Happy New Year everyone! It’s a brand new year - a time to wipe the slate clean and start fresh, to face new challenges and achieve new goals. Speaking of goals and challenges, I will be taking part in the “Empire State Building Run-Up” next month, which will truly push my physical fitness to new limits. It’s a race from the lobby of the Empire State Building up to the top deck. That means running up 86 flights of stairs (or over 1500 steps)! The fastest person has done it in 10 minutes, seven years in a row. Any normal person would balk at the thought of taking part in it. Glutton for punishment that I am, I was intrigued by this challenge ever since I read about it and wanted to take part in it. Through some stroke of fortune (or misfortune?), I actually got in through the random lottery system after I registered for the February 6, 2013 race.  The acute reality of what I signed up for is beginning to settle in. Holy freakin’ hell, I actually paid money to do this thing?  How will I train for it? How will I prepare myself so I can live to tell that I climbed 86 stories of the Empire State Building? 

Luckily, I have a game plan. I’ll just take the elevator up to the top of the Empire State Building and no one will be the wiser. Okay, I lied. I have actually formed a fitness regimen that will involve working out 5 days a week with a focus on building lower body strength. Here’s how:

These exercises will be supplemented with core training, weights, and the amazing help of my Warrior Fitness Bootcamp.  If that doesn’t give me quads of steel by the time the race rolls around, I don’t know what will. One day of yoga to stretch out the body and one rest day should round out this fitness regimen. Now to see if I can actually stick to this ambitious plan!

I’m sure many of us have formed new year resolutions to eat better and get more fit. You don’t have to take part in an Empire State Building Run-Up but you can certainly incorporate stair climbing activity into your daily routine. Stair climbing has proven health benefits – studies show that incorporating even short bouts of stair climbing exercises throughout the day can significantly improve your health and lower cardiovascular risks. In addition, stair climbing is a low-impact exercise which helps with weight loss. So when given a choice next time, ditch the elevator and embrace the staircase as your new friend!

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