My family and I moved into an apartment on the top floor of a three-story-complex. Out of respect to my neighbors downstairs, I was no longer able to do a cardio home workout because of the noise carrying through the floor. I was able to do the stretching, sit-ups, push-ups, but my workout was sadly lacking without the cardio. I was a stay-at-home-mom with an infant and going to a gym was hardly practical anymore. So I figured I would just have to do the best I could with what I had until my son got older.

Then I had a revelation. Perhaps it was obvious to you what I should do from the beginning, but I stumbled upon it quite accidentally. One fateful day I got home from the grocery store. With my son and few groceries in tow I went to the elevator and was horrified when the sign on it stated it was out of order. So I carried my bundles up all three flights of stairs. My leg muscles were screaming as well as my arms when I reached the top, my heart rate was accelerated, and I was panting.

Eureka! I had found the answer to my cardio problem. The next day during my son’s naptime I locked the door to my apartment, armed with a baby monitor and house key. I started at the top of the stairs with some stretches to warm up my legs and then began creating an at home step-cardio workout. I walked down and then up the three flights of stairs three times, jogged down and up the stairs for twenty minutes, and then for a cool off walked down and up for one time.

It worked amazingly well, making me feel great and letting my conscience be guilt-free. Now a lot of the population lives in apartments, and I thought it might be helpful to impart my routine to others to use in their lifestyles.