Here’s one thing that helped us get through 2020: healthy competition.
We’ve turned to a 30-day challenge or two to help us stick to a fitness routine at home—and we’re not alone in this: Strava’s 2020 report said that it has seen over 71 million challenge joins between January and September last year.
In a world where people are finding new challenges to try and reasons to take them on as part of their fitness journey, we do have to wonder: What is it about challenges that make them so motivational in the first place?
They amplify your achievements
Why is it that we feel more motivated after marking off another successful day in a fitness challenge? Neuroscience tells us that that’s dopamine at work, helping us feel rewarded after getting through a grueling workout.
By taking time to record your accomplishments, you reinforce that you’re surely working towards your goals. The more you feel that you’re making progress, the greater the effects of dopamine.
It sharpens your thinking skills
That fitness challenge doesn’t just benefit your body, it helps your brain, too. According to Dr. Kathryn Papp, instructor in neurology at Harvard Medical School, our brains have the potential for neuronal plasticity—the ability of neural networks in the brain to change and reorganize their structure in response to external stimuli.
By incorporating new exercises into your daily routine, you create mini-challenges for your brain—ones that change the balance of available neurotransmitters in your brain and protect them from cognitive decline.
You get a built-in support system
What makes fitness challenges so fun in the first place is that, most of the time, you’re not taking it on alone. Most of the time, fitness apps will show you how many people are taking on the same challenges as you.
Forming a group to help you get through a fitness challenge has its benefits, too. Getting companions during the challenge doesn’t just encourage commitment, it also helps foster accountability and healthy competition.
Ready for a challenge? Here’s what you need to know
Before you make any commitments, choose your challenge carefully. Make sure that it not only aligns with your goals but that it’s a good fit for your lifestyle as well. Don’t sign up for a fitness challenge that exceeds what’s healthy for you, and set realistic expectations for what you want to accomplish.
If you’re looking for a challenge that helps you ease into a more active lifestyle, give Power Mac Center’s #CloseYourRings challenge a shot. This challenge will pair you up with a fellow contestant and a fitness leader who will help “close your rings” through workouts, walking exercises and movements that burn active calories.
To join, fill out the challenge’s registration form. Submit a video on WeTransfer that shows your workout routine, why you deserve to be selected and complete the Close Your Rings challenge. Power Mac Center will be accepting entries until Jan. 24, 11:59 PM.
Some of the prizes you can win include:
- iPhone 12 Pro Max 128GB
- Apple Watch Nike Series 6
- Powerbeats Pro
- Up to P118,000 worth of complete home gym setup from PlayHard Fitness
- P37,000 worth of Stress Buster relaxation trip at Nurture Wellness Village (for 3 days and 2 nights for two)
- P15,000 worth of Nike gift certificates
- P13,000 worth of premium accessories
