The latest dance from The Fitness Marshall is part Mannequin Challenge, part Hillary shimmy, part waving at haters, and 100 percent hilarious and fun.  Enjoy!

Liana Blomgren, a high school senior from Minnesota, lost her chance at winning a sectional cross-country meet when she noticed eighth grader Gracie Bucher struggling to make her way to the finish line.  Gracie, who was later rushed to the emergency room and diagnosed with mononucleosis, continued to collapse each time she attempted to pick herself up again to complete the race.  Liana understood that if she stopped to help Gracie, it would automatically disqualify her from her final prep competition, yet she chose to help out anyway.

"Thank you for being my angel," Gracie wrote to Liana in a heartfelt note two weeks after the event.  Gracie also gifted Liana with flowers and a Dairy Queen gift card.  "Because I DQ'd her.  I figure I better do it again," she told a local news station.  "Knowing that she would do that, especially her senior year in her last race, it just means everything," Gracie added.

Liana's gracious display of sportsmanship is a leading example of why the state of Minnesota agreed to change how it will rule disqualifying runners in future cross-country meets.  Starting next year, runners will not face disqualification for helping out other runners in need of medical attention.  Sounds like a true victory after all.

There's so much to love about running — in theory, at least.  It's a workout that I've always romanticized in my mind:  it's just you and the road — no judgment or competition — and let's not forget that runner's high that can solve anything.

Sadly, my running reality is the exact opposite.  In all the kilometres I logged chasing a runner's high, it never arrived.  NOT.  ONCE.  Three half-marathons under my belt and not once was I left feeling like a gazelle or empowered.  Instead I felt defeated and questioned what was wrong with me, why was it always so hard.  All of my friends loved running, so what was wrong with me?  It took many kilometres, injuries, and trips to a sports doctor to let go of the idea that running was the benchmark of fitness success.  There was nothing wrong with me except that I was holding onto something that wasn't me.

It took a few years for me to get here — and maybe a breakdown during one pitiful training run — but I've finally let go of this notion that anyone can be a runner.  It's certainly not true, and that's OK.  Fitness is a personal journey — personal being key.  There is no right or wrong way;  there's only your way.  Once I fully embraced this idea and hung up my running shoes for good, my life changed for the better.  Along the way, I was also happy to find that all the things I craved from running were there waiting to be discovered, just not on the track.

The Runner's High:  Dance Cardio

If you ever told me that dance would be my thing, I probably would have laughed.  I've never been great with choreography, and I let fear hold me back from attending a dance class.  On a brave day, I allowed my friends to drag me to Hipline for my first-ever dance-cardio class.  I was nervous, inside my head, and made a beeline to the back of the room — but I am so glad I went.  That first class and every class since has been one big ball of happiness.  Instead of judgement and fear, I found pure, unabashed joy — and one hell of a workout.  Here I am, finally experiencing the "runner's high" described to me by so many friends, except at a dance class!  I find myself lost in the movement and the music and have a permanent smile on my face the entire time.  While Hipline is my absolute favourite, I've found the same feeling of euphoria at other studios like Zumba, AKT, and 305 Fitness.

Intense Cardio:  Indoor Cycling

Even if my heel was sometimes left throbbing, I always appreciated the type of workout I got from an intense running session.  There is no denying that hill sprints, speed play, and running intervals get the heart rate up in a major way.  You know what else does?  Indoor cycling.  Whether I'm at Spin, SoulCycle, or Flywheeel, I know I'm in for an intense workout that will having me climbing hills and maxing out — just like I did when I ran, except this time I'm enjoying the entire process from start to finish.

Buns of Steel:  Rowing

Like so many others, I walked by the rowing machine in my gym without giving it a second thought.  Then I took a class at CityRow and realised what a fool I'd been.  Rowing is the definition of a total-body workout;  it works all the muscles of your lower body (plus your core and your arms!) while keeping the heart rate up.  Unlike running, it's much easier on the joints, which is exactly what my beat-up body needed.

