Stuck in a rut? Try doing weekly challenges!

If you're stuck in a rut or struggle to maintain healthy habits, try doing weekly challenges instead!

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I think it's great to do little "challenges" every now and then. It can be hard to keep up habits etc., so by keeping it interesting you keep yourself engaged! If you feel overwhelmed starting new things, it can help to know it's only for a week. Seven days, and that's all!

This can also be a great thing if you're a bit bored with your daily routine. Especially now in pandemic times when we've been mostly stuck at home for soo long. . . adding something extra every day like working on a hobby or doing something new or fun can be just what you need! Maybe a 15 minutes dance party to get out frustrations after work?? 

• Related article: 4 healthy ways to blow off steam

So what you do is pick something you want to try and commit to doing it every day for a week. Don't worry , I have 20 ideas below if you can't come up with something!​

Weekly challenge guidelines

1. Make it specific. You need to be able to clearly say "yes" or "no" if you did it or not. 
Example: Walk for 30 minutes every day vs Go walking
​2. Make it realistic. If you have a full-time job + commute, spending 2 hours in the gym every day is not realistic. Look over your schedule and decide how much time you can/want to spare. I would err on the side of the goal being too small vs too big!
Example: Make the bed before breakfast vs Deep clean one room every day
3. Make a tracker. Whether you write it in your calendar or a post-it note on your bathroom mirror, make sure you have it somewhere it reminds you and you can get your little rush of checking it off! Setting an alarm on your phone is not a bad idea either. :)

20 ideas for weekly challenges:

• 50 squats a day
• Write 1 page in your journal
• Work on *insert hobby here* for 15 minutes
• Cook a new recipe
• Walk for 20 minutes
• Go someplace new -- a park, a cafe, a museum
• Practice self-care (free printable tracker + 30 ideas here!)
• Practice a new language for 10 minutes
• Do a no-buy week
• Reach out to friends you haven't talked to in a while - text, phone call, video call​​

Related article: How to make your friends a priority (plus free bucket list!)
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• Make the bed
• ​Do 10 push-ups
• Track your expenses
• ​Do a full-body stretch
• Do a quick bodyweight workout when you wake up (free printable here)
• Read 1 chapter
• Do a relaxing yoga sequence before bed
• Go to bed by 10pm
• Meditate for 2 minutes
• Write down 3 things you're grateful for

There really is no limit on what you can try! It can be as simple as brushing your teeth twice a day, or more time-consuming like baking a different cake. The point is that it's something that improves your life and that engages you to be more mindful about what you spend your time on. And a lot of these things you can do while you're watching TV, which you might be doing anyway, right? ;) 

So this can be something you just do every now and then, or you try a different challenge every week. Maybe you switch between a physical challenge (like walking or doing lunges) and mental ones (like journaling or practicing a new language on DuoLingo). 

It's so easy to get stuck in a rut with work, chores, cooking, kids, whatever you've got going on. But it doesn't have to take a lot of work and time to incorporate something new! 

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