What is the Birthday Fitness Challenge?
The Birthday Fitness Challenge is a fun and safe fitness goal that you create at anytime during the year using any fun exercises and using your upcoming age as a way to frame your challenge. You then perform your challenge on your birthday (or as close to it as possible).
Some basic information and my history with the BFC can be found here, but the true fun and support happens on the Birthday Fitness Challenge Facebook Page, where anyone can share their challenge, get support from the entire community and have a place where your efforts are celebrated.
General Parameters
- FUN!! It needs to be FUN!! Something that you will enjoy working on for an extended period of time.
- Challenging. When I began my challenge I could only do 3 pull-ups…TOTAL. I finished my challenge 6 months later completing more than 70 pull-ups (6-8 at a time).
- Adaptable. I changed my numbers around as I became stronger in certain movements. Originally, I was only going to do 154 push-ups but as I changed the order of my exercises and got stronger, I increased that number to 254. You can also lower numbers or expectations if this becomes a stressor for you. If your challenge begins to nor be fun change it (refer to rule #1).
- Share. You have to share your journey with everyone on the Birthday Fitness Club Facebook Page. You are the hero, and on the Facebook Page, we can all encourage you, answer any questions, and celebrate your achievements.
Example #1
For my 54th birthday, I framed my challenge using the Primal Essential Movements and based everything on 54.
My original goal for my 54th birthday was :
5:40 or longer Plank
54 or more Pull-ups
154 or more Push-ups
254 or more Body Squats
All within 54 minutes.
I began my challenge 6 months prior to my birthday. As I became better at some of the movements I adjusted the numbers. I finally made my goal a few weeks prior to my birthday so I kept dong the workout to better my time.