When you want to “shock” your body to help push yourself to grow, a fitness challenge is a great way to do it. Busy moms have precious little time, but the great thing about these fitness challenge ideas is that they will push you and make you stronger without eating up too much time!
One common thing that busy moms bemoan is the lack of time available for attaining fitness goals.
And it can be very easy to feel that way.
I get it! I’m a very busy mom of 3 boys.
But, as a busy mom who worked to become a group fitness instructor, I also know the benefits of working out – physically as well as mentally and emotionally!
That’s why I’m such a huge fan of fitness challenges. You can do anything for 30 days. Yes, it’s tough, but it’s also a finite amount of time where you can see the light at the end of the tunnel even from the beginning.
Given what time of year it is and the fact that most of the country has been nearly homebound for the past 10 months, I thought I would gather up some of my favorite fitness challenge ideas to help inspire you to get active now!
Don’t wait until we can all be “back to normal”. Get active and you’ll feel much better 😘
New Year’s Fitness Challenges and Goals
Whether you’re working on a New Year’s Resolution or just want to get a little more active any other time of the year, try one (or more) of these fitness challenges. They don’t take much time out of your day, so they are VERY doable, no matter what you’re schedule is like.
And if you want a more “together” approach, I invite you to join my workout Facebook group where we have a GREAT community and have monthly 30-day fitness challenges that we are participating in together. Plus, I’ll also offer other workouts that you might be interested in as well!
Depending on who you listen to, it takes 21-28 days to form a new habit (I personally think it’s 28 days), so that’s another reason why I like these 30 day challenges. None of them alone will make you beach bod ready, however, they will each:
- stretch you a little
- help build muscle
- encourage you to move
- get you in the habit of scheduling your workouts into your day.
And they’re fun – especially when you do them with a group of people!
Keeping it fun and interesting is the key to staying committed to your fitness goals.
You might find fitness trackers helpful as another tool to help you stay committed. I know that I tend to use the data I receive and use it to push myself to do more over time.
Note: Before starting any fitness program, please consult with your doctor.
30 Day Fitness Challenges – How to Stick With it
If you are new to fitness challenges, you may be reading “30 days” and thinking “how can I possibly commit to something so long?”
Here are a few helpful ideas:
- Do it With a Buddy – (or better yet, a group!) knowing that there’s someone else waiting to hear that you’ve completed your daily workout is SO helpful for keeping you accountable
- Schedule Your Workout Time – I used to be very opposed to this. However, as my days have gotten busier, I know that I need to schedule in my workout time or it won’t happen.
- Track Your Progress – Record how long you worked out, what exercises you did, how it felt before, during, and after, etc in a planner or a calendar so you can track your progress over time.
Must-Try Fitness Challenge Ideas
If you’re looking for fun ways to push yourself, give these workout challenge ideas a try. They’ll help you get moving and keep it enjoyable. And the best part is that you don’t need a gym membership to do them!
Warning: As you go through these workout challenges, you may experience feelings of pride and excitement over your accomplishment – and you should! Keep pushing yourself to achieve those goals!
Yoga Challenges
While yoga isn’t the “easy workout” that many people believe, it is incredibly relaxing and empowering. Plus, you will stretch, strengthen, and tone along the way!
Ab & Core Challenges
Ready to get your core nice and strong? Embrace the plank position and get started!
- Crunch Challenge
- 28 Day Plank Challenge
- 30-Day Flat Abs
- Ab challenge
- 30 Day Strong Abs Challenge
- Ab Challenges
- Amazing Arms and Abs Challenge
Arm and Upper Body Fitness Challenge Ideas
Who doesn’t want sculpted arms? Arms are a good location where you can tone and build muscle quickly.
- 30 Day Shoulder Challenge
- Push Up Challenge
- Arm Challenge to sculpt your arms
- Upper Body Challenge
- Push Up Challenge for sculpted arms
Leg Fitness Challenges
If you want to get those legs toned and strong, you have got to check out this list of ideas. There’s something for everyone!
- Challenges for Legs and Thighs
- 30 Day Thigh Slimming Challenge
- Squat and Plank Challenge
- Wall Sit Challenge
- Squat Challenge
- Leg lift Challenge
- Lunge Challenge
Full Body Workout Challenge Ideas
From beginners to intermediates and everywhere in between, this list is a great place to start for full body workouts. Get moving and get stronger.
