Recently, I completed six different fitness challenges: a squat challenge, an ab challenge, a butt challenge, an obliques challenge, a back challenge and an arms challenge. A fitness challenge is when you complete a series of exercises for a certain amount of time. A recommendation when doing a fitness challenge to get the best results is to drink only water and eat a healthy diet (we’re talking a lot of greens and grains). All the challenges were for a month and I completed all 6 in the same month.

So did they work?

I took a before picture and an after picture and yes, I did see results. Mainly in my arms with my arm workouts but I felt more alert, active and energized. I looked leaner and more toned in my after picture than I did in my before picture. My skin also cleared up immensely and my usually bitter attitude became less bitter. The clean eating was also a factor to take in. I think if I didn’t eat healthily and drink water, I wouldn’t have seen the results that I did... it’s a packaged deal if you think about it.

It was difficult some days to complete all the workouts because the number of reps increases every day so by the last day, I was doing 100+ of each workout. Finding time was definitely an obstacle. It trained me mentally to keep up with the workouts. I would find time between class and work to do maybe a rep of a workout and by the end of the day, I would have completed all of the workouts. The best part about the fitness challenges that I picked out was that there was very little equipment needed to complete the exercise so I could do them anywhere. The challenges have scheduled rest days every 3-4 days which helped with the mental process. If you keep telling yourself that you can take a break on the rest day, it really helps push you to complete a rep.

More importantly, these fitness challenges proved that I can do anything if I really put my mind to it and fully commit to the process. I would encourage anyone who is looking to commit to a fitness regime to try one out; maybe not six but definitely search for one that suits you and your goals. I recommend going on Pinterest or searching on Google to look for these challenges as the pictures really help if you have no idea what lumberjack is. There will be some days that you really do not want to workout but just stick to it! It’s all a mental game and once you finish, you will feel an all around goodness for yourself.

Happy fitness!