50 Days to ... Something Athletic?

June 17, 2021 1:32 PM

I have a special event coming up in 50 days. I'm looking for a fitness challenge lasting approximately that long. Ideally it would get me moving without requiring any kind of special equipment. My goal is not to lose weight, but I am also not averse to the idea of losing some. My goal to feel more vigorous and confident 50 days from now -- and look more toned and "fit" while I'm at it.

In the past I've loved Yoga With Adriene's 30-day challenges and Power Yoga routines. I've just done them all. Other snowflakes:

- I have a demanding job and this is a difficult work period, so I am looking for something I can do at home via online video or written instruction.
- I'd characterize my level of fitness as moderate so am not looking for programs for absolute beginners, or ones that require a super-high level of fitness to start with.
- I am not very coordinated, so not sure if I can handle stuff that involves intricate moves or dances.
- I've considered a "couch to 5k"-type program, but I stopped running a few years ago because I realized I was truly dreading it. I don't think my body likes to run, if you know what I mean, and it was hard on my knees.
-I'd love to find some form of exercise I could integrate into my normal life after my special event, rather than just going hard and then dropping it.

Thanks in advance for anything you can throw at me!

posted by artisthatithaca to Health & Fitness (12 answers total)

Do you like to walk? There is something called the Conquerer Virtual Fitness Challenge. They have various lengths and a tracking website and a medal at the end. 50 days of walking an average of 5km (about 1 hour) per day would get you along Hadrian's Wall. There are shorter distances if that seems like too much.

I did the Camino de Santiago Challenge and spent a bit of time on Google Maps looking for restaurants and accommodation in the places I was "travelling" through.
posted by TORunner at 1:44 PM on June 17, 2021 [2 favorites]

Previously, how to progress from any starting point to doing pushups (and if you are all ready comfortable with pushups, there are pushup variations.) Scroll down in the comments for a link to a similar video for pull-ups. Again, there are variations, or you can simply try to increase your maximum.
posted by Mr.Know-it-some at 2:12 PM on June 17, 2021 [2 favorites]

My husband is very sporty, but with all sports being cancelled during the pandemic he did the INSANITY by shaun T program a couple times, which is kind of associated with beach body, and is kind of a weird thing they used to advertise late night on TV, but he actually really liked it? You don't have to subscribe to beachbody to get it, there's lots of other ways!

It's pretty hard, but he got surprisingly defined abs and put some muscle on his arms and pecs with it (he's usually like, a big legs guy, not so much the upper body), and I think enjoyed the aspect of it being so difficult because it was a "Challenge". He's kept doing the occasional workout from them, maybe once a week after he finished the 60 day program!

(if you're pretty fit I bet you could accelerate the first 30 days to do it in 10 less days, they're to get you up to speed before the second month starts!)
posted by euphoria066 at 2:31 PM on June 17, 2021

How about building up to a pose you’ve always wanted to do in yoga? Crow pose is one of the safest to try at home as you’re building up, but headstand, other arm balances, or similar could be fun!

For the logistics, I cannot recommend YogaGlo enough - it’s an app with respected, respectful, world-class teachers, and it’s got lots of routes you could take for something like this. Dice Ida-Klein has a set of classes aimed at building toward crow, Jason Crandall (my favorite teacher in the world) does great crow prep, a number of teachers have tutorials on headstand, and you can always search for “crow”, “headstand” (or “inversion”), or whatever other pose you’d be excited for to find classes that focus on that pose.
posted by rrrrrrrrrt at 2:31 PM on June 17, 2021 [3 favorites]

Some kind of kettlebell swing challenge might be good. Kettlebells are relatively inexpensive and don't take up any room, really. Something like the 10,000 Swing Challenge might be worth pursuing. Spend 20 days getting comfortable with the kettlebell (if you've not used one before), then 30 days on the challenge!
posted by turbid dahlia at 3:32 PM on June 17, 2021

I hate online workouts, but I started doing Chloe Ting’s workouts In these pandemic times, and I’ve found them challenging, but also not boring, which means I’ll keep doing them. I linked to a 28-day challenge, but she has lots of other challenges that vary in time.
posted by umwhat at 3:44 PM on June 17, 2021 [1 favorite]

One small 8 pound kettlebell or similar easy to hold weight, in sequence, is an easy way to tone. You can add it to what you're already doing. I use it at my desk when I have ten minutes, it's great. You could even fill a milk bottle with sand in a pinch.
posted by parmanparman at 5:17 PM on June 17, 2021

A few years ago I did a squat challenge with my family leading up to my birthday- the goal was 2500 squats each in about 6 weeks, I hit ~1300. I made a schedule with the target number each day that was escalating and oscillating, so the goal day 1 was 30 squats , 2:50, 3:30, 4:50, 5:40, 6:60, 7:40… and I would usually do sets ranging between 10 & 30 squats to hit or exceed the day’s target. I like bodyweight squats because there’s no equipment needed. I definitely would call myself out of shape, but I think you could use the daily stair-step increase for any number of activities beyond bodyweight squats (push ups, flights of stairs walked, pull ups, etc)
posted by worstname at 7:09 PM on June 17, 2021

Every year my resolution is to be able to do 100 continuous pushups. (I’ve never quite made it, but the goal is intentionally high to keep me doing them.) Pushups are fast and challenging and require no special equipment. You can do them in between meetings. 50 days, 50 continuous pushups? Or maybe some impressive cumulative number. Crunches, squats, burpees, or some other defined activity would work too.
posted by tchemgrrl at 8:11 PM on June 17, 2021

I really appreciate Darebee. They have several programs and challenges that might fit your interest.
posted by jennypower at 6:00 AM on June 18, 2021 [1 favorite]

I really enjoy shovelglove. It is designed to be easy to do indoors, in small spaces, be quiet, and not involve jumping or laying on the floor.

It does use one piece of equipment, but I don't think it counts as specialized because you can use a sledgehammer for lots of things.

Anyway, this will increase you core strength, stamina, muscle tone, and give you some cardio too. A somewhat similar option is to get a medicine ball and learn how to use it.
posted by SaltySalticid at 6:07 AM on June 18, 2021

Listing some that I’ve used in the past - they’re not necessarily challenged-based, but you have the option to set up plans / schedules and progress through them

Nike training club - app based, completely free. Offers multi week programs with a strength test at the beginning which you can repeat to assess your progress. Has multiple options depending on equipment and your goals. Workouts are demonstrated through videos. For a free app I think it has top notch quality and the cues given for the workouts are solid

Freeletics -
Paid and app based, allows you to customize workout plans based on goals/ fitness level/equipment available and schedule them. Also allows you to provide feedback on the intensity that tailors future workouts. Workouts are demonstrated through videos. I mainly used this for adhoc workouts but it was relatively challenging and probably good for someone who has a moderate level of fitness/ some baseline experience of working out.
posted by pandanpanda at 8:22 PM on June 18, 2021