run amuck

I am itching for my SHAPE Magazine to arrive. The main reason being that it has the pint-sized Kourtney Kardashian on the cover. Keeping up with the Kardashians has been a guilty pleasure of mine for quite some time, so it's fun to see one of the sister's gracing a health magazine, rather than a tabloid. After having the adorable baby, Mason, she looks toned and tiny. I checked out SHAPE's website to hold me over until the issue is in my hands.


It's no surprise that cardio played a big part in Kourtney's body transformation. Over time, I've seen first hand how much a simple run or a session on the elliptical can svelte down my body. Which reminds me...I need to get back into the race. Luckily, she shares some of her running workout. Thanks for the motivation, KK.


The Plan: Do 2 or 3 sets of each move twice a week, either on their own or as part of your normal resistance session.

Hands-on-Head Running

 

Place hands behind head, elbows out, and start jogging [shown]. Pay attention to whether you drift to the left or right or if one side of your body starts to feel more fatigued than the other, which could mean you have a muscle imbalance (these moves should help that). Run for 3 to 5 minutes.

 

Low Walking

A
Stand with feet hip-width apart and extend arms in front of you, hands clasped. Squat low.

B
Walk forward 20 steps, then backward 20 steps.

 

High Knees

 

Skip forward, lifting your knee as high as you can with each step you take [shown]. Swing arms in opposition to legs and do 20 skips (10 per leg). If you're doing this inside and don't have room to go very far, use a step or bench: Step up on it with one foot and lift the other knee high; hop on balancing leg if you can. Do 10 reps on one leg, then switch sides and repeat to complete set.

 

Side Running

 

Run to the side for 30 seconds: Step out to the left with left foot [shown], then bring your right foot in next to it as you step out again with left foot (don’t cross legs in front of each other). Alternate between taking smaller strides— maybe 18 inches wide—and wider strides (2 feet or more). Continue for 30 seconds, then switch directions and repeat. Do 4 runs to each side.