Episode 9
From the very first day, the reason I demanded 100 squats was partly to test him.
I needed to assess Dietrich’s basic physical strength and muscle power.
Although he showed some signs of effort, Dietrich completed all 100 squats with ease.
He didn’t even gasp excessively for breath or collapse onto the floor afterward.
‘What kind of physique is this…?’
With his hands resting on his thighs, Dietrich bent forward slightly, catching his breath before raising his upper body and looking at me with a refreshed expression.
“Hey, how did you even know about this kind of workout? I feel super refreshed after doing it!”
See?
Most preschoolers would collapse after doing 100 squats properly.
But Dietrich showed no signs of that.
Does that mean this level of intensity is barely a challenge for him?
Alright then, let’s move on to the next stage.
This one is my ultimate secret weapon and, in my opinion, the pinnacle of aerobic exercises…
“Dietrich, do you like running?”
“Running? Of course, I like it. I’m a great runner, you know.”
That explains why he was always thundering around the house corridors.
“Then, stand over here.”
“This is a horse-riding track, isn’t it?”
Our house’s garden had a horse-riding track.
The ground was flat and well-suited for running, so I didn’t have to worry about Dietrich’s knees.
After checking the track’s surface, I straightened up.
“From now on, when I give a signal, you walk. When I signal again, you run. Got it?”
“Walking, then running? That’s too easy. I was going to show you how fast I can run today.”
“It’s going to be a cycle.”
“A cycle? How many times?”
Considering Dietrich’s high energy level, two minutes of running and one minute of walking seemed appropriate.
Adding five minutes of walking before and after to gradually increase and decrease his heart rate, the total would be 31 minutes.
If you exclude the 10-minute walking process, the actual exercise is…
“Seven times.”
“Huh? Seven… times?”
“Seven times.”
Seven sets, 21 minutes.
By constantly changing the intensity, this exercise raises and lowers the heart rate repeatedly, extracting maximum efficiency in a short period.
This type of exercise is called interval training.
And today, I was going to teach Dietrich my favorite form of it — interval running.
‘If you’ve done anaerobic exercises, it’s only natural to follow with aerobic exercises.’
After 100 squats and interval running, Dietrich wouldn’t just fall asleep today — he would probably pass out.
If I drain his stamina like this, the nanny will be happy, and Dietrich will get healthier.
It’s a win-win situation for everyone, so why is Dietrich hesitating at the starting point of the horse-riding track?
“Walk, Dietrich.”
When I stretched my short, chubby fingers as wide as possible to give the command, Dietrich pulled a face like he was being forced to face his doom but eventually started walking slowly.
“Straighten your back and engage your glutes and core muscles!”
Don’t underestimate walking.
Walking aimlessly without engaging your glutes and core is just moving around, not exercising.
To reap the benefits of walking as an exercise, you have to walk with your back straight and your abdominal and gluteal muscles engaged.
Under my strict instructions, Dietrich corrected his posture.
“All this nagging just for a walking exercise…?”
The moment he started grumbling, I clapped my hands loudly, making a sharp sound.
“Run!”
At the signal, Dietrich reflexively picked up speed and started running.
“L-like this?”
“Faster than that!”
When you run, give it your all.
The essence of interval training is to push your heart rate up as much as possible before letting it drop.
Following my signal, Dietrich began running even faster.
After two minutes of running, Dietrich followed my signal to start walking again. As he passed me, he smiled slyly.
“Hey, Mariela, huff, this is doable. It’s kinda fun switching between running and walking like this.”
I hope that enthusiasm lasts until the end.
By the time Dietrich reached the third set of interval running, his chatter had reduced significantly.
By the fourth set, he was gasping as if he had a lump in his throat.
“Huff, huff, can we, huff, please stop here for today?”
“Nope, not allowed. Run faster.”
Did he really think I would let him stop?
By the time he finished the final run, all the bravado he had at the start had completely vanished, leaving behind a sweaty mess.
Interval training, which includes interval running, focuses on boosting stamina by repeatedly raising and lowering the heart rate.
That’s why it’s considered an extremely intense, high-effort workout.
It’s not recommended for those with weak stamina, but as expected, Dietrich was bursting with energy and managed to push through just fine.
“My legs… They don’t feel like my own.”
