How do we do that though when the weather is nice and the beach/pool/outdoor happy hours are sweetly calling our names, luring us in like a “gentleman” to a brothel? It’s not easy my friend. But nothing is impossible, remember that. That’s why I’ve come up with a few genius ideas geared towards getting you over that “but I have no energy these days, it’s just too darn hot out to do anything” hump and get you saying “I’m so gonna whip your bum you’re gonna be running home to mama crying like a pre-schooler by the time we’re done here!” (Egging on others to tap into your competitive side is totally in order here!)
How do you go from lazy to ultra-competitive? By creating a fitness challenge. It’s the best way to get you to hit the ground running so you’re back to your pre-summer form and in tip-top shape in 30 days. (That’s one little month. And I hate to break it to you but if you’re a northeast dweller like myself, 30 days in the summer goes by all too fast!)
So I gathered my brain trust and came up with a few great challenges that you can attempt (or use as a base to create some really wacked out challenges… anything goes when it comes to getting motivated!) Get a group together, even if it’s just you and one other person, and plan out your 30-day challenge. I guarantee it’ll be fun and you’ll have a ton of laughs along the way!
Here are a few ideas:
The Variety Pack – Each week, pick three activities that must be performed for a total of 60 minutes each. (They can be broken down into time segments, like 10 minutes here, 20 minutes there, making each activity adding up to 60 minutes by the end of the week.) So say bicycling, dancing, and hula-hooping, or trail running, mall speed-walking and jump roping. Be creative and each week change the three activities. The one who loses the most weight wins.
The “Feel Good” Challenge – First step: Everyone picks their charity of choice. Second step: Put in $5 to the pot, not to be touched until the challenge is over. Third step: Add $1 to the pot for every pound you gain during the 30 days. The one who has lost the most weight wins the pot and donates the money to their charity of choice. (Thus, the “feel good”.)
The Mile-High Challenge – (Quit it, it’s not what you think.) This challenge is all about running or walking. How far can you go in 30 days? Monitor you’re milage with a pedometer and whoever has covered the most land, wins.
Coming up with ideas is simple and it makes fitness fun and slightly competitive, which is a great motivator! Get a group together now and keep the fat police at bay. And if anyone decides to do this, please share your story with me, I’d love to hear all about your challenge!
