So you fell off the fitness wagon. It's OK! You just need to find a little motivation to get going, and this 30-day challenge is just the thing to encourage you to move every single day.
This challenge takes less than 15 minutes each day, but it's meant to inspire healthy habits and give you the momentum to start up a regular fitness routine. Maybe after the first week you'll feel like tackling one of our 20-minute workout videos or buy a few passes for group fitness classes. Or you might finally get up the courage to join that CrossFit box you've been thinking about. Who knows what a few minutes of fitness will inspire?
While doing a bunch of burpees and deadlifts each day won't be life-changing or give your body composition a complete overhaul within a month, moving a little bit each day will shift your mindset. You will be reminded that you have this beautiful, capable body, and the best way to show how grateful you are for it is to use it! As you get stronger and come to love how energized and excited working out makes you feel, you'll be inspired to do more to care for your health, both physically and mentally. Let's do this!
30-Day Fitness Challenge
Equipment needed: jump rope (or just pretend!) and a pair of dumbbells (choose a weight based on your fitness level, between three and 20 pounds)
WEEK 1
Complete three rounds of: 20 seconds of the first move Five to 10 reps of the remaining three moves
WEEK 2
Complete three rounds of: 30 seconds of the first move 10 to 15 reps of the remaining three moves
WEEK 3
Complete three rounds of: 45 seconds of the first move 15 to 20 reps of the remaining three moves
WEEK 4
Complete three rounds of: 60 seconds of the first move 25 to 30 reps of the remaining three moves
Stand with your feet slightly wider than your shoulders, feet parallel or toes slightly turned out.
Bend your knees, lowering your hips deeply. Bring your thighs parallel to the floor and bend the elbows, keeping weight back in your heels.
Rise back up, straightening the legs completely, squeezing the glutes at the top of the movement to get the most out of the exercise.
This counts as one rep.
1 / 24
Triceps Push-Up
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Start in a plank position with your arms and legs straight, shoulders above your wrists.
Keeping your upper arms parallel, bend your elbows, lowering your chest until your shoulders are in line with your elbows. The elbows should touch your ribcage.
Straighten your arms to complete the rep. Rest your knees on the floor if you need to.
2 / 24
Hip Raise With Leg Extension
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Lie on your back. Rest your hands by your sides, palms facing down, or place your hands underneath your butt for a little leverage.
Extend both legs out so they are a few inches above the ground. Draw your lower abs in, pressing your lower back into the floor.
In one fluid motion, bend the knees into the chest, press the hips up as high as you can, lower your hips to the floor, and extend the legs straight out.
This completes one rep.
3 / 24
Burpee
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Lower into a crouching squat with your hands on the floor.
Do a squat thrust by jumping your feet back into a plank position.
Do one basic push-up, bending the elbows and then straightening back to a plank.
Jump the feet forward to the hands, and come into a squat.
Do an explosive jump straight up, getting as much height as you can to complete one burpee.
4 / 24
Side Skater
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Start in a small squat.
Jump sideways to the left, landing on your left leg.
Bring your right leg behind to your left ankle, and don't let it touch the floor.
Reverse direction by jumping to the right with your right leg. This completes one rep.
5 / 24
Triceps Dip
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Sit on the ground with your knees bent and your hands behind you with fingertips pointed toward your butt. Lift your pelvis off the ground, straighten your elbows, and shift your weight back so your shoulders are directly over your hands.
Slowly bend your elbows to lower your pelvis toward the floor, then press into the floor to straighten, but not lock, your elbows. This completes one rep.
6 / 24
V-Sit
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Lie on your back, and reach your arms rigidly to your side, off the floor. Lift your legs off the floor, and point them, so they are at about a 45-degree angle. Lift your head, so your shoulders are off the floor as well.
Lift your upper torso off the floor, and bend your knees. You can lean back to make this move harder or come up more to make it easier.
Slowly lower your upper body back down to the floor, extending the legs. Stop when your back is on the floor, but not your head, shoulders, or legs.
This completes one rep.
7 / 24
High Knees
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Hold your hands at waist level.
Hop the right knee up toward your hands, then quickly switch legs and hop the left knee up.
This counts as one rep.
8 / 24
Dumbbell Thruster
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Stand with your legs just slightly wider than hip-distance apart, arms raised to shoulder height with elbows bent, holding weights by your ears.
Bend your knees as if you were sitting in a chair, keeping weight on your heels.
Press the dumbbells overhead as you straighten your knees to return to standing.
This completes as one rep.
9 / 24
Deadlift With Upright Row
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Stand upright holding your dumbbells in each hand, arms at your sides, with your knees slightly bent.
Keeping your arms straight and knees slightly bent, slowly hinge forward, bending at your hips (not your waist), lowering the weights as far as possible without rounding your back, which should remain straight.
