Quarantine, being laid-off and traveling discouraged all added to my fitness routine decreasing. In September some friends and I were chatting about the Covid-19 weight we were all gaining. We had all got a stagnate in our day-to-day. A few of us would hike or walk. I was doing yoga, but nothing else consistently. So, five of us put together a fitness challenge. It was a $50 buy-in. A Google spreadsheet was created with the categories we had to complete weekly; 30 mins of strength 5 days, 30 mins cardio 5 days, and 30 mins of yoga 3 days. We agreed to Venmo the other participants $1 for any sessions missed. By Sunday each category needed to be completed. Read how a challenge amongst friends and a little mindfulness helped get me back on track with my fitness.
Personal accountability - Keeping track of my fitness helped me be accountable to take ownership of my health. I set personal goals of what I wanted to accomplish overall, then broke it down to each week. Tracking my progress helped me to stay on course with my overall goals. I also wanted to meet the challenge with integrity and make sure I was participating. Logging my time and seeing everyone else logging their time kept me responsible and ensured I wouldn’t have to pay out any $$.
Health inspiration - As we started the challenge, I was excited and inspired. Thinking how I would accomplish each week sparked my creativity with working out. Gaining strength and flexibility and noticing how much easier running and hiking was getting motivated me to keep going even on the days I didn’t feel like moving. Also, having someone motivated and texting the group kept me and the others active than on our own. There was always at least one motivated person in the group.
Evaluate Progress - Working out by yourself can make it challenging to keep at it. Keeping a log helped me to see my progress and keep me motivated. It helped me to kick up my routine when I felt workouts were getting easier. I made a point to listen to my body more, push harder or ease up.
Tracking my fitness helped me improve from what I had been doing, or not doing but also it reignited my energy levels so I felt more like exercising or just moving. While I did have to pay out some weeks, I won the yoga challenge, phew! Not only the tracking but having other people to help motivate each other is what has helped me get back on track. We need more than a buddy, we need a movement community that encourages the world around, leads by example, and helps spark energy in all those around us. Try getting a group of your friends together to create your own movement challenge; you’ll not only strengthen the body, you’ll strengthen the relationships in your tribe all while putting your health first.