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I’m having a really bad mental health week, and it’s only Tuesday night (at the time of my writing this post)! My OCD has made my brain go completely haywire, and I’ve most certainly regressed in terms of fending off my compulsive thoughts and behaviors.
That said, I found some respite earlier today through a nice neighborhood walk with Palbert the dog. It was sunny, the temperature peaked at about eighty degrees and it was not at all humid. Perfect conditions. We’re having work done on the exterior of our house, and the workers needed to go through the interior to get to the roof. This event spurred my OCD thoughts regarding contamination. Getting outside for a bit was a good idea.
When I came back, the workers texted that they would be finished for the day, and would come downstairs in an hour (we asked them to alert us when they’d be coming through the house, so I could get out of the way). Although I had a nice walk, I was craving more engaging and intense physical activity. I hadn’t done my workout, and I actually had to scrap the workout I had planned (a trip to an outdoor fitness park), because the workers blocked my car. I had a bit under an hour, so I decided to do a superset of four exercises, and repeat them ten times, for a whopping 100 reps of each exercise.
I hadn’t done dips in a while, and since that’s what I’d have done as part of my workout at the fitness park, I decided to include them in the superset. This workout had to be intense and grueling, because I had to fight with my mind which was dragging me down. I needed to feed off the endorphins, in order to block the negativity, and replace it with good emotional vibes. What works for me is not a universal solution. However, I find that mixing up cardio, strength and endurance training in one very laborious session of work puts my mind and body at ease thereafter…If only just for a little while until the next flare up of anxiety.
Well, I think we’ve had enough of the soul-baring, it’s time to get physical!
Here we go!
Ten two-pump plyometric push up jacks
Ten dips
Ten kettlebell swings
Ten alternating arm kettlebell 8s to hold and squat
Rest. Then repeat for ten sets.
After ten sets, you’ll have done 200 push ups, 100 dips, 100 kettlebell swings and 100 squats. This is the the pinnacle of total body workouts!
I perform all four exercises as one fluid series with no rest in between, and then rest for one minute afterwards. I suggest doing what feels right and comfortable for you. Work at your own pace and fitness level.
This concludes another “Workout of the Week” for your exercise enjoyment!
If you choose to do this routine, please let me know about your experience. And if you have any specific questions about this workout or general fitness inquiries, please reach out to me. I am always eager to hear from you!
Additionally, I am offering a personalized fitness consultancy to my paid subscribers! If you’ve been thinking about upgrading your subscription to Artfully Exercising, now’s a great time to do it!
I get grumpy too when I can’t get in the workout I planned.