Are you looking for an enjoyable fitness challenge but aren’t sure where to start? These fun fitness challenge ideas might be just what we all need to get moving again (or moving more often!)
Fun Fitness Challenge Ideas for Everybody
Each of these routines are designed to help beginners get back into shape or find their fitness motivation for the very first time!
Have you ever started out on a strong, healthy lifestyle change, only to fall back into old, familiar unhealthy patterns once distractions and life’s demands kicked in? You know how it is – we often become ‘comfortable’ in our complacency.
🙋🏽♀️ Oh, that’s just me?
Sometimes we just need a swift kick in the rear end to get back on track (only kidding, or am I….?!) In all seriousness, these fun fitness challenge ideas may be that little spark of creativity and motivation needed to get back on the right track (no pun intended!) with our wellness goals.
If you are feeling brave, you can always try two of the challenges simultaneously, but be careful not to overdo it. Maybe even get a friend involved in a little friendly competition to up the fun factor a few notches?
Warning: You’re going to feel very proud of yourself when you achieve the goals you set out to do! 😉 As you should, my friend!
1. Couch to 5K Challenge
If you are interested in running but are worried that you are not fit enough to run, this is perfect for you! The couch to 5k is a fitness challenge for beginners who have not done much running recently but want to get into shape. The program is designed so that you can fit it around a busy schedule, and take it at your own pace. There is no rush to run 5k; it is simply a goal to keep in mind should you ever choose to challenge yourself in this way!
2. The Jump Rope Challenge
When was the last time you used a skipping rope for fun or exercise? It feels like a long time ago, right? Jump rope is not only extremely good for fitness, but it also burns plenty of calories and is fun to do. As a beginner, the challenge is to start at a minute (or however long you can go for) and work your way up to at least 5 minutes or more. You may think this is easy, but after a minute, you may think not. Skipping is also extremely good for health conditions and is one of many exercises for constipation.
3. The 30 Day Plank Challenge
This is one for your core, as well as working many other muscles in your body. Start with a 60-second plank on day one and work your way up to being able to do a 3-minute plank after 30 days. If you aren’t able to do the 60-second straight away, start at whatever’s best for you and work your way up.
If you are suffering from chronic back pain, poor posture, and frequent muscle pains – strengthening your core could help!
Remember: The focus is on your health – nothing and no one else! There’s no shame in any of these challenges. Everyone starts somewhere! These challenges are for you, so don’t put any pressure on yourself to rush it or beat other people’s times.
4. Step Count Challenge
You can google multiple-step count challenges or make up your own, whatever you would prefer. A step count challenge is designed to get you out of the house, moving around, and exploring. However you achieve your step count; it doesn’t matter as the aim of the game is to get you moving more than you normally do. Going on long walks to achieve your step count challenge is a great way to reach the target and help with your mental well-being.
Never underestimate the power of simply walking! You can burn calories, tone your muscles, strengthen your bones, reduce your risk of common diseases, improve your immunity, and so much more! It’s free to do, fun to do, and achieves more than we realize.
5. The 30 Day Yoga Challenge
Think yoga doesn’t give your body a real workout? Think again! Yoga has the benefit of being both calming and challenging at the same time.
Reduced stress, mental health help, inflammation reduction, chronic pain relief, better flexibility and balance are just a few of the benefits you can expect from yoga!
Take a look at this 30-day yoga challenge for beginners if you’re interested to learn more.
Fitness Can and Should Be Fun
Gone are the days where exercise was something we had to do and hated. Boring, monotonous, and uninspired moves only cause us to look at our fitness goals with dread, rather than determination.
Keeping our focus on feeling better instead of looking better helps keep our mindsets where they belong too – on getting healthy and staying healthy!
Turning it over to you, my friend. Tell me….
Are you going to be taking on one of these challenges? What fitness challenges have you done in the past that would be great for beginners? Let me know in the comment box below; I would love to hear from you.
Let’s inspire each other to move more and have more joy, each and every day. If you agree, will you share this post on social media? Your support is greatly appreciated!
Think fitness has to be boring or that you can’t achieve your fitness goals? Think again! Check out one of these 5 fun fitness challenge ideas! #health #healthyliving #fitness #wellness #fitnessmotivation
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Until next time, I send you my love and sincere gratitude…
Great fitness ideas Holly. I love the plank one. It’s so important for all of us to keep moving with so much stress going around.