- 30 Day Walking Challenge
- Killer Full Body Workout Challenges
- 30 Day Crossfit Challenge
- Crunches, Pushups, Squats and Lunges
- 30 Day HIIT Cardio Challenge
- Beginner’s Running Challenge
- 25 Body Weight Crossfit Exercises
- 30 Day Fitness Challenge
- 15 Minutes a Day with Betty Rocker
- Exercise-a-Day Challenge
- From Walking to Running
Family Workout Challenges
Want to move as a family? If you want some family fitness challenge ideas check out this list and try doing them together!
- 5 Simple Family Activities to Get Healthy
- 30 Minute Family Workout Challenge
- Fun Family Workouts
- 30 Day Family Fitness Challenge
- Fun Family Fitness Challenge
Favorite Workout Resources
If you want to find even more resources, check these out! They’re terrific!
- Svelte Workouts – YouTube videos you can follow
- Blogilates – You can find some amazing toning workouts here
- Betty Rocker – She’s great for home workouts and gives great ideas for modifications
- Growingannanas – She has some great YouTube videos if you like following those
Favorite Workout Tools
These workout challenges are mostly bodyweight resistance, however, there are a few simple supplies that will make your workouts more effective.
- 2-pound hand weights
- 3-pound hand weights
- 5-pound hand weights
- 8-pound hand weights
- Resistance Bands
- Yoga Mat
- Water Bottle
When it comes to fitness and feeling your best, what matters the most is that you GET MOVING. Make it fun by doing one of these fitness challenge ideas with a group of people or together as a family.
But no matter how busy you are, you absolutely CAN squeeze some time into your day for fitness! (and you’ll feel amazing! 💪 )
Don’t forget to join us in the Facebook group and get moving with us – we’re a friendly bunch!
More New Year’s Inspiration
- Top New Years Resolutions For Kids & How To Stay Motivated
- Top 10 Must-Have Best Planners for Moms
- How to Meal Plan – Failproof Meal Planning For Beginners
- Cheap Cable Alternatives: 12 Options To Slash Your TV Bill
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Accountability is a huge for me. That and having a fitness buddy helps so much. This is a fantastic list of resources. Thanks so much for sharing!
Thank you for the ideas and guidelines. It’s resourceful. I need some time to plan the challenge.
I will join that challenge and it’s the perfect way to start the year.
thank you for this super useful pos. i know i need this for helping with my goals for the year
ok, you got me. I’m going to accept this challenge!
These are good tips. I can relate to having a busy schedule and I am not good about keeping up with a fitness routine.
I love the idea of a 30 day work out. Putting a set number of days to the goal makes it more achievable. And I’m sure at the end of the 30 days a new habit has been formed!
This is something I can do at home during the lockdown. Thanks for sharing
I am such a flip-flopper when it comes to exercise. This year my goal is to make exercise a habit. I work out 30 minutes 5-6 days a week. I am so proud of myself. I don’t want to keep staring over. Thank you for sharing.
Hey Mabelle! That’s GREAT! Everyone has to start somewhere and 30 minutes a day 5-6 days a week is terrific – and maintainable. I hear ya on not wanting to start over – it’s miserable.
When I was teaching classes 5-6 days a week (haven’t been because of COVID), I would joke with my classes that I never took vacations because I would lose my momentum and have to start over!
One of my new year resolutions for 2021 is to stay fit and healthy and I think this 30-day challenge will help me a lot.
Hey there! I hope it helps! Feel free to come join the Facebook group and get accountability by having everyone do it together! If you know people are waiting on you to say you did your workout, then you’re more likely to do it!
These look like great challenges to get in shape. I like to run, so I usually try to just get in a mile a few times a week on the treadmill.
That’s great! I’ve never been a runner, so I have to find other ways to do cardio. But building muscle is important to for long term health đŸ™‚
Definitely working on my health this year. Great post!
Thanks, Kimmy! I hope you’ll come join the Facebook group and participate in the challenges we’re doing together!
Love that you mentioned – to make it fun! Fun workouts allow me to stay more consistent with exercising.
Hey Anasha! Yeah, I know that I WON’T do a workout if it isn’t fun. Fun can certainly vary for different people, but if you aren’t getting at least a little enjoyment out of it, what’s the point?
Why hello there mom friendly workout! I love this it’s so easy to adapt perfect for moms on the go!
I don’t think “moms NOT on the go” exists, right?! By the very nature of the “job”, moms are busy busy and need a way to take care of themselves that fits that busy busy lifestyle đŸ™‚
This post is so inspiring! I am definitely hoping to be more healthy this year! Thank you for these resources!