Join a 30-day Exercise Challenge The beginning of the year is the perfect time to do a challenge. And because of the excesses of the holidays exercise is important to focus on. I haven’t done any exercise challenges since the end of my freshman year at University. I had gained 30 pounds at the end of the year and felt awful. I ended up doing a lifestyle change, but that began with a self-challenge to exercise every day. I chose a set of simple exercises to start with and combined that with eating in moderation. I didn’t count calories, and I allowed myself a little sugar. But I made sure I didn’t eat seconds, and I didn’t snack. All those years have passed, and I have done pretty well with maintaining my weight. Being 10 pounds lighter would be nice. But what I would really like is to lose some inches off my waist and get my stomach and arms toned up. If I continue with my daily activities as they are because of age and gravity, I’m just going to get flabbier. I’ve got to do something different. I’m determined to make a new start now at the beginning of the year and reboot my exercise program. I want to do a 30-day exercise challenge. I’ll do a minimum of 30 minutes of walking, a set of 100’s from Pilates and 12 repetitions of Low-to-High Planks. I’ll use my fitness tracker sheet to keep track of things. I want to see if I’ll lose any inches and if it will affect my weight at all. At the end of 30 days, I’ll adjust my program accordingly. The way I’ll deal with diet is to reduce carbohydrate intake and sugar intake as well, but diet won’t be my big concentration now. I’ll record what I eat as well on my fitness tracker. At the end of 30 days, I’ll be able to take note and make changes to my diet based on what happened during the 30 days. A general 30-day exercise challenge is a perfect way to start the new year. You can customize what you do for the exercise challenge, you don’t have to do the same as me, in fact, you need to do what helps you.  I have a friend who is a long-distance runner, and a challenge for her might be to do 30 days of upper body exercises. Or I have another friend who has knee problems, and for her, a good challenge might be to do 30 days of special knee strengthening exercises. The point is to do a challenge that is just right for you today. Why don’t you join the 30-day exercise challenge? Click on the button for the fitness tracker to help you keep track of your progress. Do challenges work for you? Tell me what you think by commenting below.