If you’ve been following us for a while then you know we like to do a little October health challenge. October is a great month to reset. Summer is now behind us and before we know it the holiday season will be here. September always feels hectic with school starting and adjusting to new routines. Come October, I finally feel like we are in a good groove around here.
Therefore, I’ve created another 4 week health challenge to help motivate all of us! Each week there will be a new goal to focus on, but ideally you’re building on top of the previous week’s goal while adding in the new challenge. For example just because you got a perfect 12k step week 1 doesn’t mean you should neglect steps the following weeks.
I’m setting the challenges to run Monday thru Friday, but bonus point if you continue over the weekend 😉
Here are the deets:
Week #1 (10/3-10/7) Challenge: STEPS & STRETCH
We like to kick off the health challenge with a steps challenge in hopes that you keep up with this goal all month long. I encourage you to set a goal that is challenging, yet realistic for you! For me, I can pretty easily get to 8-10k in my normal day taking care of the kids and dog. My goal is 12k daily steps. I typically try and take Kins & Daisy on a daily walk before we pick up Quinn from the bus. This is usually when I finish up my steps for the day.
What is your daily steps goal challenge??
I want to add on a stretch goal as well. I wrote a post here about the important of recovery and stretching is a major recovery tool. I like to do a 10 minute Peloton stretch class either after my workout if I have time or before bed.
My goal: 10 minutes of stretching a day.
Week #2 (10/10-10/14) Challenge: WATER
This one will be a big challenge for me right now because I just don’t feel like I’m drinking enough water. On PE days I drink a lot of water, but when I’m home I neglect my water bottle. We all know how insanely important it is to be hydrated. Every single cell, tissue, and organ in the body requires water to function properly. Even mild dehydration can cause symptoms of fatigue and weakness.
Here’s the goal: take your weight and divide it in half and that’s the minimum about of oz of water you should be consuming a day. For example, if you weigh 150 lbs your water goal is 75-150 oz water/day.
My goal: Finish & refill my 40oz Hydroflask 3-4 times = 120-160 oz a day. I also add a packet of electrolytes into one of my water bottles daily.
Week #3 (10/17-21) Challenge: NO ADDED SUGAR
We’ve done a few no added sugar challenge weeks on Instagram before, but if this is your first time here are all the details you need to know. I think the week before Halloween is the perfect week for this challenge so we can reset our tastebuds and have some control going into treats season. Ideally after 5-7 days of no added sugar you will have less sugar cravings going into a week all about CANDY!
Week #4 (10/24-28) Challenge: PHONE OFF 1-2 HOURS BEFORE BED // SLEEP
This will likely be my hardest week. I’m so bad at scrolling my phone before bed and I’m sure many of you also do this. Heather is so good at putting her phone on her charger 2 hours before bed and doesn’t look at it until the morning. Seriously I won’t get a text back after 8pm.
Let’s all try and do the same this week and see if we can improve our sleep hygiene. Speaking of sleep…the goal this week is also to get in 7-9 hours of sleep per night. Pick an amount of sleep that helps you feel your best the next day and get to bed earlier to make this happen.
My goal: Phone off 1 hour before bed and 7–8 hours of sleep. I feel fine with 7 hours of sleep and like being up early, so sometimes 8 is not always achievable.
Yay for a month of focusing on YOUR health and hopefully these become habits you can take into the craziness of the holiday season to keep your health a priority.
xx, A
