**Editing on 5/10/13 to note that this challenge is CLOSED, and while I would love to share the workouts with anyone who wants them, I will not be sending along individually at this time.**

Good morning!

Many of you participated in my 31 Day Abs Challenge back in January.  I got a lot of great feedback on it, and it was a lot of fun!  Many of you also requested another fitness challenge on F&F, so…. wishes granted!  Read on for the details on my 2nd official blog fitness challenge.  I’m running this one a bit differently!

30 Day April Arms Challenge

Tank top weather is right around the corner (and I love alliteration), so April’s fitness challenge will focus on ARMS and upper body!  During the April Arms Challenge, each day of the week has a “theme,” similar to the Abs Challenge in January.  Below is a calendar of the general themes so you can take a look at what’s on tap for the month ahead:

30 Day April Arms Challenge

So what’s different from last time?

You must sign up!

There is no cost to participating, but to take part you must “register” by emailing me at akaralekas@gmail.com.  Registration will be open from today until Sunday 3/31 at 8:00pm EST.

Why?

  1. So you know what to do!  I will be creating a shared Google document where participants can “check in” and use each other to stay motivated.  I will also be providing the specifics of each week’s workouts on the Google Document instead of in the blog itself.  I got some feedback that people would prefer a printable version and that they didn’t like having to refer back to the Sunday posts and scroll through to find the moves each week.  I’m going to trial Google Docs instead, so if you don’t email me to sign up, you won’t be added to the document, and you won’t have the specifics on what to do!
  2. I have some awesome companies donating some pretty awesome prizes this time around.  A huge thank you to Chobani and Larabar for partnering with me for this, it’s so exciting!  I am also still waiting to hear back from a few other companies as well, so stay tuned.  I will be drawing winners the first week of May based on anyone that signs up via email AND checks off at least 20/30 days of the challenge in the Google Doc.
  3. For my own stats.  I want to track how many people are actually taking advantage of these challenges (it’s time-consuming for me, so I need to make sure it’s worth it!)

Here are some other important things to note:

  • This is open to anybody!  Anyone can participate in this challenge, from beginners to the more advanced exerciser.  Even if you are on the fence about it, sign up!  It’s free, so you really have nothing to lose.
  • This challenge is NOT meant to replace a regular training plan.  You will not see total body results or weight loss without regular cardio, total body strength, and flexibility training.  This challenge is about finding small ways to include extra upper body conditioning into your day and your regular fitness schedule.  Most days, these exercises will take you 15 minutes or less, somet days just 5.  It’s really about learning new exercises that you can incorporate into your regular fitness routine and challenging yourself to pushing just a little bit harder than you normally would.
  • Make the schedule work for you!  If you need to switch days around, go for it.  It’s totally flexible.

Who’s excited?!  

Hope to hear from you in my email soon!