If you’re already working out but haven’t made any changes in years, this coming year is the time to do it. Exercising can become a bore, especially if your only goal is to do it. The same is true of eating healthy. An exciting fitness challenge pushes you to your limit. It must be specific and have a timeline to make it more of a game. If you’ve ever gotten hooked on online games, trying to score higher and reach the next level, you can do the same with a fitness goal. You can even set up criteria to move up a level as you progress toward your ultimate goal.
Giving your fitness plan structure can help you become more consistent.
When you have an exciting goal with achievements along the way it maintains interest and consistency. A deadline to achieve that goal adds to the excitement. Maintain structure by creating a program with tangible weekly goals. Record your results. Your goal must be achievable but challenging. If you’re a beginner, your goal might be to achieve three sets of seven burpees by the end of the month or add a few extra seconds to your planks.
Your ultimate challenge might be an Ironman Race, Mudder, or 10K.
Considering any of those ultimate contests can be scary but very exciting. You can also create an exciting challenge that doesn’t require travel to a contest. If you swim, make your goal the number of laps if you swim in a pool or across a smaller lake. Always take safety precautions no matter what your goal is. Make the goal longer than a few weeks. It should be long enough for you to develop a habit.
A fitness challenge is a road map.
If you’re using a popular fitness challenge, there’s a definite starting point. There are often groups on social media you can join that hold you accountable. The challenge should be difficult for you, even though it may be simple for someone else. For people who live a sedentary lifestyle, a fitness challenge may be a starting point that helps you start a healthier lifestyle.
- Simple fitness challenges include stretching or walking daily, doing a perfect burpee, or holding a plank in perfect form for five minutes. The challenge can include diet, a sleep schedule, smoking cessation, exercise, or other healthy lifestyle changes.
- HIIT—high intensity interval training—is a way to do any exercise, volleying back and forth between high intensity and recovery pace. One challenge is to do different HIIT workouts every other day or to extend the high intensity and recovery time. It can go from seconds to minutes.
- Have you considered doing 100 push-ups daily for 30 days if you’re in shape or starting at five and working toward doing 100 a day? Break the 100 into several sessions throughout the day or do them all at once.
- If you suffer from back pain, arthritis, or knee pain, check with your healthcare professional for exercises that help relieve pain. Create a 60-day challenge to do those exercises, increasing the number weekly. Record your results and any improvement.
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