Just like everyone else, once the clock struck midnight on New Year’s Eve, I vowed that I would be a healthier version of myself. Let’s face it – no one was crushing their goals at the end of 2020. Personally, I was crawling into the new year, hoping I would make it to 2021 before something else was thrown at me.
Finally the new year came around, but I suddenly found myself unsure of where to start on my new “health journey.” Should I go on runs? Buy Booty Bands? Attempt to lift weights at the Nick around boys with wandering eyes?
No, no and no.
In my indecisiveness, I turned to one place where I knew I could rely on some quality, albeit sometimes debatable, fitness advice – TikTok.
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In my search for fitness inspiration, I was bombarded with video after video of people trying this so-called “12, 3, 30” routine on the treadmill. This workout was made popular by YouTuber Lauren Giraldo and consists of walking on the treadmill at an incline of 12 and speed of three for 30 minutes.
After wiping the crumbs off my shirt from the (many) Cheez-It’s that accompanied my TikTok investigation, I decided this was the workout I was going to debut at the Nick. If the women of TikTok recommended this routine, who was I to ignore them?
I walked into the Nick with high spirits and even higher waisted leggings. I was excited that this workout allowed me to get in my steps, catch up on Emma Chamberlin’s YouTube videos and stay in tune with my fitness goals.
After sweating profusely and silently cheering when 30 minutes were up, I was pleasantly surprised by the tired-but-not-dead feeling I had when I finished.
I would rate this workout an 8.5/10. You almost instantly lose your breath in what feels like a never-ending climb, but since you’re walking at such a high incline, you can easily feel your muscles (or lack thereof) working hard to keep you from falling off the treadmill.
I would highly recommend this treadmill routine to anyone who panics the minute they step into a gym. It will leave you with the feeling of a hard workout without having to put much thought into it. It also allows for easy multitasking, so if you have some emails to respond to, you’ll be able to handle it while still working out.
I’m only on week two of consistently doing the “12, 3, 30” routine, so unfortunately, I can’t provide any hard stats on whether it “works” or not just yet.
But I intend to keep doing it. So if you see me at the Nick, I will be very sweaty, counting down the minutes until my workout is over and dreaming of the Cheez-It’s in my bed.
