Today is the day. It’s done, it’s over and I’m ready for a change! The 100 Day Fitness Challenge comes to an end today and my own personal challenge of 100 burpees each day for 100 days is over too. So what have I learned along the way?
- That making a commitment public is a sure fire way to make sure you keep it!
- That the very commitment of doing something each day is what it is all about. There was never any point in me missing a day and doing 200 burpees the next day to make it up. When we work towards any goal, small, steady continuous progress is going to get much better results than a splurge once a week. If I was going to train for a marathon or go on a diet I would work towards it each day. That’s where the magic is.
- That you never make excuses for not getting it done. There is always a way. I’ve been on courses over the past 100 days and stayed in hotels over night where our course started at 07.30 each day and finished at 21.00 at night. It wasn’t good enough for me to say “Oh I can’t be arsed / I’m too tired / I’ve got no room” — I’ve burpee’d in hotel carparks at 06.00 so that I can get them done and in my garden at 23.00 when we’ve got home. Never an excuse. I wasn’t going to let myself off the hook.
- Burpees are the quickest way to get in shape. I have a waist, I have a flatter stomach, I have thinner legs, I still have shoulder and arm definition from when I was teaching weights back in August. But I haven’t used weights.
- Burpees suck when you have a chest infection! Breathing is nasty and they hurt.
- People think you are completely mad and question why you’re ‘still doing those’? — because…it’s doing what others won’t do that get you the results others want.
- I love the duration of a 100 day challenge. It’s doable but challenging. It feels a long way off at the beginning and you wonder why you thought it would be a good idea, but as you move through each 25 days you realise it is completely doable and that motivates you to carry on.
- Planning your next challenge before the one you are working on finishes is a great way to keep you focussed and moving forward.
The 100 Day Fitness Challenge has become a major part of my life since 23 September.
- We have raised over £1450 for a brand new Wokingham based charity called Pass it On.
- People have changed shape, discovered new friends, new sports, new challenges that they wouldn’t have previously considered.
- Each Sunday we’ve met for a group session and kick started the day with an energetic and social session. These have become so popular there are requests to keep them going.
- It motivated me to produce the 100 Day Health & Fitness Challenge product.
This new product is for those people who, like me, like having a daily approach to Health and Fitness. Each week you will get a workout plan and a health task to work on. And each day you’ll get an email from me to keep you focussed and working towards all you health and fitness and any other BIG goals. It’s being launched on 1 January 2013, but you can sign up at anytime you want to work on yourself for 100 days. 10% of all sales of this product also go to the Pass it On charity. For less than 50p a day, it’s a small price to pay for daily motivation and guidance!
For those of you wondering what my next challenge will be, it’s going to be a nutrition based one and I am going to go grain free for 100 days. No wheat, rye, oats, rice, spelt, kamut etc. I already know I do better without grains, but I want to really see how much better I feel without them for the long term. For someone who loves to bake like I do this will be a challenge, so expect some new recipes during this time! See you on 10th April!
Happy New Year to you! Here’s to your personal improvement over 30, 50 or 100 days in 2013!