No matter how much you love what you are doing and how positive you are, sometimes you can't avoid falling into a little bit of a fitness rut. You may not have even seen it coming and then one day you wake up and feel completely unenthused about what you are doing or where you are at with it. Suddenly you feel stuck and aren't sure what direction to go to pull yourself out of it and get back on track. It's almost as if everything around what you have been doing kind of loses it's sparkle.
I know all this, because I have been there myself. Many times. Over the years, though, and through a lot of practice, I have become somewhat of a master at being able to get myself out of the fitness boredom muck. It most always involves physically challenging myself to do something differently than I had been before. Sometimes I set a goal as simple as completing a certain amount of something (like burpees) by a specific date or I commit to training for a race. But other times, I want something a little more fun to change things up a bit. Here are 3 of my favorite FITNESS CHALLENGES for getting myself "unstuck" and back on the road to finding and maintaining my fitness JOY!
1- Monthly TO DO List
Do all the items in the following “To Do” list in one month. As you do, check them off!
Choose a reward for yourself before you even begin!
Run/Walk/Bike/Skip/Hop 10 miles
250 Burpees (any kind)
Plank in your favorite place until you drop!
300 Sit-Ups (any way you like to take them)
Play a sport for at least 30 minutes (ANYTHING counts!)
15 minutes of Mountain Climbers
Find a steep hill, walk or run up the hill. Do it again 5 times.
10 minutes Running Bleachers/Stairs (preferably outside!)
150 Push-Ups
Hike in the woods for at least 3 minutes
350 Squats
Invite a friend to join you for any of these things!
Try a physical activity, sport, fitness class, etc. that you have never tried before!
Meditate for 20 minutes
Do 2 hours of yoga
2- MUSIC CHALLENGE
Day 1: Thunderstruck - AC/DC: Run in place. Every time you hear “Thunderstruck”, do a
burpee.
Day 2: My Shot - Hamilton: Go through this list of exercises, as fast as you can, doing as
many rounds as possible until the song ends: 10 Skaters, 10 Mountain Climbers, 10 Ab
Bicycles, 10 Lunges (right), 10 Lunges (left)
Day 3: I Love the Way You Lie - Eminem & Rhianna: Every time Rhianna sings, hold a crunch.
Everytime Eminem raps, do crunches.
Day 4: Flower - Moby: Plank Challenge! Start in a forearm plank. Every time you hear “Sally
up”, come up to your straight arm plank. Everytime you hear “Sally down”, come back down
to your forearm plank.
Day 5: America - Neil Diamond - Squat. Every time you hear “America”, take a squat jump.
Every time you hear “Today” do a Star Jump.
Day 6: Roxanne - The Police - Every time you hear “Roxanne” do a push-up. Every time you
hear “put on the red light” so a plank jock. In between, hold a plank of your choice.
Day 7: Fireball - Pitbull, John Ryan - Grab your resistance band, place it around your thighs,
maintain your squat as you “bance” around the room. Do NOT stop or come up out of your
squat until the song is finished.
3- Fitness can be FUN Challenge
1- Mark out a 1⁄4 mile. Grab your timer. See how fast you can walk or run it. Mark down your
time.
2- Load a backpack with 5 heavy books and do 3 sets of 20 squats followed by 5 minutes of
walking up and down the stairs.
3- Grab 2 hand towels, wash clothes, paper plates, a pair of socks or gliders and do the
following workout.
4- Soccer Ball Workout AMRAP (As Many Rounds As Possible) - 5 minutes
5 Soccer ball Burpees
10 Toe Taps
10 Soccer Ball Pass Abs
5- Hopscotch - Pick up your sidewalk chalk, make yourself a hopscotch course and set your
timer. Don’t stop hopscotching for 4 minutes.
6- Grab your 1 gallon milk jugs (fill with water). Bicep Curls. 4 sets of 15 reps with a 10 second
rest in between.
7-Mark out a 1⁄4 mile. Grab your timer. See how fast you can run or walk it. BEAT YOUR TIME
FROM THE FIRST DAY!!!
Fitness challenges may cause you to see some of the physical changes you are looking for, but
most importantly, physical challenges can lead to major breakthroughs and help to refresh your sense of wellbeing and confidence. The strength and pride you will feel in yourself for having committed to and finished a challenge can seriously turn a frown upside down!
So, LET'S GO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Comments