10 Reasons To Join A Challenge Group

Before I get in to WHY you should join a challenge group, I suppose I should clarify what a challenge group is.  While I can't speak for others, my challenge groups are made up of people (mostly women) who want to make their health a priority.  We are an online community who support each other, encourages each other, and empathizes with each other.  We share our struggles and victories, and in the GREAT groups, our vulnerabilities.  

As your "coach", I help you set realistic goals and come up with a strategy to get you there.  I connect you to the best fitness program and nutrition plan for you, your lifestyle and your goals.  I show you how to fit your workouts and meal planning in to you already full schedule.  I provide recipes, meal plans, and resources to give you the best chance of success.  I give you sweet love and tough love as necessary.  

So that's that : )

If that description doesn't make you want to jump in, I have also constructed this list of ten reasons you should join a challenge group in order of most obvious to least obvious.  

10. To look good

This is probably the most common reason people decide to focus on their health and fitness.  And hey, no judgment here.  I enjoy seeing those abs pop through as much as the next person.  Joining a group to look good is an excellent reason!

9. To access effective workouts and nutrition plans.

When you join a group, you immediately have access to some incredibly effective, specific tools and resources.  We all know WHAT to do: eat healthy and stay active.  But what does that actually look like?  What does that mean?  It's sometimes just nice to have someone TELLING you what to do, to coach you through it.  

8. To be held accountable

Sure, you can go to the gym, pop in your fitness DVD, but what about on the days you don't feel like it?  What do you do then?  Being a part of an online fitness community is surprisingly effective in keeping you disciplined and on track with your goals. 

7. To reach a goal

You're in your sister's wedding in two months, your beach vacation is coming up at the end of this month, you want to do a tough mudder...you have GOALS and you want to reach them.  A group like this is the perfect way to help you stay focused on your goal, and give you the tools to get there. 

6. To be a part of community

Working out from home gets boring, and even worse, nobody even knows you're doing it.  But when you are a part of a group filled with women like YOU who have similar goals and dreams and hate burpees with an equal passion...now that's fun.  Challenge groups make working out from home feel less lonely and a lot more exciting.  

5. To feel good

Physical results aside, getting serious about your health and fitness will help you feel good. There is a sense of accomplishment, a burst of energy, and an overall happiness that is associated with daily fitness and healthy foods.  

4. To change up your routine

So you're already disciplined.  You go to pure barre, crossfire, yoga, the gym six day/week without fail.  If your typical workout routine is getting mundane, this is a great way to try something new and still guarantee a great workout.

3. To set a goal

Wait a minute...we already talked about goals.  Yes we did.  But when I started my first challenge group 2 1/2 years ago, I don't think I had SET a goal in a very long time, let alone reached one.  Join a challenge group to set a goal.  Get yourself moving again, make some plans, and get after it! 

2. To invest in yourself

Too often, we have a too many priorities and too many to-dos to even think about spending some time on ourselves.  Invest in you.  You deserve it.  And your body, your family, your friends, your co-workers will thank you for it.  Trust me.  

1. To be inspired

I joined my first challenge group to get back in shape.  I had no other aspirations beyond losing the baby weight from twins and getting back to a body I was more comfortable with.  That group changed my life.  Taking back control of my physical health, inspired me to be better mentally, emotionally, and spiritually, as well.  Before joining, I had been stagnant, boring, and unmotivated, but then I learned how to dream again.  I learned that I was worth investing in.  I remembered that I had passions inside of me I needed to act on and I had a purpose to live out.  I am a more beautiful person INSIDE since joining my first group.  

My hope and prayer for each group I run is that they will run deep; that my challengers will find a part of themselves that had been lost; that they will discover a fire inside them that had been burnt out.  I want them to move forward with confidence and purpose and hope and passion.  

I feel timid to even type this.  I hear a mean little voice saying, "Who do you think you are?"  But the truth is, I believe my challenge groups can change a life.  Will it be yours?