On a scale of 1 to 10, with 10 being so stressful it could cause spontaneous fiery combustion, this week for me has been a 9. Some moments were 10s, others were a Zen-like 3 or 4 (Maxium chilled-out 1 and 2 basically only happen when I'm at the beach). But all in all, this week was a bitch
If dreams are any indication, I had one on Sunday night that I had intentionally set fire to my apartment. Wow. Fueling much of this stress was not just work deadlines, but a looming commitment to do a stand-up comedy routine for a charity event Wednesday night. Yeah, I know. What was I thinking?!?!
Put this Leo on a stage or in front of a camera with a script and song lyrics, and I'm all good. But stand-up comedy? That's a whole other level. My anxiety started building Monday, so I coped the best way I know how: Like a Badass.
Monday night after work, I was at the gym, taking it out on my back and my shoulders. Wednesday, a couple of hours before I had to report to the Comedy Zone here in Tallahassee, I was alone in the SweatTherapy cycling studio where I teach -- music blaring, my legs pumping.
Guess what? It worked. And it can work for the Badass Army, too. The temptation during times of stress is often to soothe ourselves with food or with happy hour. Part of me wanted to just drown my anxieties this week in my homemade brownies or the birthday cupcakes someone brought into the office Wednesday afternoon.
But I know myself. Sweat and exercise are what I needed to bring my stress down a notch or two. The hard part is often just getting ourselves going. Those first 10 minutes of exercise seem the hardest when life is throwing all kinds of stuff at us. But once we're in it, the endorphins begin to rush and perspective takes the place of all that mind-boggling stress.
So today I'm sharing my Sweat-Buster Sweat Cycle Routine, complete with accompanying playlist. There's a lot to be said for the energy of a group class - be it cycling or step or BodyPump, whatever. But sometimes it helps to pump up the iPod, and just shut the world out as the music drives you - and your muscles - to a better place.
If this doozy doesn't help bring your stress-o-meter down, I dunno what will. It can be adapted to the treadmill as well with changes in pace and incline. And if you can't get through the whole thing, do not fret! You've gotta start somewhere, and there is no judging in the Badass Army. This one's not easy. But you all are tough Badasses, and you'll get there!
And if you've got even better stress relief workout ideas, do share!
Shannon's Sweat-Buster Cycle Routine
1. Bamboleo, Gypsy Kings, 3:23: Warmup in the saddle. Light tension. Stay loose and relaxed on tops. Find your groove on the bike.
2. Jump, Madonna, 3:59: Continue warmup. Add a slight amount of tension, enough to come up out of the saddle into a standing run. Up for 30 seconds, seated for 30 seconds. Repeat for the entire song, keeping a steady quick pace.
3. La Grange, ZZ Top, 3:52: Begin the first climb with rolling rolls in the saddle. Add a turn or two until you're at a 5 on a scale of 1 to 10 tension. That's your base. After 20 seconds, add a full turn and keep pumping, trying to maintain the same pace through the tension for 20 seconds. Take off what you just added, cycle for 20 seconds, then add back that full turn. Repeat the pattern for the whole song, ending at the base tension of 5.
4. Vertigo, U2, 3:15: Keep climbing! Add one full turn. This is your base. From here, add a half turn every 30 seconds for the duration of the song. Extra challenge: Add speed, through the heavy tension, during the chorus. Quad burn...
5. Break Your Heart, Taio Cruz, 3:05: Flat road and endurance! Turn the tension back toward the left untiol you find a fairly flat road. A 3 on a scale of 1 to 10, now that your legs are warm. Pick a pace that is fast but not a sprint. Hang onto it for the full three minutes.
6. Morning After Dark, Timbaland, 4:53: Jumps from seated to standing climb with moderate tension. Add tension back until you find a 5 or 6 on a scale of 1 to 10. The pattern is 16-second counts in the saddle with the tension, and then move into a standing climb position. So count 16 seconds, then walk your hands out to the end of the handlebars and let the rest of you follow until you're climbing out of the saddle. Your nose should be right at the middle of the handlebars, not out beyond them. Butt is back over the wide part of the saddle. Stay here for 16 seconds, then sit back down for 16 seconds. Then standing climb for 16 seconds. Go for the whole song, resting when you need to. Extra challenge: Speed up some of the jumps to 8-counts and 4-counts.
7. Breathe Me, Sia, 4:37: Back uphill for a long climb! From where you were in song 6, add a half turn. Every 20 seconds, bump the tension up slightly, for a total of 10 turns. It will get very heavy. Push through, being careful to take care of your knees. Come back down the same way, bumping the tension back slightly every 20 seconds for a total of 10 times. Stay here through the end of the song.
8. Cloud Nine, Evanescence, 4:22: Keep climbing. This time, it's a steady climb to the top. Add a big turn. Climb in the saddle for 1 minute. Add another turn and climb for another minute, trying to keep the same steady strong pace. Come out of the saddle into a standing climb if you need a saddle break or to get back your momentum. Then go right back to the saddle. By the time the song ends, you should be at a 9 or 10 in tension.
9. Shut it Down, Pitbull, 3:46: Back to a flat road for 1 minute. Flush the legs out. At minute 2, add a bit of tension back and go into a standing run for 30 seconds. Go back to the saddle for 30 seconds, then back into a standing run. Keep it up for the whole song.
10. Imma Be, Black Eyed Peas, 4:17: One more push up! Add back tension until you find an 8 on a scale of 1 to 10. Keep climbing until about 2 1/2 minutes in when the song pace picks up. At that point, go back to a flat road and speed it up at a race pace to the finish line. Hang onto that pace through the end. You've come too far to give up now!
11. My Way, Los Lonely Boys, 4:26: Cool it down with a victory lap! Find a flat road and just keep pedaling, flushing your legs out. Take deep breaths as your heart rate comes down. Stretch!
Postscript: Before I leave you Badasses to enjoy the weekend, I'm not the only one nervous about committing to an event for charity :
Katherine, a Badass Fitness reader and fellow blogger, has signed up to do the 3-Day Breast Cancer walk in November - 60 miles in 3 days!!
She is trying to come up with ways to gather the $2,300 she needs to raise. She has opened up an online webstore where all sales proceeds will go to her 3-Day Walk Donations. And guess what's for sale? A Badass T shirt that she designed especially for me and all of you!!! Hells to the yeah! You know you Badass Army soldiers want one! So go to Katherine's 3-Day Store for a great cause, and buy a T! Katherine told me she's less worried about the 60 miles of walking than she is about this money she needs to raise.
So let's all help a fellow Badass out!
Coming Monday: The Art of the Good, Long Stretch!