30 Days of Challenges

While you are scrolling through your news feed, or getting lost in Pinterest or even cruising the internet, you are often presented with some sort of challenge. Some challenges are for the purpose of awareness, some for social change and some for physical or mental fitness.

Regardless of the reason behind the challenge, one thing it does is make you aware of WHY you are doing what you are doing. And depending on the challenge, it can force you out of your comfort zone or have you pushing yourself further than you thought you could. Not necessarily a bad thing.

Enter my 30 Days of Challenges. Some time ago, I had pinned some fitness challenges to my Pinterest "workout" board. If you search challenges on Pinterest, so many come up and they are all different. Ab challenges, plank challenges, arms, squats, the list goes on. Each makes a similar claim, "30 days to slim thighs", "get your arms tank top ready in 30 days", "banish your belly in just 30 days". So, I picked 3 trouble spots and 3 challenges to target those trouble spots. 

The big question is, do fitness challenges like these work? Well for the next 30 days, we are going to find out. I'm not relying on these challenges alone to see some miracle results. I'm also incorporating healthier eating, walking and fitting in fitness where ever I can. None of these challenges mention a specific eating plan. Hey, carrying groceries and a 20 pound baby up and down a flight of stairs isn't easy and has gotta count for something, right?

I was tossed between 2 separate leg workouts, each included 5 different exercises. I chose 3 exercises from one and 2 from the other. And chose the plan that appeared it would be more successful. The arm workout that I selected was only a 21 day arm challenge, but had the arm exercises I wanted, so I followed the progression pattern and extended it to 30 days. 

Before beginning, I took all my measurements so I had something to base the results on other than the fact that my pre-pregnancy shorts finally fit again. I want numbers! 

Even if there is no significant change, it will have at least encouraged me to exercise more than just huffing groceries and dodging baby walkers. 

Day 22 - Rest

Day 23 - 16 reps each 3x

Day 24 - Rest

Day 25 - 16 reps each 3x

Day 26 - Rest 

Day 27 - 18 reps each 3x

Day 28 - Rest 

Day 29 - 18 reps each 3x

Day 30 - 9 reps each 3x 

I've always battled my weight, frequently gaining and losing. But I have never been at a weight or fitness level that I could say I was 100% satisfied. So, now that we are done having kids, its time to focus on myself snd getting to where i want to be. It's time to feel comfortable in my skin and happy with what I see in the mirror. 

Obviously, if you are at a higher fitness level, these challenges may not be challenging enough. But if you are looking to try something new into your workout, there are so many out there and you will definitely find something. 

So, I hope you will join me and take 30 days to do something just for you!