52 Exercises: #48 Killer Steps for a Natural High

Now the 52 Exercises Quest is almost over I feel the need to up the ante. There are all kinds of exercises I could do like the high trapeze at Circus Espace orwater-skiing which would both be fun and make great stories.

But although I’m keen to end my challenge with a bang I don’t want to blow the budget. Otherwise an experiment that began to solve an emotional crisis could end with a financial crisis.

Although one of the most common questions people ask me about 52 exercises is if I’m running out of exercises yet that’s not a problem at all. There are so many different exercises to try with at least 10 different types of yoga and every gym offering up to twenty fitness classes so there are enough exercises to keep me going another year if I wanted to.

By far the biggest challenge with doing a different exercise every week for a year is self motivation, so when my fitness trainer friend Jo invites me to climb the 200+  Hastings Street stairs with her one morning I jump at the chance.

Stair climbing is a boring exercise option but I’m happy to have a friend to do anything with and especially happy someone has invited me to work out with them as it’s usually me doing the motivating.

Jo picks me up at 5.40am and we drive to Hastings Street expecting to meet a group of fit, young, beautiful people all led by my body building nemesis Joel. But they are not there and when I text Joel he says he’s not coming today.

Still we bump into one of his staircase exercisers, a fit, beautiful young woman called Sam who gamely says she will lead us.

The steps are popular, with all manner of people already running or walking up and down them.

Sam tells us to start by walking up the steps two at a time. About half way up the 200 steps I start to wilt but Sam has disappeared round a bend. Eventually we catch up with her at the top and walk back down again.

The killer step team jumping up the stairs – I managed 10 of these…

Sam has a bouncy high pony tail, short shorts and a vest top. Her body is lithe and lean. She must be in the top 10% of fit people.

Sadly my fitness levels leaked a few months ago around the time of the muddy obstacle race. Since then I’ve put on a few kilos and stopped running. I eat way too much chocolate but I still love my daily beach walks.

While Sam looks hot I look disheveled in my ancient baggy shorts. I started the year with short hair but it’s grown now and I forgot to put it in a ponytail this morning so my hair is already damp with sweat and sticking to my neck. Thankfully unlike in a gym there’s no mirror so I can’t see my bright red face.

It’s grueling exercise but we do the steps five times in total. Skipping, alternating ten jumps and ten lunges (I can only do one set of 10 jumps), running and something else which I’ve forgotten.

Jo hanging on for dear life on the killer steps

Sam is relentlessly cheerful and encouraging. Jo takes time to ham it up for photos and I keep stopping to rest while pretending to capture the views on my iPhone. Its another beautiful day in Noosa.

When we’re not too out of breath we talk about the most inane stuff like haircuts, allegiance to hairdressers and exercise clothes which I love. We have the kind of girlie chats I’ve been missing but we’re talking while we exercise – or in between sets of killer steps anyway.

The steps really are a killer but they’re effective with good company and motivated women as the spoonful of sugar that helped the medicine go down.

Me suffering from over-exposure

We’ll be back and next time we’ll bring our togs so we ca have a swim in Laguna Bay to wash the sweat away afterwards.

Maybe I don’t need to fly high on the trapeze or do anything spectacular to finish this challenge off. May be the killer steps and some good company are all I need to push me further, bring some team spirit to my life and give me a natural high.

Killer Steps Exercise Review

Cost: $o. Which is good because most of our exercise needs to be free.

Time Exercising: 60 minutes

Calories Burned: 275 cals

Average Heart Rate: 137 bpm.

Peak Heart Rate: 186 bpm.

Fun Factor: 6/10

Fear Factor: 3/10

Post-exercise Glow: 7/10.

Want killer legs like these ladies? Try taking on the killer steps at Hastings Street in Noosa and check out that view from the top while you’re at it.

That was 48th different exercise I’ve done this year in my quest to try a new exercise each week ——> Check out more stories from the 52 Exercise quest now.

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Are there any killer steps near you or do you prefer to exercise on the flat?