Category: 4 Week Fitness Challenge
Week 4: Keeping it Simple in 2014 fitness challenge
We have met the homestretch of this challenge! This is the final week and I am feeling so encouraged by this memory verse from the Good Morning Girls:Intentionally Focused online bible study that I have decided to use it for this week’s memory verse.
Do you have an accountability partner? Someone that you can share your goals with? Someone that will cheer you on and tell you the tough stuff when you need to hear it?
Two are totally better then one in every walk of life and especially on our health journey!
Now that you have accomplished these two short term goals. Examine what you want to do next! Maybe it’s going to remain the same or maybe you are ready to tackle something bigger! We are all different. Long term goals provide you with a bigger picture and represent what is important to you in accomplishing on your health journey. They provide direction in your exercise program and reflect what you want.
Don’t forget these two closing thoughts. Stay positive! If you feel like you failed start fresh, right know! Keep a journal, it will help you become aware of unhealthy behaviors, why you do them and the consequences they have on your health.
Good Luck, thank you for joining this challenge it has really helped me learn a lot about the season of life I am in and how to adapt fitness into each new phase of life. The Sky is the limit! #livefitin2014
Blessings, Michelle
Week 3: keeping it simple in 2014 fitness challenge
Bad habits die hard. It takes time, patience, endurance and perseverance. Be patient with yourself. Two weeks in, the end is in sight. Keep your eyes on those two short-term goals. Great work! #livefitin2014
(Don’t forget to jot this memory verse down and your short term goals and place them where they are visible to you)
Blessings, Michelle
Week 2: Keeping it simple in 2014 fitness challenge
Week 2 scripture verse: “apply your heart to discipline and your ears to words of knowledge.”-proverbs 23:12
How did week 1 go? The first week of any new change is difficult. Set backs often pop up and this is how we learn how to get back on track (instead of giving up or thinking you can’t do it, BECAUSE YOU CAN!) Creating a healthy lifestyle for yourself at first isn’t going to be easy but over time it will become routine and your will thank yourself three months from know!
Think small victories this week. Last week was all and all rough for me. Things came up, my plans often altered and I had to adapt quickly. I was still able to squeeze in 4 workouts and I am slowly eliminating my sweet tooth. Don’t be overly hard on yourself. I often clung to last weeks memory verse, looking for The Lord for help when things were spiraling out of my control.
Small victories could include: cutting back on the coffee(tough for me, but creamer has a lot of sugar), taking the stairs instead of the elevator(with a baby car seat is pretty intense:), drinking 8 glasses of water, eating the color of her rainbow and fitting in 3-4 days a week of cardio.
Lifestyle change takes time and to make these healthy habits part of our daily routine focus on the small victories.
Physical and spiritual fitness requires discipline. We can all understand that we need discipline but to actually put it into practice is hard. I found this quote in Food, Fitness and Faith: ” life’s greatest rewards usually require lots of work, which is perfectly fine with God. After all, he knows that we’re up to the task, and he has big plans for us.”
Challenge on challengers, I have loved hearing about your progress. Don’t forget to put this verse somewhere were you can see it along with your two goals for this month. #livefitin2014
Blessings, Michelle
Week 1: Keeping it Simple in 2014 Fitness challenge
Week 1 Scripture Verse:
“I lift my eyes to the hills- where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord, the maker of heaven and earth.” -Psalm 121:1,2
Evaluate yourself this week. Pick two goals that you want to work on throughout the next month. Write them down and put them along with the week one scripture verse where you can see them and are reminded of them often.
Share them with your spouse, best friends, sister, brother. We are much more likely to hold ourselves accountable to goals when we have shared them with loved ones and written them down where we can see them.
How crazy is it that only 8% of Americans who set a New Years Resolution follow through and actually achieve their resolution.
I am defiantly convinced that living a healthy and fit lifestyle is more then fitness. A fit life is having a fit relationship with God, fit relationships with those we are close with , with our finances and our career. These are all things in which unfortunately we are never going to arrive in!Oh how I wish we could! We have to keep working at them each day on a continual basis. Your goals may be more related to maybe fitness in your finances or a relationships, we all are going to be a little different on this journey. When I fall into a good workout routine(I feel confident, physically able to tackle any task, accomplished) most of all I find focus. I then see other area’s of my life become more consistent and overflowing with vibrant life. I say this often:” you have to plan your plan and then you have to work your plan!!”
Good Luck, When you are feeling weak or have fallen of path don’t throw in the towel. Be reminded that ultimately we can’t do this life on our own. Look up to the hills and ask the Lord to give you help. The first week in any type of fitness program or lifestyle change is that hardest. Be reminded of that. I am giving up sweets, because they are my biggest weakness and they become a false sense of oh, I think they will make me feel good in this situation. Usually I end up thirsty, sick, and realizing I was eating to run away from my problems when I should have looked to the lord for Help!
Don’t forget to #livefitin2014 and post your goals this month on Live Fit’s Facebook page (like button is on the sidebar) for accountability and support throughout Week 1! We are on this journey together friends!
