Welcome to the September Monthly Challenge! The goal of these challenges is to build on to the habits you started creating each month and continue working towards a healthier you. If you can’t start on the 1st of the month, just join in when you can start and finish out the month with us. They’re free. All you need is you!

1. It’s important to write down your goals to commit to them. Leave a comment below and let me know that you’re committing to do the challenge to become more healthy.
2. Take your measurements and progress pictures if you haven’t already done so. Don’t wait beyond Day 1 to take them so you can best track your results.
3. Do the Fit Test and write down your results. You’ll use these to compare at the end of the month to see how much you’ve improved.
4. Studies have shown that telling others about your goal makes you more likely to stick to it. Feel free to share this page with the sharing buttons below so your friends can also join in.
5. Follow the healthy habit and workouts for the month and be consistent with them. Check in on my facebook page to let me know how it’s going. I’d love to hear from you.

Fit Test
Get a timer and do 5 rounds of the following exercises. REST when you need to until all 300 reps are finished. Yes, we’ve got 300 reps this month instead of 200. Write down the time it took you to finish. At the end of the month, we’re going to do the same fit test and see if it takes less time to complete.

• 15 Bodyweight Squats
• 15 Pushups
• 15 Lunges per side
• 15 Mountain Climbers per side

Healthy Habit
The kids are going back to school for a lot of us and our schedules are changing with new activities and plans. Even if you don’t have kids, the days will be getting dark earlier which means schedule changes. Often our sleep suffers because we have adjusting and so much to do. We may not be sleeping as well or even as much as we need. When you scrimp on sleep, your body pays for it the next day.

You end up tired and grumpy. When you’re tired, your body knows that it needs energy and it wants to do whatever it can to get that energy. If you don’t have the luxury of taking a nap to replenish your energy stores (who has time to nap!), your body looks for energy in the form of food. It will make you hungrier than usual so that it gets the energy it needs to make up for your lack of sleep.

It also makes us crave quick energy foods which equates to sugar and processed carbs because your body knows that’s the fastest way to get what it needs. This is the part of fitness that I love the most. The scientific stuff behind the scenes. Your body is a pretty cool thing. Even more reason to take care of it.

Most of us need 7 – 8 hours a night. I honestly could go for 9 nightly. Your health challenge this month is to aim for 7 – 8 at least 6 nights a week. I’ll give you one night a week to slip up because you’re human. Start winding down about an hour before bedtime and stick to your planned bedtime. You’ll feel more refreshed the next day, your temper won’t be as short, and your body will thank you for it.

Workouts
We’re taking things up a notch in the challenge this month. Are you ready? You can do this! Do each of the three workouts below once a week. Example, Monday, Wednesday, Friday. Make sure to have at least a day of rest between workouts.

Make sure to warm up first with 2 sets of the following circuit to get your muscles ready for the workout. You can do your own warm up if you’d like but DON’T skip a warm up.

• Jumping Jacks – 30 seconds
• High Knees – 30 seconds
• Skiers – 30 seconds

Modification Notes:
We’re using the stability ball again this month to challenge your abs while working other body parts. If you don’t have a stability ball, you can still do the exercises on a bench or on the floor. No excuses for not having a ball! Or should I say, you can have a ball even if you don’t have a ball.

Post how you’re doing, any frustrations, or celebration milestones throughout the month on my facebook page so that we can share and spread high fives! And obviously, follow through on your committment and do the challenge! Your body and your health will thank you for it. Challenge yourself to stick with it!

If you love the monthly challenges but want a program customized for you, check out my services page for more information.