With so much going on in our daily lives, it can be difficult to not only carve out time to take care of ourselves but to stick with healthy #commitments over the long haul. According to leading #sociologists, the best way to create the ideal environment for change is with a #community.
Let's look at using a #fitness challenge as your community to facilitate change.
After you come to the conclusion that getting in shape or nailing a goal is much easier with a "tribe" (a.k.a. community) than on your own, how do you know which one is right for you? Here are important aspects of a fitness challenge or program you should look for.
The challenge should be created and supervised by a team of professionals invested in truly helping you. I have rehabbed several clients who thought P90X was a good idea but didn't know they had shoulder impingements. This program nearly destroyed their shoulders. Trust those who have spent their whole career becoming an expert in #physiology and the art of #coaching.
The plan must include resistance training. Almost any challenge can produce #WeightLoss but hundreds of studies have proven that you must build muscle and strength to get and stay lean over the long haul. In fact, the literature is very clear that resistance training is far superior to traditional cardio where study subjects routinely lose many times more fat but keep muscle. This is CRUCIAL because muscle boosts your metabolism.
The challenge should be rooted in solid evidence-based science. Exercise is a required nutrient, no different than Vitamin C, for example. You not only need it to look, move, feel and perform better, but you need it to protect you from bone loss, #orthopedic injuries, cancer, diabetes, and heart disease.
Lastly, the challenge must have a system of accountability. You can have world-class training and #nutrition programming, yet be doomed to fail if there is no system in place to answer your questions, customize the plan and support you every step of the journey.