Sweaty Betty & Hiitgirl Two Week Challenge

Last Friday evening, I was just about to tuck into some profiteroles when I saw Sweaty Betty's challenge to its Twitter followers – complete a five minute high intensity workout every day for a fortnight. Not one to shy away from a challenge, they were on! Plus it was the perfect excuse to eat even more profiteroles if I did just five minutes of exercise before I cracked them open!

You'll need plenty of hydration during this sweaty workout!

The workout is provided by Susan Dyson, the founder of Hiitgirl which specialises in short but high-intensity workouts that get results quick. Be prepared to sweat – those five minutes are tough! There are five different exercises that last a minute each and add up to a full body workout. Numbers are the name of the game – count how many of each exercise you manage in the time to keep track of your progress.

So far I've seen an improvement every day – whether that's in the number of each exercise I can complete in the time or the speed at which I can recover. This five minute workout is perfect for squeezing into a busy schedule or when you're on the move – this baby is definitely going on holiday with me!

THE NUMBERS

(in order of exercise: air squats, running heel touches, press-ups, burpees and plank jacks)

Day 1: I forgot to count! But I'm sure the numbers were low. I held back, not quite knowing how long I could last.

Day 2:   31; 113; 25; 18; 72

Day 3:   30; 123; 23; 16; 78

Day 4:   34; 121; 26; 18; 80

Day 5:   34; 134; 27; 19; 88

Day 6:   35; 130; 28; 20; 90

Day 7:   36; 145; 35; 26; 88 (I'm pretty sure I was delirious and counted my burpees wrong!)

Day 8:   39; 146; 31; 20; 91

Day 9:   43; 139; 38; 23; 95

Day 10: 41; 139; 34; 21; 97

Day 11:  44; 150; 38; 24; 92

Day 12:  45; 148; 37; 25; 96

Day 13:  40; 159; 37; 25; 98

Day 14:  44; 161; 39; 25; 98

Day 15:  46; 161; 40; 27; 100

The numbers prove that practice really does make perfect!