: 3 minutes (Repeat for 3 days)
Stage 2 Fit for 15 with MJ Gordon: 5 minutes (Repeat for 5 days)
Stage 3 Fit for 15 with MJ Gordon: 7 minutes (Repeat for 7 days)
Stage 4 Fit for 15 with MJ Gordon: 10 minutes (Repeat for 10 days)
We hope you take the time to go through the stages in a way that feels right for you.
If you reach a stage that feels difficult, drop back to the stage before and do it for a few extra days. There is no rush.
If you find it’s too easy, move up a stage. Just remember, its not about reaching breaking point. This is NOT about no pain/no gain.
This really is about getting to a point where it feels natural, effortless and you are “action ready” every day.
Remember to bring your awareness to each session. Remember what you learnt in greasing the groove.
There is no “fail”.
If you follow the suggested plan above, you would have done strength and conditioning exercises for 3 + 5 + 7 + 10 = 25 days!
And then it’s over the final stage; the Fit For 15 routine which follows next.
Do that routine for 15 days and together you will have done 40 days of strength and conditioning exercise!
Which we hope, when you look back, you will be surprised how far you have come.
We had a lot of learning and fun putting it all together. We hope you’ll take the chance to do this for the rest of your million steps journey and beyond.
To find out more about the Million Steps Challenge and how we can help you, your business or charity, please visit https://millionsteps.com
Or Register your organisation interest: Million Steps CoVid-19 Package here