It’s not always easy to stay healthy and maintain your weight or sanity over the holidays, am I right? That’s why I’ve created this 12 Days of Health & Fitness Challenge to help you eat healthy, move your body, and manage stress. Each day has three activities to complete – 1 exercise-based goal, 1 nutrition-based goal and 1 general health-based goal.
You can do it on your own timeline for personal improvement, or you can follow me on Instagram to find out how to officially participate and win rewards starting Dec. 5, 2022! If you choose to participate in the challenge on Instagram, it will go from December 5th to December 23rd. You can start on whichever day you prefer, but the entire challenge lasts for 12 days total.
I hope that these daily goals give you just enough of a challenge to keep you healthy in a holistic way while still feeling attainable. They should not be a stressful addition to your to-do list, but a way to prioritize your well-being without taking up too much time.
A Quick Note Before You Start
As a Christian, I also want to take a moment to remind us that Christmas is about celebrating the birth of Christ. We celebrate this miracle by spending time with friends and family and enjoying a happy, joyful time of year when humanity tends to be a bit kinder to one another. So this holiday season, try to focus on those things that actually matter. Getting the best gifts for others (or yourself), attending every party and having the sparkliest holiday outfits are not what truly matters. When we keep this in mind, it’s far easier to cut down our to-do lists and get through the holidays without feeling so stressed out, chaotic, and turning to food for comfort and joy. While it’s not a part of the challenge, I encourage you to look over your schedule and to-do list for this month, determine what’s truly important to your personal goals, relationships, and well-being. Re-prioritize accordingly and cut out whatever you don’t need this year.
Enjoy the challenge!
12 Days of Christmas Health & Fitness Challenge
Day 1:
- Exercise: Do 100 jumping jacks (they don’t have to be non-stop)
- Nutrition: Drink 64 oz of water
- General health: Take 4 slow, deep breaths to start your day
Day 2:
- Exercise: do a 45-sec plank
- Nutrition: Eat 3 servings of vegetables
- General Health: Go to bed 20 minutes earlier
Day 3:
- Exercise: Go for a 20-min walk
- Nutrition: Eat 2 servings of fruit
- General Health: Open up your windows to clear toxins from the air (if it’s raining or snowing, you can swap this out with another day)
Day 4:
- Exercise: Go for a 10-min jog (or fast, uphill walk if you can’t jog)
- Nutrition: Eat 1 serving of nuts & take a multivitamin
- General Health: Diffuse or apply lavender or cedarwood essential oil before bed to support sleep. Don’t have them? Buy Lavender essential oil today instead. It has over 100 uses so you’ll be sure to use it frequently!
Day 5:
- Exercise: Do a 1-min plank
- Nutrition: Take a multivitamin and eat fish at one meal (or beans if you’re vegetarian)
- General Health: Do a 10 min yoga stretch video (try YouTube)
Day 6:
- Exercise: Spend 30 minutes doing any heart-pumping exercise you enjoy (i.e. swimming, dancing, tennis, weight lifting, soccer, etc)
- Nutrition: Cook enough for 4 balanced meals in the upcoming week (ex: sweet potatoes, chicken breast and green veggies cooked however you like). Read this blog for meal prep ideas and tips.
- General health: Put peppermint essential oil on your temples and back of neck for a pick-me-up and skip the caffeine! Don’t have peppermint EO? Go buy some!
Day 7:
- Exercise: Do 25 squats, 15 push-ups and 30 seconds of bicycle crunches
- Nutrition: Eat 2 pieces of fruit and a serving of nuts or avocado
- General health: Spend 5 minutes in prayer/meditation
Day 8:
- Exercise: Jump rope for 10 min total and do 30 seconds of mountain climbers
- Nutrition: Eat a veggie-packed salad for 1 meal
- General health: Write down 10 things you’re grateful for
Day 9:
- Exercise: Do 20 lunges on each leg, 15 push-up and 30 jumping jacks (complete all of this in one “session”)
- Nutrition: Eat slowly during each meal, taking time to chew and savor the food mindfully
- General Health: Get outside for a walk or go to a place with a beautiful view and enjoy nature!
Day 10:
- Exercise: Do 20 leg-lifts, 40 seconds of skaters and 15 supermans
- Nutrition: Find a healthier alternative for one of your favorite foods and make it (such as homemade chocolate PB cups)
- General Health: Stay off of social media & the news
Day 11:
- Exercise: Complete a full-body Tabata workout on YouTube
- Nutrition: Make a protein smoothie for breakfast or lunch
- General health: Spend 15 minutes reading the Bible
Day 12:
- Exercise: Walk 1 min, jog 1 min for 30 minutes. (or jog/run for more of a challenge)
- Nutrition: Only eat natural sugar today – skip white sugar, candy, cookies, etc. Stick with things like honey, maple syrup or monkfruit
- General Health: Start your day with 5 verbal affirmations such as:
- “I am a beloved child of God and He works all things out for the good for my good”
- “I am focusing on positive thoughts and looking forward to positive results”
- “God provides abundantly as I seek Him”
- “I am becoming healthier every day”
- “My body is strong and capable”
Did you complete the challenge? How did it go?!
If you enjoyed this but still feel like you need help with reaching health and fitness goals, then contact me for a free 20-min consult to see if nutrition & health coaching is right for you!
