Hi y’all, I hope that you’re having an amazing week so far. I am SO excited to share my Summer fitness challenge with all of you. I just completed a 1 mile practice run/walk to make sure my ankle is ready for this and I’m happy to say that it is! For those of you who don’t know, I sprained my ankle a few weeks ago by falling down the stairs (story of my life), but it is healing (slowly) and running isn’t bothering it. I’m excited to announce that I have created an 8 week fitness challenge and I want all of you to join me. I know that it seems like a very long challenge, but as the quote says above, it takes 8 weeks for you to really see some progress and that’s not only in the way that you look, but also how you’ll feel. I’m so ready to start something challenging and stick with it! Exercising consistently hasn’t been something I’ve been able to do for about year or so now, but that’s not how I’ve ever been in my life and I definitely I do not want to keep it up. It’s time to stop making excuses of being too busy or tired and start fresh. Let’s get going on Monday with this Summer fitness challenge! I created this 8 week challenge with the intent of getting myself back into running because I love to run and it’s been a long time since I created a plan to run a few times each week while increasing the mileage. My goal in the long run (pun intended) is to eventually participate in a half-marathon somewhere, so I thought this would be a great way to begin training, but if you guys have a different goal (like, cycling, walking, swimming, etc.) then customize this challenge to fit your goals as well! The other focus for me on this challenge is fat loss! I wanted to do something that would help me lose the most fat and these type of exercises typically do the trick. For those of you that aren’t big runners, but want to get there, try doing intervals each running day by running 1 min & walking 2 min until you hit the amount of miles or time that you want to achieve. Over time you can start increasing your running time and decreasing your walking time (this is what I plan to do with the run/walk intervals on Sunday’s), then you eventually won’t have to include the walking at all. 😊

“Cross-Training” is any type of exercise other than running (or whatever you choose to do on M,W, F). I plan to try and switch up the cross training each week. I would like to add in fun exercises those days like, swimming, cycling, circuits, skating or maybe going to play some softball or soccer outside. I also want to really listen to my body throughout this challenge, so if I need to do something a little slower paced like yoga or a brisk walk with stretching, then I will and you could too. 😉

Don’t skip the REST day!!! I put the word “REST” in all caps for a reason because it’s important. I’m sure there will be some Saturday’s throughout this challenge that we’re going to feel energized and motivated, wanting to exercise, but I’m not going to let myself. At least once a week there needs to be a day of relaxation, letting your body rest, and that might as well be on Saturday.

Another very important part of this challenge is to eat clean & healthy food! I plan to work on creating very healthy eating habits over the next 8 weeks while also allowing myself to indulge in my cravings every now and then. I will be posting lots of yummy recipes on here for you guys to try and enjoy. Drink LOTS & LOTS of water!! Drinking water is so important you guys and I couldn’t advise you to drink it more. This will be just as important (if not more) as the healthy eating and exercising. I’m going to be sharing all of my exercises & healthy eats each day throughout this challenge on my Instagram story & page. I will also be using the hashtag #SummerFitChal on any picture I post about the challenge and I ask that all of you joining in on the challenge do the same so that we can all motivate each other and cheer each other on. @paigey04 is my Instagram username.

I can’t wait to begin and see all of the progress we can make in achieving healthy lifestyles for ourselves. Please feel free to ask me any questions you might have and feel free to jump in on this challenge at any time this Summer.

XOXO, Paige.

DISCLAIMER

Please remember to consult with a medical professional before you participate in any type of exercise routines if you have concerns or questions. I am not a nutritionist or certified personal trainer, I’m just a girl who has dedicated her life to nutrition/fitness and I love to share any ideas I have or things that I am currently working on with you.