There’s something about December and January that prompt an upswing in silly challenges doing the rounds. Already this month I’ve seen a 500 kettlebell swing challenge, a running every day from Thanks Giving to Christmas challenge, and a 5 minute plank challenge.

And they all make me do a big sigh. I don’t want any part of them.

I know people who run every day and have done so for many years without problems. But they’re already regular runners, and they’re not the people these challenges are often aimed at.

I work with beginner runners a lot. Beginner runners come in all different shapes and sizes from someone who hasn’t done any exercise since school PE lessons, to those who train in other sports regularly but who are new to running.

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One thing that everyone who turns up at week one of my beginners’ groups has in common is that they’re motivated to start something new, and although they’re nervous, they’ve got bags of enthusiasm. Sometimes part of my role as their coach is to reign in that enthusiasm to stop them doing too much too soon, and to make sure that motivation lasts for the next nine weeks.

So I understand that the challenge to RUN EVER DAY from January 1st is motivating and a catchy idea that can capture people’s imagination and feed off their motivation to start running. But it’s a bad idea for the new runner or returnee runner.

I’m not just talking about injury, which is a concern. My body would struggle with running every day with no rest. Those going from zero running to running every day are undoubtedly going to pick up niggles or worse. I’m talking about motivation.

When you challenge yourself to do something EVERY DAY, your motivation will stay high at first. You’ll tick off your days and probably feel good about yourself. But then there my come a day when you don’t fit in your challenge, or when your body is asking you for a rest and you decide (wisely) to give it one. The problem then is how do you continue? And I’m guessing many people don’t. The chain is broken and the motivation disappears. Which is a shame.

A lot of the challenges look enticing. The break-down of how you’ll build up to 500 press-ups or kettlebell swings or that 5 minute plank, when laid out on an attractive Pinterest image or against a fancy background on Instagram looks straightforward enough. But are good graphic design skills the only qualification whoever designed this challenge has? Are they a personal trainer or strength and conditioning coach, or are they just somebody looking for lots of Likes and shares whose only evidence is ‘I totally did this and it worked for me’. Ask these questions.

If you’re looking for a challenge to take part this year or in January, here’s some alternatives:

  • sign up for a race, get a training plan and work towards it
  • aim to run consistently for a month – three or four times a week, when it works for you
  • run your local parkrun each Saturday for a month
  • choose a realistic, but challenging mileage target for the month
  • challenge yourself to explore different routes, and not run the same route twice during the month
  • aim to do 20 mins strength training twice a week
  • do yoga twice a week
  • try a different fitness class each week.

These are just a few ideas. But whatever you choose to do it should be something that you’re motivated by, will enjoy and that is challenging but achievable FOR YOU. There’s no one-size-fits-all challenge. Let me know what you’re doing and how you get on.