Day 18 is the Day 2 card: 20 minutes of walking, cycling, elliptical, rowing or swimming as very light work, or five sets of step jacks and march steps, 30 seconds each, three times through per set, 2 minutes rest. A light day, exactly as the last four were.
The light days in Hard Reset Cardio always follow a run day and always lead into a floor day, so by now you can feel their job: they drain the stiffness out of yesterday and put some spring into tomorrow. Step jacks and march steps do that with rhythm rather than effort. If the legs feel heavy at the start, that is the reason to do this day, not a reason to skip it; five minutes in, they will feel lighter.
Step jacks: one foot out to the side, arms overhead, back together, the other foot out. March steps: knee to hip height, opposite arm forward, steady tempo. Keep the breathing easy enough that you could hum. On the 20-minute option, swing the arms, keep the shoulders down, and let the pace find itself.
Heavy legs walk in, lighter legs walk out - that is the whole point of a light day, delivered in 20 minutes.
Make it Harder: This one is meant to feel easy, so keep it that way - if the legs are restless, take a second easy walk later in the day.
Make it Easier: Ten minutes of walking, or 3 sets of the intervals, and call it done.
