Five reasons you need a fitness challenge

Stuck in a fitness or health rut? Why not participate in a FITNESS CHALLENGE? Five reasons to consider starting one…

Get yourself motivated – set new goals and CRUSH them!
See quick results – many challenges will help you see FAST positive changes if you do them properly. [Just make sure you choose a healthy one… living on cabbage soup for a week is not healthy!]
Break up the monotony of a regimented fitness routine. Sometimes we just need a change or some extra inspiration!
Squeeze in some social time. Although you can certainly conduct a challenge on your own, there is strength in numbers! Enlist a buddy or find a group to complete the challenge with.
Why not?

Here are some ideas to get you started…

Check out a new fitness place around Columbus. Cheat on your favorite yoga studio and try someplace different. Take a break from your weekly running path and go test out a new one. Our running group aims to try a new fitness routine or location at least once per month. Lately we have checked out Thank Yoga and hosted running field trips at the Scioto Mile and Antrim Park. Explore your city!

Group run @ Bicentennial Park & Scioto Mile

Find an online or social media challenge. Simply searching for ‘Fitness challenges’ on Google or Pinterest will bring you lots of new ideas. One I found online was through Whitney Carlson ~ a personal trainer and wellness coach that works with tons of other [famous] fitness professionals and offers a variety of online fitness challenges [with prizes!]. I grabbed a friend, tried her 21 day Jump Start challenge and we both had amazing results! You can find anything online, from 30 day yoga challenges [check out OURS] to plank challenges to eat clean challenges. There is even a site called Fitness Challenge. If you love photos and hashtags, Instagram has lots of fitness challenges for the runner, yogi or health nut inside of you.

Try a running program. Not a runner? Try a couch-to-5K program. Like running, but only short distances? Why not train for your first 10K or half marathon? Setting new running goals will keep you motivated and focused. We are soon going to start a 12 week run builder program created by HeAndSheEatClean.com in partnership with MomsRunThisTown.com ~ looking forward to incorporating more strength training into our running routine! Moms Run This Town has a mom’s running group that meets in Dublin for group runs – find them on FaceBook for details.

Do something simple that gets you MOVING. I am currently doing a SEVEN PARKS IN SEVEN DAYS challenge with my family. This is free, easy and gets us out the door to explore a new place each day! Seven-ten days is also a good amount of time to get you motivated, but not burned out. Start simple, then increase your challenge once you have succeeded! Some achievable short-term ideas…
- Do 15 minutes of _____________ [walking, running, yoga, etc] each day from Sunday to Saturday.
- Set the timer for 10-15 minutes and just MOVE [dance, play, clean, etc] around your house each day when you get home from work ~ before you sit down on the couch ~ for one work week.
- Add vegetables to each meal for a week.
- Take the stairs at work at least once per day for two full work weeks.
- Visit a new ________________ [park, running path, hiking trail, etc] every other day for at least ten days.

A fitness challenge may be just what you need to stay focused or get yourself back on the health train. Feel free to send your ideas or seek support at LivingFitColumbus@gmail.com ~ Good luck!