Are you looking to create a new healthy habit or fitness routine? Have you fallen off your regular fitness schedule and looking for some encouragement or motivation to get back into it? A fitness challenge may be just the thing you’re looking for! We’ve got a 21-Day Challenge starting at Oxygen Yoga and Fitness on December 1st and we know that this is the best way to end 2019 and set up some great habits for 2020!

The Motivation

Committing to something, and making it official, can be intimidating, but it can also be incredibly motivating! Signing up for a fitness challenge and making it official–seeing your name on a challenge calendar or posting it on your social media–makes you more likely to be successful because you’re being held accountable. 

The Science

Research states that it takes at least 18 days to make a new behavior automatic. This means that after 18 or so days of pushing yourself to do something, like attending a class, it becomes as much a part of your regular routine as brushing your teeth or eating your lunch. 

How to Be Successful

  • Find a mantra or motto that will encourage you and post it everywhere! On your mirror in your bathroom, on a sticky note on the fridge, as the wallpaper on your smart phone–just make it visible!
  • Schedule your classes in advance! We can’t stress this enough. Most studios allow you to register 7 days in advance, so on this Monday, for example, you can sign up for next Monday’s classes. If you get into a habit of signing up for classes in advance, then you can choose the classes you really want to attend and you won’t have to deal with waitlists!
  • Make sure you’re prepared. Have your mat and gym bag ready to go with a towel and water bottle. If you know you’re going to the studio right after work, make sure you have your sweaty gear in your bag and in your car before you leave in the morning!
  • Eat well! If you’re always on the go, you might find yourself hungry before class and you might use that as a reason to skip out. Make sure you have protein bars or quick snacks in your gym bag so that you have no hunger-related excuses! 
  • Find yourself a workout buddy! Grab a friend and register for your challenge together so that even if you can’t attend class together every time, you can encourage each other to keep going!
  • Post your progress! Take photos of yourself, or your workout friends, at the studio and post them online. Your daily posts will be a way to keep yourself accountable and a source of motivation for those on your friends list!

Sign up for The Holiday 21-Day Challenge at your local studio now!  Everyone who completes 21 days in December is automatically entered to win a One Year Oxygen Yoga & Fitness Membership. Don’t forget to tag us @oxygenyogaandfitness in all of your #21daychallenge photos! Good luck!