Planks are challenging! 😀 I agree with you though, Michele! With all of the stress we face, we can’t afford not to keep our bodies moving! I appreciate you so much. Thank you for your kind, thoughtful comments. You’re amazing! ♥️
I agree – fitness should be fun! It is very much like play, no? When I was new to yoga, the 30-day challenges help me create a habit of it and just normalize being on the mat. It is super nice, especially when you finish, it feels like you have achieved something good.
I love what you said: “it is very much like play.” Wow, what a great way to look at it! It really should be. Our bodies are amazing and all that they are capable of. We aren’t fascinated nearly enough by their possibilities. What do you think?
I also love what you said about the 30-day yoga challenge. I agree with you – it is a great way to start that new habit, to get into the routine of doing it, which quickly becomes your new normal. You’re absolutely right, it does feel amazing when we finish. Doesn’t it feel like a completely new perspective on life?
Sending my love to you. Thanks for another great comment! You are appreciated!
P.S. I hope to be visiting your blog soon. I’ve been playing catch up from having to be away during the last month or two with everything that was going on in our lives. I look forward to reading your latest posts! ♥
Thank you. Yes, mostly it is our mind that limits us, not our bodies. And I cannot recommend a 30-day yoga challenge enough. It has so many upsides and getting fit is the least of it. No worries about catching up on the posts. You will get there naturally. I hope you get more breathing space and have a nice day.
Thanks for sharing these challenges. 😊
We should focus on feeling better rather than just looking better. 📝
AMEN! We absolutely should put our focus where it belongs – on being the healthiest version of ourselves – in every sense. God doesn’t care what we look like on the outside. He’s concerned with our whole beings. When we feel good, we are capable of serving Him in all the ways He has prepared for us to do. Sending you my love, sweet sis. You are so deeply appreciated. I hope to be visiting your blog soon to catch up on all that I’ve missed. 🤗
I’m going to look into the step challenge and get back to using my Fitbit. It’s too hot all summer long and i forgot to put it back. I have been so unhealthy lately with my choices so hopefully that will help me get back on track. Thanks for this Holly!!
Hey, Shell! I’m so glad to hear from you! FitBits are an amazing tool, aren’t they? When I was really struggling with being too sedentary due to an office job, I got one and it really does help make us a little more aware of how much or how little we are moving around. Walking and steps challenges are perfect because they’re low impact which means joint-friendly and they offer tons of mental health benefits too. It’s kind of that ‘time out from life’ we need, you know?
You know I believe in you. The beauty of change is that it’s never too late. 🙂 One positive change usually always leads to another. Unfortunately, as we both know, it’s easy to get into a negative pattern of change too. Here lately, I’ve had to rely heavily on the help of Holy Spirit to get me motivated to do the right things in the midst of the storm. Just today I had to ask Him to help me get my butt moving for a workout on the treadmill. I don’t usually look forward to it. 🤣 It is always worth it after though because you just feel better in every way. The energy boost is always a welcomed change! Not to mention the natural stress reduction. I trust that when you’re ready and ask Him for supernatural assistance to help you get back on the track you want to be on, He will. Hopefully you can find the perfect steps challenge for you. Whatever it is, make it so much fun that you can’t resist!
I’m always here for you if you need friendly encouragement. We can encourage one another! Sending my love across the miles in hopes that you are well, safe, happy, and richly blessed. I appreciate you! 🙏🏼
Thank you for this heartfelt message Holly! Sending love back your way. So thankful for you!
I am incredibly thankful for you too, Shell! 🦋
I finally got my FitBit charged and back on daily! What a difference when it beeps at you each hour to let you know you’re not moving enough!!
Yes! I completely agree. We often don’t realize how little we are moving throughout the day. I was a little embarrassed when I first got my FitBit how many total steps I was taking. Oops! 🙂 Oh well, we do the best we can at any given moment. The more aware we become (like those beeps enable us to be), we can choose better.
Wow great ideas Holly. Especially now that the cold weather sets in we need to step up on some of these . I would love the 3 minute plank but am sure that will be a tough one hope to accomplish that . I am also book marking the 30 day yoga challenge .We have been doing some beginners stuff at home and this is a great link . Thank you so much for thinking of your readers , sharing this and helping us feel better in these stressful times . Take care !
The plank challenge does sound interesting, doesn’t it? Maybe we could all agree to work our way up to accomplishing the full time? It would be fun to see how strong we could get!
I love that you’ve been doing some beginner yoga at home. Have you found it helpful for stress and aches or pains? The times I have committed to doing some beginner moves for back pain, I found it very relaxing and helpful. Our bodies are incredibly designed. Sometimes it’s just the simple things we forget to do. Healing naturally, doing what our body was designed to do, is the best! Don’t you think?
