Have You Wondered About a 30-Day Fitness Challenge?
In this episode of Flipping 50 TV, I share the good, the bad, and the unfit truth about 30-day fitness challenges.
Marcia writes about a question she’s had for a long time, “What is the efficacy of all those 30 day challenges, for example 30 days of planks, or 30 days of squats, or 30 days of push ups?
She adds, “I know we need 48-72 hours of rest and recovery before hitting the same muscle groups, so how can a 30-day challenge be effective?”
Whether it’s body weight squats or push ups, if you reach fatigue, which is required for positive change to happen, the muscles break down, and need repair in order to increase fitness.
“Exercise merely provides the opportunity for fitness.”
30-Day Fitness Challenges can be Intelligent
Switch the focus on a habit that improves health for 30 days. It doesn’t have to include overtraining a muscle group or repeating a movement.
- Cellulite challenge
- Yoga challenge
- Eating greens challenge
- Bone broth challenge
Every month in Flipping 50’s Café I add a new challenge. (This month it’s a “Bye-Bye Cellulite” challenge). Individuals in our Virtual Gym, with me as your virtual personal trainer, may be going through their own journey with arthritis or joint pain reduction, bone density, weight loss, or training for an event.
Our challenges follow a unique protocol with work-days, recovery days, and balance-body approaches. It’s not an isolated focus on one muscle group.
Other 30-Day Challenges that are OK
When you are doing corrective exercises, some daily focus can be good. For example, side clams, hip bridges, and deep core muscle activation, where you are not reaching true fatigue, or temporary failure, but rather waking up lazy muscles that require consistent and frequent stimulation , then daily is good.
Liken it to getting better at reading or meditating, it takes consistency to see improvement. Likewise, when activating a lazy muscle, more isn’t better, but consistency is a must.
Marcia is such a critical thinker! This was a great question. The answer can save you from injury, overuse, and wasting time and energy on something that won’t get you results.
30-Day Hip Stretch Challenges
I’m going to leave you with this favorite set of stretches I did daily for a year and then pretty regularly thereafter. If you have hip, back or potentially knee issues, you’re going to love this one.
- Standing hip flexor
- Number 4
- Lying legs crossed
- Legs falling
- Legs up the wall
Exercises that take you to fatigue, or push your limits in the same muscle group daily for 30 days, are not in your best interest.
But others… can be oh, so good… for throwing focus on areas that need a little “catch up.” It gamifies it. That’s smart strategy.
The Key Flip of the Day: It’s how, not just what you do, that matters.
What’s Next?
Have you done a challenge? Would you like to do a 30 day fitness challenge that’s easy on knees? Check this out.
How about a food elimination challenge that may help you determine food sensitivities that might be causing you inflammation, digestive issues, bloating, skin issues or the inability to lose weight? Try the 28 Day Kickstart.