That’s exactly how it’s supposed to feel.
“My heart… I think it’s going to explode.”
Hearts don’t explode that easily.
After finishing the 31-minute interval run, Dietrich crouched down with his hands on his knees, breathing heavily.
Seeing him endure it better than I had anticipated, the personal trainer within me began to stir with ambition.
Tomorrow, I’ll target his abdominal muscles with leg raises…
“Please, stop looking at me like that. Your expression is really scary right now.”
“No, I was just quietly praising you for doing well, Dietrich.”
“Really? Well, I guess I am pretty good at physical activities.”
He immediately perked up after a single compliment. Typical.
Simple-minded like an older brother.
Still, that childlike aspect of his isn’t exactly unpleasant.
***
Today marks the 15th day since we started exercising.
Surprisingly, Dietrich followed the exercise routine I had set up for him far better than I had expected.
Since interval running is such a high-intensity workout, I limited it to once every two days, but even that seemed to be more than enough.
For one thing, the number of incidents he caused decreased significantly.
Aside from the time he tried to show off his newly learned interval running in the mansion’s marble hallway and ended up slipping spectacularly…
“Nanny, how’s your back doing now?”
The nanny, who had been bedridden since the incident with the glass shards, was finally starting to move around little by little.
“I’m doing well now, young miss. Thanks to your care, I’m almost fully recovered.”
Although the physician advised continued caution, she had healed so much compared to the dreadful state she was in 15 days ago that you could almost say she was fully recovered.
I nestled into the nanny’s arms, savoring the warmth I hadn’t felt in a while.
“Where is young master Dietrich?”
The nanny tilted her head, noticing that Dietrich, who had been sticking to me like glue for the past few days due to our exercise routines, was nowhere to be seen.
“Dietrich is outside, running over there.”
“I’m glad the young master enjoys exercising.”
I wholeheartedly agreed with her sentiment.
If Dietrich had been the type with boundless energy but no interest in exercise, convincing him would have been a nightmare.
And during the time spent persuading him, he would have undoubtedly caused more trouble.
With no butler around and the nanny still recovering, any trouble Dietrich caused would have fallen solely on me to handle…
Just thinking about it was exhausting.
“I’m also grateful to you, young miss.”
Startled, I widened my eyes as the nanny suddenly bowed her head to me.
To me? Why?
“I heard the young master hasn’t caused any trouble for 15 days?”
“He did cause one incident… but that was because he was trying really hard to exercise.”
“That’s fine. The fact that the young master has become much more cheerful while exercising with you, and that he’s clearly causing fewer problems, is what matters. The atmosphere in the house has also improved.”
As I struggled to hide my awkward smile in response to the nanny’s praise, she smiled softly at me.
“I’m really grateful to you, young miss. If it weren’t for you, I would never have known such a great method existed.”
Hearing her continued words of thanks, it felt like a balloon was suddenly inflating inside my chest.
Unable to withstand the sensation, I shot up from my seat.
“That’s enough. I-I’m going to check on Dietrich! You should rest a little longer, nanny.”
Hah, seriously.
I fanned my face with my hands as I hurried out of the mansion, trying to cool down the heat on my cheeks.
Getting bombarded with compliments over something so minor…
I could still feel a warm, tingling sensation beneath my skin.
As I stepped out into the garden, I spotted Dietrich. By now, he had learned to pace himself, alternating between walking and running on his own by checking the clock, without needing my signals.
When he noticed me, he lowered the water bottle he had been drinking from.
“Hey, Baby Ella! I finished all my runs today!”
About three days ago, Dietrich started calling me ‘baby’ or ‘Ella’ instead of the usual ‘Mariela’ or ‘dummy.’
Today, he seemed to be in an especially good mood, calling me a mix of both — Baby Ella — while grinning brightly.
One of the servants, who happened to pass by, gave Dietrich a thumbs-up as he spoke to him.
“Young master, I saw you running again today! You were really fast!”
“Well, this is nothing for me.”
“No way! I’ve never seen a seven-year-old run as well as you do!”
Dietrich tried to keep a serious, dignified expression, but it seemed he wasn’t quite able to control his face.
I could see the corners of his lips twitching upward, as if his mouth was fighting against him to form a smile.
