My fitness motivation always takes a serious hit in the winter. The cold, dark days always seem to leave me with extra excuses to stay inside and laze around. However, winter is often when I need a fitness routine the most.
I have discovered that finding a challenge or schedule is the key to staying motivated in the winter. Having something that will keep me accountable, make working out more interesting, and continue to challenge me to improve is what keeps me going when I start to lose my natural desire to sweat it out.
Like this 30 Day Winter Fitness Challenge.
Sometimes staying active requires a little extra work than others. I always find that maintaining fitness throughout the winter is significantly more challenging than it is during the summer. Workouts start to feel a bit more mundane and running the same routes begins to feel redundant.
Finding a winter fitness challenge is a great way to mix things up and hold yourself accountable during these dark, dreary months.
Related: How to Create the Ultimate Winter Running Plan
This 30 Day Winter Fitness Challenge is a great place to start if you’re looking for a little extra fitness motivation this season. Each day challenges you to complete a new set of exercises, gradually increasing in difficulty as the days progress.
While each daily challenge may not be a complete workout in and of itself, completing these daily exercises will help you find a reason to get moving each day. Once I get started, I’ve often found that I am much more likely to continue with a workout – but finding the motivation to get started in the first place is often the hardest part.
Related: How to Bounce Back After Falling Off the Fitness Wagon
This winter fitness challenge will help you find purpose each day. Whether you continue to work out after completing the challenge, or simply complete each daily exercise to maintain forward momentum, you’ll be complete the challenge with more fitness than you started.
See if you can complete this entire Winter Fitness Challenge this season! Try it out to stay active between Thanksgiving and Christmas, to jump start the new year, or at any point during the dead of winter when you’re really needing an extra push.
30 Day Winter Fitness Challenge
- Day 1: 25 squats
- Day 2: 10 burpees
- Day 3: 30 second plank
- Day 4: 10 pushups
- Day 5: 1 mile walk
- Day 6: 25 walking lunges
- Day 7: 30 second bridge
- Day 8: 20 donkey kicks
- Day 9: 50 high knees
- Day 10: 2 mile walk
- Day 11: 15 burpees
- Day 12: 15 pushups
- Day 13: 150 jumping jacks
- Day 14: 45 second plank
- Day 15: 50 jump squats
- Day 16: 30 jump lunges
- Day 17: 45 second bridge
- Day 18: 30 donkey kicks
- Day 19: 20 pushups
- Day 20: 3 mile walk
- Day 21: 60 second plank
- Day 22: 20 single leg bridges
- Day 23: 150 skiers
- Day 24: 40 walking lunges
- Day 25: 50 squats
- Day 26: 20 burpees
- Day 27: 60 second bridge
- Day 28: 100 high knees
- Day 29: 25 pushups
- Day 30: 75 second plank
30 Day Winter Fitness Challenge – Exercise Descriptions
Squats
This exercise is a great way to quickly strengthen your glutes, hamstrings and quads. Begin in a standing position, with your two feet spread about hip width distance apart. Send your hips back and bend at the knees to lower your butt towards the floor.
Aim to lower yourself until your quads are parallel to the floor. Focus on maintaining a straight back throughout the exercise, and not letting your knees angle in or out. Straighten your legs to return to a standing position and repeat.
Burpees
Burpees are one of the most effective bodyweight exercises. They quickly increase your heart rate while strengthening your entire body. Begin in a standing position and jump once, reaching your arms above your head while you do so.
Next, bend down to plant your hands on the floor, about shoulder width distance apart. Keeping your arms straight, jump once to kick both feet out behind you, landing in a straight arm plank position. Bend at the elbows to complete a single pushup.
Jump both feet back in towards your hands, and then jump back to a standing position. Repeat the exercise.
Plank
This is a great exercise to strengthen your core, back, shoulders and quads. Begin by lying face down on the floor, and then rise up to your elbows. Check that your elbows are about shoulder width distance apart, and rise up on to your toes, creating a plank with your body.
Focus on keeping your back straight without raising your shoulders, and keep your hips level without letting them sag. Hold this position for the designated amount of time and then lower back to the floor.
Pushups
Pushups are a great way to strengthen your triceps, biceps and shoulder without needing any extra weights. Begin by lying face down on the floor, and then place your hands underneath each shoulder with the palm on the floor. Straighten your arms so you are balancing on your toes and palms, with your body at about a 45 degree angle.
Bend your arms at the elbows and slowly lower your body down towards the floor. Focus on keeping your body straight as if a plank of wood, without letting hips sag or back arch. Use your upper arm muscles to control the movement as you lower, and then slowly rise back up as you straighten your arms.
Walking Lunges (Standard and Jump)
This exercise is a really great way to strengthen muscles throughout the leg, plus your glutes and hips. Begin in a standing position, and then step one foot about two feet out in front of the other. Center your body weight between the two feet and then bend at the knees to lower your center of gravity towards the floor.
Lower your back knee down towards the floor and aim to continue until your front quad is about parallel with the floor. Straighten your legs to return back to standing, and step your back foot in front of your front foot now, moving forward. Repeat.
Bridge (Double and Single Leg)
Bridges are a great way to strengthen the muscles in the body that are often neglected – the back, hip, glutes and hamstrings. Begin by lying flat on your back, and then place the bottoms of your feet flat on the floor, bending your knees.
From this position, raise your hips above the floor until your body forms a straight plank from your knees to your shoulders. For a single leg plank, extend one foot straight out in front of you, balancing on the other floor. Focus on keeping your hips in line with your body. Lower to the floor and repeat.
Donkey Kicks
This exercise is a great way to target the glutes, hips and hamstrings for more focused strengthening. Begin by placing your hands and knees on the floor in a kneeling position. Check that your knees are about hip width distance apart, and your hands shoulder width distance apart.
Raise one leg in the air, keeping your knee bend, as if placing a footprint on the sky. Lower back to the floor and repeat with the opposite leg.
High Knees
This is a great exercise to really increase your heart rate and burn calories with your own bodyweight. Begin in a standing position, and raise one knee up to your chest at a time, alternating legs. This exercise is similar to running in place, with the only difference that you bring your knees up as high as possible with each movement.
Skiers
This exercise is similar to jumping jacks in the fact that you move your hands and feet at the same time, but rather than moving out to the sides, you’ll move out in front of you. Begin standing with one foot out in front of you and the opposite hand straight out in front of you.
In a single jump, switch feet so the opposite foot is now out in front, while switching hands to do the same. Repeat.
Completing this Winter Fitness Challenge is a great way to get motivated to workout this season, or just consistently find an excuse to get off the couch. Whether you use this 30 day challenge to simply maintain fitness, or as a way to create a routine, you’ll be stronger and fitter after 30 days.
Avoid the winter blues by staying active this season! Start the year off right by burning some calories, strengthening your body, and challenging yourself to stay consistent even when motivation is low.
How to Stay Fit During the Holidays: 7 Healthy Tips for the Season
Friday 25th of October 2019
[…] 30 Winter Fitness Challenge to Keep You Motivated […]