You are amazing, Nisha. Your comments always bring a smile to my face and encourage my heart. Thank you for spreading your kindness. Here comes some more love your way! 🦋
Thank you Holly ! Have a fantastic weekend!
Hi Holly,
Those are great tips and I will try to incorporate more variety of those exercises into my day. I won’t be running for sure since I haven’t run in years. But the plank, jump rope, steps and yoga are great ideas for me. I hope you are well and having a good day.
Hi, Svet! How are you doing, my friend?
I hear you about the running. A lot of people really enjoy it but it is a very high impact exercise and can be terribly hard on the joints. I find that the treadmill isn’t as bad but it’s still hard on the body. In fact, I had a physical therapist that explained why we shouldn’t run and showed me the damage it was doing to my knees. Yikes! Brisk walking has been proven to have the same benefits with none of the negatives. Plus, a great walk is relaxing, isn’t it?
Hearing your thoughts always makes my day brighter, Svet. Thank you for your thoughtful comments! I am sending you my love in hopes that you and your family are well? It was a bad October and start to November here, but prayerfully, things are returning to a much calmer state! 🤗
Thank you, Holly, I am doing okay. I am sorry to hear about the bad October and start of November. Hopefully things will improve and be more peaceful and better. I love walking, it is relaxing especially if it is done in nature. All the best to you and your family.
I wholeheartedly agree with you about walking. And I am grateful for your love and friendship, Svet. Thank you for such kind words! 🤗 Sending my love and best to you and your family as well.
Thanks! Some good ideas here…the 30-day plank challenge sounds like just that…a challenge! But worth giving it a shot!
Hi, Mary! It’s wonderful to hear from you. Doesn’t that sound like a fun challenge? Our cores are so critical to our overall strength. I agree with you – it’s definitely worth giving it a shot. Even if we can only manage a few seconds at first – that’s a great start. We have to start somewhere, right? Sending you my love. Thank you for sharing your thoughts!
I’m going to challenge myself to do the step count one you described! Thanks for motivating me as I type here while sitting at my desk 😉
We all need that gentle reminder to move more, don’t we? I love the walks you have in the countryside there. It’s beautiful! ♥ Thank you for your thoughtful comment, my friend.
I have heard that planking can burn fats like nothing else!
Oh yeah! It’s challenging but the strength gained by planking is second to none! Thanks Richard for stopping in & sharing your thoughts!
Found this really interesting, thanks for sharing!
Hi there, Michael! Thank you for sharing your thoughts with me. I’m glad you found the challenges interesting. 🙂 Have an awesome day!
I completed C25K during our first lockdown. What a sense of achievement that by the end of week 9 I was running for 30 minutes, me, actually running. Since then I’ve been doing online workouts from YouTube every day. Just bite size workouts. I’m fitter, more flexible and a little more toned. I’m loving these mini workouts. The day isn’t right if I haven’t started off with Lucy Wyndham Read. I highly recommend her You Tube workouts.
Great blog post lovely Holly, you’re so right, we need to keep our bodies moving xx
Dearest Dawn, you are awesome! Congratulations for completing C25K during lockdown. Isn’t it an awesome feeling when you realize that you CAN accomplish something you never ever thought you could? It’s a wonderful boost to our self-esteem and helps us see that we hold ourselves back in so many different ways. Sometimes without realizing how much!
I am so grateful to hear that you are still enjoying some YouTube workouts. I think it’s supposed to be fun. If we don’t enjoy it – what the heck are we doing? It should never be a feeling of ‘I have to’ or else it simply won’t last. The rewards of feeling better in our minds and bodies gives us the fuel we need to keep going.
Thank you for the recommendations of Lucy’s workouts. I hope others will read your comment and go find out if her routines work for them as well. 🙂
Sweet Dawn, thank you as always for your thoughtful comments. I love hearing from you and I send my love your way! 😘
Lovely Holly, thank you for your beautiful comments. I’m still doing the workouts with Lucy. You are so right about the sense of achievement and also the benefits to ourselves, physically and mentally.
Sending you lots of love and sparkles, keep well Holly, God bless xxx
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This is a great post! Thanks so much for sharing!
Hi there! Thank you so much for sharing your thoughts! I am grateful you enjoyed! ♥
Holly, This is a great post! Thanks for sharing.
Aw! Thank you Janet ♥ I am grateful you enjoyed, my friend. Sending tons of love your way!
Great tips here! You are so right…exercise should be fun, and it should make you feel better! 🙂
[…] Related Reading: 5 Fun Fitness Challenge Ideas for Beginners […]