Tune Into Your Body With This Equipment-Free Workout Plan

You’ve made it to the halfway mark of the ReNew Year Movement Program! That’s an achievement worth celebrating. How do you feel?

Use the workouts this week to check in with your body and see how it’s responding to multiple weeks of consistency. Do the exercises you’ve been doing regularly come more naturally? Are you able to get in more reps comfortably?

Think about your mindset, too. Hopefully you’re feeling like you’re able to approach the workouts with more confidence, particularly the ones we’re repeating from the past couple of weeks. This kind of consistency can often make us more capable. Note what this feels like so you can carry it with you all year long.

It’s week three of this equipment-free workout plan, so you know the drill: Show up, give it whatever you’ve got, and pay attention to how your body reacts.

Day 15: Do this strength workout for walkers and runners

We’re starting this week with a focus on some strength and technique elements that can support running and walking. These exercises will work the hips, the front of the shins, and challenge your anti-rotational core strength to stabilize your trunk. Plus, we’ve got some high knees, which are not only great for cardio training, but they double as a form drill for you to practice swinging your arms and hitting a mid-foot stride for efficient running. Add them to your arsenal of go-to warmups before heading out on a run.

Day 16: Repeat the full-body mini-intervals workout

We’re returning to the quick, back-to-back intervals again. Focus on how you’re executing the movements: Think about form through every single set. Is your posture still strong? Are you still getting as low in your squats? We’re only here for a few minutes, so make sure you’re getting the most out of every one.

Day 17: Repeat the 8-minute full-body, multidirectional workout

By working in multiple directions during both the strength and cardio exercises in this workout, you’re developing well-rounded, balanced strength throughout your body. So don’t skimp on the more challenging movements here—those are the ones your body likely needs most.

Day 18: Go for an outdoor run, walk, bike ride, or hike for 20 minutes

This week is all about tuning into how you feel, and that can be especially useful when you’re training outdoors. How does your body react when the air hits your lungs? Does it take your muscles longer to warm up (and do you maybe want to add a short indoor sess before heading out)? Notice how chilly temps might encourage you to move a little faster. And take stock of how proud you feel after you’ve completed a workout in, say, the rain or snow. Don’t shy away from showing it off on social media if that’s your thing.

Day 19: Take a rest day

I sometimes hear people say they’re afraid that taking rest days will break up their rhythm or make them lose their momentum. If you relate, let’s reframe your mindset: Rest days aren’t a pause to your training; they’re part of your training. The strongest athletes only make it to the top by giving their bodies adequate time to recover.

Day 20: Repeat the strength workout for walkers and runners

Dive back into this one again and see if you can give it a bit more effort now that you know what’s expected of you and which movements will come next. Practicing the skills in this video regularly will help improve your walking and running form so you can take to the trails with greater ease.

Day 21: Practice this 19-minute yoga foundations flow

Focus on your breath here. When a certain pose is really pushing your body’s limits, the way you get through it is by taking deep breaths. Try to consciously relax into the position and see what happens. Which muscles do you feel let go? Where are you able to move more deeply? During strength-training, we often ask our muscles to tense up and resist gravity; but while stretching we want to actively release into it. When you breath deeply, notice how that affects the sensations and how you’re able to consciously relax.