30-Day Fitness Challenge: 30-Day Fitness Challenge: Day Nine

30-Day Fitness Challenge
30-Day Fitness Challenge: Day Nine
| Your Active Challenge  | Your Exercise Challenge - Cardio  | Your Flexibility Challenge  | Your Nutrition Challenge - Cravings  | Your Mind/Body Challenge  | Your Day Nine Checklist

	from Paige Waehner Today's challenges offer you some new ideas for staying active, exercising and eating healthy. First, there's a new yoga routine for you to try - a great way to begin and end the day. You'll also see that your exercise challenge is the same as your mind/body challenge and is designed to get you in touch with your body in a whole new way. Don't forget to fill out your checklist at the end of the day and make a note of where you excelled and where you could use a little more work.
Your Active Challenge
	Your Active Challenge
	Do the following Morning & Evening Yoga workout when you get up and before you go to bed. These moves should take you about 5 minutes and will help get your blood flowing in the morning, while relaxing you before you go to sleep.
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Your Exercise Challenge - Cardio
	Your Exercise Challenge
	Medium-high intensity cardio exercise with no distractions. This exercise challenge is also your mind/body challenge, which is why there's no time listed. For this workout, you'll have no distractions - no music or reading, no heart rate monitors or watches. If you can, choose an activity you could do outside such as walking, cycling or running. Even yard work could work if you keep a steady pace and can get your heart rate up. Whatever activity you choose, focus on how your body feels, speeding up and slowing down to stay at a medium intensity. Think about your breathing and your form, try new roads you've never been down and let your mind wander where it will. There's no time limit, so go as long as like. When you get done, write about what it felt like to exercise with no distractions. Did this challenge feel difficult for you?
Your Flexibility Challenge
	Your Flexibility Challenge
	Part one: Stretch for at least 5 minutes after your cardio workout. Your options: Lower Body Stretches Total Body Stretch Part 2: Do at least 5 (or more) reps of the following yoga exercises anytime throughout the day: Cat Stretch Forward Fold Bridge Downward Dog to Upward Dog Find descriptions and more pictures at: Gentle Yoga. Other Options: Yoga/Pilates Matwork Yoga Fusion Workout Beginner Yoga Poses Do your own yoga workout, video or group fitness class
Your Nutrition Challenge - Cravings
	Your Nutrition Challenge
	Explore your cravings. Each time you have a craving today, get out your journal and write down what you're craving. Then ask yourself if you're really hungry, or could there be something else going on? The list below details just a few reasons we feel cravings, even when we're not hungry. Go through the list and write down anything that may be contributing to the craving: Being thirsty. Often, dehydration can make you feel hungry even when you're not. Being tired. The afternoon slump happens to all of us and it's normal to crave something sugary at that time of day. Boredom. Being bored is one of the number one reasons many of us eat, even when we're not hungry. Stress and anxiety. For some people, stress and anxiety can send them right to those comfort foods to help them calm down and feel better. What else could be contributing to your cravings besides hunger? Become aware of your cravings - when they happen, what you crave and what's really going on. That awareness will help you learn how to deal with the issues instead of giving in to your cravings.
Your Mind/Body Challenge
	Your Mind/Body Challenge
	Medium-high intensity cardio exercise with no distractions. Often when we exercise, we distract ourselves from what we're doing with all kinds of things - music, reading, people-watching, clock-watching...etc. It can be a real challenge to get rid of these distractions and really focus on how you're feeling during cardio exercise. If this seems like too much of a challenge, try at least 10-15 minutes and see how it feels...you may end up enjoying it more than you think.
Your Day Nine Checklist
	Your Day Nine Checklist
	How'd you do with your challenges today? Use this checklist to cross off everything you accomplished or make notes on what you didn't accomplish and why. You can also use the checklist to make substitutions for any challenges that didn't work for you or create even more challenges for yourself.
Paige Waehner
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