Fit for the Holidays Challenge

We are humans. We once braved the Ice Age, chased down wildebeests, outwitted wild tigers, and converted trees into boats to travel the oceans. We survived starvation, violence, and the elements, and bonded together into units to defy them all. Once upon a time, daily physical challenge was expected, not feared. Adversity and discomfort were par for the course. We moved with confidence and confidence, and even invented dance and sport to fill our spare time with more activity.

We thrived in this environment. We respected our biology’s need for nature, for challenge, for community, and for a purpose bigger than ourselves.

My, how times have changed. Phil White, co-author of Unplugged, explains in our podcast The Fitness Technology Inside Your Head, “We’ve largely tried to program adversity and extremes out of our daily lifestyle.” While this is more comfortable, it is not conducive to growth or a thriving existence. “Our biology is optimized when stressed in a variety of different ways”, says White.

Since our environment no longer provides that stress, we must intentionally seek out daily adversity in a world that’s gone to great lengths to remove it. Endless comfort and convenience are killing our humanity and our bodies. Challenge is the only path to fulfillment, health, and growth that feeds your spirit.

The Fit for the Holidays Challenge

Whether you’re looking to kickstart your fitness habit, or just shake up your current routine, I’ve created a program that will challenge you. Too often, our New Year’s resolutions are meant to counteract months of poor eating through the holiday season. Rather than float through fall and early winter, conceding defeat to the season of impulse, let’s circumvent the cultural binge by beginning a quest for growth. Lets embrace the holiday spirit, indulging only on occasion, while also embracing a spirit of adventure and challenge.

The Challenge will begin today, October 8 and finish Sunday, December 24th. Each Friday, we’ll release the next week’s list of daily challenges. They’ll include a minimum of three days a week of exercises, along with challenges meant to instruct and grow your knowledge of nutritional and emotional health.

If the exercise prescription provided isn’t enough, add more. For advanced lifters, it is likely just a great addition or starter to your workout. If the day calls for a sugar purge and you have a family holiday tradition that would be ruined, shuffle the days to better suit your schedule.

Be sure to share your feedback. The most important thing is to understand the philosophy behind these daily challenges. Health is not something that we can do for 45 days and then be good. My intent is to expose you to many healthy habits and methods that might push you out of your comfort zone. By the end, I hope this process helps you find concepts, strategies, and methods that you incorporate into your daily habits for the rest of your life.

It all starts today. In the meantime, make sure you have an empty notebook. Track and plan each day in the notebook. Write reflections on tasks, or just use the notebook to help organize, record vital information, and keep you progressing.