Becoming Zen With Nature:  Backpacking

One of the things I liked most about running was getting outside.  Studio workouts definitely have their place, but being outside on a sunny day can't be beat, especially when a run ended up somewhere beautful like a coastal trail.  I've always been big into hiking, but in the last couple of years, I've been doing a lot of backpacking.  Being out in the middle of nowhere for days on end may sound terrifying, but it's led to some of the most beautiful backdrops I've ever experienced.  From a black sand beach in Hawaii only accessible to backpackers to the ever-changing scenery of the John Muir Trail, backcountry hiking has given me a glimpse of nature I would have never been able to experience otherwise.

Major Stress Relief:  Yoga

Sadly, running only added more stress to my life, which is why I am so grateful for yoga.  I was slow to come around to it, but now I can't imagine a week without taking a couple of classes.  I had to find the style that worked for me, the right teachers, and a studio I loved, but once that happened, it all came into place.  My regular 90-minute classes allow me to truly unwind and let go of any stress I may be feeling.  It used to be hard to turn off my mind, and now I look forward to that meditative state it provides me with.

Are you looking to add a bit more shape to your legs?  How about strengthening your midsection?  If you answered yes, we have the perfect exercise for you.

Strengthening exercises for the legs (our foundation) and the core will not only give you a more flattering shape, but it will help you with overall stability and even correcting your posture.

High Knees Please

If you've never tried this exercise, you are in for a treat.  Considered a plyometric exercise, jump training will help strengthen your body and burn a lot of calories, moving you towards your goals even faster.

High knees works your calves, quads, hamstrings, shins, and your abdominal muscles.  When more than one muscle is being worked at the same time, you will burn more calories than if you were just doing an isolation exercise such as hamstring curls, or crunches.

How to do High Knees

We asked certified personal trainer Heather Neff for her take on how to best do this move.  She told us that "you'll definitely want to get in a quick three- to five-minute warmup to ready your muscles for this exercise and that you can run or march in place, along with performing a few dynamic stretches such as toe touches, side bends, and a few foot grabs to stretch the quads (do not hold the stretches)."

1. Stand up straight and place your feet about hip-width apart.
2. Place your hands palms down facing the floor, hovering just above your belly button.
3. Quickly drive your right knee up to meet your right hand, bring the same leg back to the ground immediately bring the left knee coming up to meet your left hand.
4. As you are alternating knees, you want to do it with a hopping motion, staying on the balls of your feet the entire time.
5. Make sure you are engaging your abdominal muscles as each knee comes up to meet the hands.

If That's too Intense, Try This

If you don't quite have your endurance built up yet, have knee issues, or are more of a beginner, don't fret.  Neff told us that you can still target the same muscles with this variation of the high knees exercise.

How to do the High-Knee March

1. You will begin in the same stance as the high knees exercise, with your palms at belly button height and facing down towards the floor.
2. Bring your right knee up to meet your right palm, then lower the same leg down to the floor and repeat with your left knee.
3. Leave the hopping part out and keep alternating knees while engaging your abdominal muscles as you bring the knees up each time.

Bonus:  High-Knee Oblique Twist

1. Begin by standing with your feet hip-width apart.
2. Make a fist with both hands and bend the elbows to where your hands are about level with your chin.
3. Drive the right knee up, twist your torso to the right, and bring the knee to meet your left elbow.
4. Immediately repeat with the left knee meeting your right elbow and do this in a hopping motion while staying on the balls of your feet.
5. Keep your abdominal muscles engaged as your knees come up, squeeze the side oblique muscles as you twist.

You can add this exercise to any of your routines or do it as a stand-alone.  Try to keep moving for at least 20 minutes at a time;  if you can't do the regular high-knee exercise the entire time, switch back and forth between that one and the high-knee march.  You can always work your way up to longer periods of time.  Put on some good music, have fun with it, and go get those killer legs and abs.