Blessings, Michelle
Fitness challenge 2014 | Keeping it Simple
Don’t you get tired of hearing the slogan new year, new you?
We all are in completely different places in both our physical and spiritual journey.
Currently I am in a season of challenge, change, and caring for a newborn. You can read more about my precious new babies condition on this post: life with my new baby girl
This challenge isn’t about a diet, weight loss, or setting yourself up for vigorous goals you will be unable to achieve.
I’m a firm believer that we expect results to fast, we set our expectations extremely high and in the end give up on ourselves.
Don’t get me wrong weight loss done healthy, cutting calories when the are unnecessary are each equally important. Setting up a fitness regimen is just as important, but before all that and stressing yourself out lets think habits and lifestyle change.
Creating a healthy lifestyle is about setting yourself up for lifelong Success, one tiny step at a time. Setting short term goals for yourself that you are able to achieve will help build the confidence you need to give you energy to chase after your next goal.
How this challenge works:
I have never done a challenge specifically like this on my blog so I’m excited and nervous to see how it works out. It may be messy but together we will figure this out.
1. Like live fit women’s fitness page on Facebook here is the link: Live Fit Women’s Fitness
2.Follow Live Fit Women’s Fitness blog via e-mail to receive updates on how to form healthy habits all year long, get yourself out of your rut, reach your goals, nutrition tips, recipes, simple fast workouts, inspiration and accountability.
3. Write two short term goals you want to tackle by the end of this month on a piece of paper. Take a picture and post them on either live fit’s Facebook page, my instgram or twitter account. (Hashtag #livefitin2014) (Hang them in a place that you will able to view them often)
Example of a short term goals:
Work out three times a week for a month, drink 8 glasses of water a day, no eating after 8pm, no sweets only on the weekend, eat fruits and vegetables everyday for a month instead of chips and pop.
Example of long-term goals:
Loose 20lbs, train for a half-marathon, start a weight training regimen to build more muscle mass.
4. Each week I will feature a scripture verse for you to jot down on a notecard, memorize, and keep in mind for the week. Think about your two goals for the month and on Monday I’ll feature the verse of the week.
5. You are able to share(Facebook, instgram, twitter) throughout the month how these simple short term goals helped you form healthier habits that you can carry out throughout 2014. People who participate and send me a short story on how this helped them get on track both physically and spiritually for the new year will be featured on my blog in February.
I will be documenting my journey on all of my social media outlets. Let’s start by taking tiny steps together and achieving two short term goals together this month!
Don’t harp on yourself if you have a bad day. Pull yourself back onto the road to sucess. The sooner you start, the sooner the results will start to show! Let’s have fun! Ready. Set. Go!
Blessings, Michelle
Abs Challenge Week 1 and 2
ABS CHALLENGE! Consistency is the key. If you are just starting out I would suggest slowly working your way into this challenge. Starting off with abs 2-3 times a week with light reps (10-12). Each week add in an extra day of abs and a few more reps as your abdominal muscles begin to get stronger. It is also crucial to rest your body, so your muscles can repair.Listen to your body and if you are feeling sore take a day or two to recover. Doing endless amounts of crunches is not going to help tone and sculpt your abs if you aren’t adding in a variety of exercises that also target other body parts. example: mountain climbers, planks,courtsey or single squats with weights and don’t forget the cardio! It burns the fat and engages the abs. Our body adapts to exercise, incorporating new exercises and at some point adding in weights will help continue to challenge the body. You may have heard me mention this before abs are made in the kitchen. Eating healthy will help aid in the development of your abdominal muscles. Ditch the garbage and eat protein, veggies, and fruits. Stay hydrated! Make sure you have properly warmed-up before doing these exercises. Do this challenge to your comfort level depending on your level of fitness.
Week 1: The basic Series
basic crunch x25
pull your left leg to glutes while your right is straight out x25
pull your right leg to glutes while your left leg is straight out x25
Leg lift combined with a crunch x25
bring both legs up with feet flat on the floor, palms facing down and tap each opposing side on the outside of your hips with your fingertips (called the Turtle) x25
*perform these exercises for week 1
Week 2: Plank Series
The plank is a simple move that trains the abs and spinal extensors as they work to maintain the raised position. you benefit from improved core strength, tighter abdominal, and a stronger back which create better posture. The full plank is an advanced exercise but you can build up to it in stages. Concentrate on tightening the muscles of your abdomen, back, buttocks, and legs and remember to breathe!
(Reference-Strength Training for Women)
If you are new to plank start off just holding them for 10 secs and work your way up to 30 secs
1. plank position 10-30 seconds
2. Plank position while maintaining this position lift and lower your knees for 10-30 seconds
3. side plank- 10-30 seconds (keep each side equal and don’t forget opposing side)
4. side plank while maintaining this position lift and lower your side to touch floor and press up for 10-30 seconds
Plank Tips-lift those abdominal to prevent low back from sagging, keep head, neck, and spine aligned, anchor shoulder blades to avoid from hunching
*Perform these exercises for week 2
Blessings Ladies, Enjoy the Challenge!
Live Fit Women's Fitness 