Back form a relaxing family trip to sunny Spain. Tan topped up from lying in the sun all day, lots of ice-creams eaten & batteries recharged & ready to get back to work. ( I did still do a 10 minute workouts before hitting the beach on a few days so that I could have the ice-cream & the evenings glass of wine guilt free). The new online H.E.L.P for Mum’s got underway on Monday (These are the workouts that I was testing on holiday) & the 14 Mum’s are going really well working out daily & getting healthy with their nutrition. Some great new recipes are being shared amongst the Mum’s. For some of them the daily exercise is very new as they have struggled to find time for themselves as busy mum’s. It is a new challenge that they are really embracing. The word challenge has come up a lot in conversations I have had this week so I thought that I would write about it in this weeks newsletter.
The Outdoor Fitness Members are taking part in the Mudrunner Oblivion Event at the end of June.The race is marketed as a supreme test of fitness and is a 6 ish mile gruelling cross country course interspersed with 10 different tests of strength, endurance & co-ordination. One of our members is a seasoned pro of the event & has encouraged us to enter a Combined Fitness team in the event. Those entered are starting to get a little nervous as they do not know exactly what to expect and a re worried that they may not be ready for it, fit enough etc. It is a huge ‘CHALLENGE’ a big step out of the comfort zone.
Challenge – a task or situation that tests someone’s abilities, a call to prove or justify something, an attempt to win a contest or championship in a sport
Some of you may be thinking you wouldn’t catch me doing that – I have enough challenges that I have to deal with. I am trying to get rid of the challenges in my life not create more. Most life challenges arise as a result of things not going to plan and can appear to knock you back & sap your time and energy. However, those who are successful in life think differently of challenges they face.
They know that challenges are there for a reason, by nature they are difficult to get through but all challenges play an important part in your life. They help shape our character, teach us lessons, help us learn and grow, they build up our strength, resilience, and teach us that we can cope with the things that come our way. When faced with a tough challenge you may not always see this.
It is important to see challenges for what they are – an opportunity to learn from & to better yourself.
Tips to successfully manage challenges
1. Accept them – try not to get upset by the fact that a challenge has come your way. It is easy to feel negative ‘ why me”, “why has this happened now when everything was going so well”. ” I can not do this”. Just accept that it has happened or that you have to do it to progress or get to where you want in life.
2. Embrace it – from the beginning tell yourself that you are going to face it & overcome it. You are not going to hide from it, that you a re going to succeed.
3. Flip any negative reactions to positive – recognise your negative reaction, “why now”, ” I can’t do it”, or “I can’t stick to this nutrition plan” halt your negative thoughts, step back and look for the lessons that can be learnt or the benefit that may come out of the challenge. Then counteract the negatives with positive thoughts of success, look at the situation from a different perspective. “I have managed 1 week of the plan, I can do it and if I stick with it I will look & feel great on the beach in the summer. “
4. Plan the steps you need to take to get through the challenge & then carry out the plan- break things down into small manageable steps, seek help, advice and support from those that have faced this challenge before.
5. Attack it with self belief & if you fail, assess what happened, LEARN FROM ANY MISTAKES, re-plan & go for it again.
In the last newsletter we said “Success is never achieved overnight. (Remember the compound effect) It is something that you have to keep working at, by being consistent and determined. Successful people are those who presevere when everyone else quits.
Why not set yourself a sporting challenge & experience the huge sense of satisfaction & accomplishment when you have finished. The training for it will help motivate you to get fit & healthy. Use it as a training goal. You could do a charity event & raise money for a cause close to you.
Ladies why not enter the Race for Life. This really is a fantastic event where so many women of all ages and backgrounds coming together to raise money for a great cause.
There are over 230 events across the Uk. find your nearest one now.
http://raceforlife.cancerresearchuk.org/index.html?gclid=CK6dkZr9z7cCFfMPtAodJ0gA2w
So, whether you are new to exercise, or a seasoned pro, why not choose an event like the Race for Life or Mudrunner and use it to raise money for a great cause and as a fitness challenge .
In the run up to the event, set yourself weekly challenges, such as to walk an extra half a mile, to run for 5 minutes without stopping or to run 5k 2 minutes faster than you did the preivous week.
Go for it
