Fun with Fitness Challenges

    I had been a Samsung Galaxy girl for as long as I'd owned cellphones and tablets. And I was hooked on their super cute fitness challenges that showcased animated worlds and races that were really fun and engaging. Then this year my kid converted me to IOS and I was sad to no longer be able to participate in the Samsung challenges. But then last summer we indulged ourselves with Apple watches. Oh yeah, I'm a complete convert!

    I am now addicted to closing all three rings every day and have to have perfect stand tallies-no missing blue dots on my line! But even better are the myriad badges you get to earn every week, every month, and then they throw in random challenges every now and then just to keep things interesting. Not missing my cute little Galaxy challenges quite as much anymore. And every new month's challenge is different than the previous, so you really can't get bored. Just look at these fun badges!

    And, as a runner, my long standing favorite running app is the NRC app with Coach Bennett and crew leading you through all different types of runs: speed, strength, hill, endurance, and easy recovery runs from one minute to ninety-nine minutes in duration. There are runs for the treadmill, runs with fitness training lumped in as well, and of course race training plans from beginner Couch to 5k to marathon plans. NRC's app has badge awards as well but they've added a fun new challenge for the new year--it's called The Stack. The Stack Challenge is comprised of fifteen runs for the month of January. You can do them all at once or spread them out throughout the month. You can do the runs in sequential order or mix it up however you like. And you have the entire month to complete these fifteen runs to win the Stack badge shown below...You know I'm in!

    I love that there are all these ways to keep motivated and inspired as well as physically challenged as you aim to score daily, weekly, and month long badges. It's so easy to grow complacent in our routines and find ourselves mired and bored deep in a rut, stuck yet again at a stubborn plateau. But if you need some new spark in your step, check out these apps, take on a challenge and get yourself in motion. It's a new year friend--let's make it the best one yet fitness and health wise!

What helps you stay motivated and moving?