Squeeze your glutes to return to sanding, keeping your back straight. Once you're standing, pull the weights up the front of your body, bringing them to your chin with elbows going wide. Lower the weights to complete one rep.
10 / 24
Seated Russian Twist
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Holding a dumbbell in both hands, sit on the ground with your knees bent and your heels about a foot from your butt.
Lean slightly back without rounding your spine at all. It is really important, and difficult, to keep your back straight.
Pull your navel to your spine, and twist slowly to the left, bringing the weight to your left side. The movement is not large and comes from the ribs rotating, not from your arms swinging.
Inhale through center, and rotate to the right. This completes one rep.
11 / 24
Sumo Squat
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Stand with your feet wide, toes pointing out. Hold your hands comfortably in front of your chest and bend your knees, lowering your hips deeply so your thighs are parallel with the floor. Make sure to keep your weight back in your heels.
Then rise back up, straightening the legs completely, squeezing the glutes at the top of the movement to get the most out of the exercise.
Begin in Quarter Dog with your forearms parallel. Press your hips and shoulders back toward your feet, lengthening through your spine. Tilt your tailbone up slightly to feel a stretch in your lower back.
With fingers spread wide, take a deep breath in, and as you exhale, dive forward, lowering your chin so it's barely touching the floor in front of your fingertips. Your shoulders should hover over your wrists, and your elbows should remain in line with your middle fingers.
Lie on your back, and open your legs into a diamond shape (aka butterfly legs) with the soles of your feet pressed together and knees out wide. Extend the arms overhead.
Inhale to curl the torso up, and tap the floor in front of your feet to stretch your glutes a bit.
Lower into a crouching squat with your hands on the floor.
Keeping the abs engaged, jump your feet back so you're in plank position.
Keeping the arms straight, jump your feet forward behind the hands.
Stand up to complete one rep.
15 / 24
Alternating Forward Lunge With Biceps Curl
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Stand tall with your feet hip-width distance apart. Hold a dumbbell in each hand at your sides.
Step forward with the right foot as you bend the elbows in a biceps curl. Lower your hips until both knees are bent at about a 90-degree angle. Keep the front knee directly above the ankle and lower the left knee to just tap the floor.
Keep the weight in your heels as you push back to the starting position, completing one rep.
16 / 24
Overhead Shoulder Press
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Hold a dumbbell in each hand just above your shoulders, palms facing in.
Straighten your arms above you.
Bend your elbows coming back to the starting position to complete one rep.
17 / 24
Double Crunch
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Begin lying on your back with your legs in the air, toes toward the ceiling, holding one or two dumbbells over your chest with straight arms. Engage your abs to press your lower back into the mat while lifting your head, neck, and upper back off the mat.
Exhale and round your lower back so the bottom of the pelvis raises as you lift your upper body an inch higher off the mat. Aim the medicine ball toward your ankles as you perform this double crunch.
Inhale, and lower your pelvis and upper back an inch toward the floor to complete the rep.
18 / 24
Jump Squat
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Start in a squat with your arms by your sides.
Swing your arms to the ceiling, and jump.
Land quietly as you return to the squat position. This completes one rep.
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Side Plank Leg Lift
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Come into a side elbow plank on the right side with your flexed feet stacked. Rest your top hand on your upper hip or extend it into the air.
Keeping your spine lengthened and your abs engaged, lift your left leg up just higher than your top hip.
Then slowly lower it back to your bottom leg to complete the rep.
With your palms flat, raise up off your knees onto your toes. Keep your hands directly below your shoulders.
Contract your abs to keep yourself up and prevent your bottom from sticking up. Remember to keep your belly button pulled in.
With your head and spine in line, keep your back flat — don't let it curve. Picture your body as a long, straight board.
With control, slowly tap your left knee to the ground without moving your hips. Lift your left knee back up, returning to the starting position. Repeat the same movement with the right leg. This completes one rep.
21 / 24
Goblet Squat
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Stand with your feet wider than shoulder width with your toes pointed slightly out. Hold your dumbbell at chest level with both hands. Keeping your back flat, push your hips back, bend your knees, and lower your body until your thighs are parallel to the floor and your elbows touch your knees.
With your weight focused on your heels, push yourself up to the starting position to complete one rep.
22 / 24
Wide Biceps Curl
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Stand with your feet slightly wider than hips-width distance apart.
Holding a dumbbell in each hand, hold your arms out wide with a slight bend in your elbows, palms facing up.
Bend at your elbows, pulling the weights toward your ears.
Extend your arms out wide again to complete one rep.
23 / 24
Plank With Row
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Start in a plank position holding a dumbbell in each hand.
Keep your torso stable as you pull your right elbow toward the ceiling, squeezing your right shoulder blade toward your spine.
Lower the weight to the floor with control and perform a row on the left side to complete one rep.
