Workout #12: Take the Challenge!

I love a challenge, in school, in writing, but especially in my workouts. It's the feeling I get after it that I adore so much, the feeling that you just gave it all you've got and succeeded. You can fail when you've been given a challenge in work or school, but the only way to fail when you're challenging yourself working out is to give up before you finish. Workout challenges make you want to push yourself until you reach the cool down.

There are tons of challenges you can take in your workout!

Challenges with Easy Access: Try a workout challenge from ExerciseTV! There's usually a variety to choose from. This month, there is the 10 Pound Slimdown Extreme. In a category under this title there is a list of workouts to try from the Yoga workout to the high intensity kickboxing workout. I've only done the kickboxing workout and I have to tell you that, like all good challenges are, it works your body hard! I had a cramp in the first ten minutes of the forty minute long workout. Although it did hurt, the second I reached the cool down, I felt empowered and strong!

At Home Challenges: There are other challenges to take when you don't have Exercise TV, though they may require a bit of cash and equipment. Beach Body and P90X challenges your body in insane ways, always promising results. There's a variety of others, requiring no cash or equipment. They can be found on various workout blogs and websites, like Sparkpeople.

Group Challenges: This is my favorite kind! There are so many to choose from! Gather your friends to your local gym and look for a challenge there! Or do something good for your fellow man as well and get your friends together for a walk, like the Susan J. Comen walk. Its time for you and your friends, a super long workout, and something good for the world. You could also try a challenge to help build your endurance by trying to run a little each day. Start off running for one minute and walking for nineteen, then 2 and 18, and 3 and 17, and so on until you can run the whole twenty. I suppose you could do this alone but everything is easier and more fun in a group.

Can't find a challenge you like? Why not create your own? Gather your friends together and try to come up with something, like taking a new, high intensity class every other day for a month.