Short-term challenges vs. long-term goals

Care to grab a drink (coffee, water, Gatorade...#your choice), and have a quick discussion?

Let's chat about short-term challenges vs. long-term goals, shall we? What's your preference?



Myself? I'm a short-term challenge gal...and here's why:


First off, I do better with a short-term commitment. This is true with most of the "stuff" in my day-to-day life, but especially true with anything fitness-related. I had this epiphany many years ago when I did P90X for the first time. P90X is a 90-day program (affiliated with the Beachbody company**) that focuses on strength-training, but also mixes in various cross-training routines. The 90 day commitment seemed a bit overwhelming, but the program was broken down into 30-day increments. It was totally manageable for me, and I had awesome results (**Disclaimer** I am not in any way affiliated with Beachbody, nor do I have any interest in becoming a coach with the company).

Second, doing monthly challenges allows for some aggressive short-term goals. For example, in November of 2015, I took on the challenge of doing 200 total planking minutes (details HERE). To meet that goal (and surpass it!), I had to do an average of seven minutes of planking every day over the course of those 30 days of November. In other words, I planked in the morning, I planked throughout the day and I planked before bed. I not only surpassed my goal of 200 minutes, I whittled away some of the softness on my hips and thoroughly strengthened my core. I may have even gained a little more of a thigh gap .

 Thirdly, monthly challenges will give you some variety, and a chance to work different muscle groups. Did you know it does a body good to work all its muscles, not just your "favorite" ones? A lot of runners have strong legs, but very little upper-body strength. Or they may have thin legs (from all that running), but when it comes to strength, they may be lacking in muscle tone. Other challenges I have done involved push-ups, squats, and daily cardio.

Fourth, these challenges are great opportunities to test-drive something new or different. A lot of times, short-term things turn into permanent routines. For example, I have been doing daily forearm planks forever (seriously, I don't remember when I started doing them, but it's been a few years...at least), but when I started doing the (forearm) side planks, I could really see and feel a difference in a very short while. Now, I do side planks almost every evening before bed....and I can practically feel the fat melting away off my hips and inner thighs (not an exaggeration).

And, finally, the "finish line" is always in sight. There have been some challenges that have been tougher than others (like when I did 100 daily push-ups for an entire month). Obviously, I never did all 100 of those push-ups all in one setting, but it got to be a chore remembering to do them throughout the day. Another time, I tried tracking all of my planking minutes, cardio, and push-ups for an entire month...and grew to detest the daily "checking in" aspect of it. But, alas, the month drew to a close, I had finished the tasks, and I (gladly) moved on (to the next month's challenges awaiting me).

So, here's my February challenges:

February is going to be my base-building, prepping-the-parts month. I have a marathon happening in Mid-June (Grandma's Marathon, Duluth, MN), a few half marathons prior to that (in May and June), and a 10-miler in March (Chicago, IL). There are also a few shorter distance events in the mix as well. All of these races require distance training, so I'll be easing into longer runs and increased mileage in a few more weeks.

One of my challenges for January was 30 daily minutes of cardio. Some of that involved running (inside on the treadmill and outside on the streets), lots of walking (mainly inside, due to the cold & windy temps and/or icy conditions), and also some stair-climbing. I plan to continue the daily cardio, but am aiming for 20 minutes instead (though on my running days, it will certainly be longer). I'm bringing back the daily push-ups (from previous challenges), but keeping the numbers moderate. I'll also be doing leg work and abs on alternate days. I don't have planking listed, but that is such a part of my routine, I didn't feel it needed highlighting (I'm shooting for 5 daily minutes).

On a side note...I'm considering doing one treadmill "run" each week. Not because Dear Old 'Milly has won me over (quite the contrary, actually), but for the mental toughness aspect. I did a lot of hill training for my last marathon, and I believe that benefited my mental game as much (if not more than) my physical strength. Route 66 threw me a curve (hip/groin issues) on race day and I needed both the physical AND mental stamina to get me to the finish line. Your thoughts?

So, there you have it. My strategy for doing monthly challenges, and a peek into what's happening in February.

Have you ever done a short-term challenge? Were you able to stick it out to the end? Did any of the challenges become favorites to your ongoing (or current) routine?

I'm linking up with:
Lacey and Meranda and Rachel for the Friday Five 2.0
Deborah and Coco for the Ultimate Coffee Date