Stronger in 60 may be just what your body, mind, and spirit needs.
The Stronger in 60 challenge that I created was launched last week. And I am inviting you to join in, if you haven’t already. In a nutshell, it is a 60-day plan designed to get you healthier and stronger, while building better habits.
Get on the Stronger in 60 path!
The Why
I find most things too difficult to do unless I know the why. The “why” is critical in motivation to accomplish anything, to build better habits, and to sustain them. Therefore, I want to unpack the why a bit.
Why I created it~
I created it for those of you who are frustrated with where you are at health-wise. I know that many of you want to make substantial progress with your health and fitness, and are having trouble due to being too inconsistent, so inconsistent that you are not making the kind of progress you want and need. You may also need a concrete plan to follow instead of some ambiguous, vague idea.
I also created Stronger in 60 as an alternative to 75 Hard, a challenge that is currently growing in popularity. You can read about 75 Hard here. I like challenges, but 75 Hard looked too daunting to me. Although in its defense, 2 of my 6 children are currently doing it and like it. I think they are on days 34 & 39. But 75 Hard is not for everyone.
Thirdly, I created Stronger in 60 because, as a registered nurse, I see the misery that lack of health and fitness causes. And I wanted to do something about it.
Fourthly, Stronger in 60 came about because I love experiments, and I wanted to see what would happen if people adopted healthy actions for 60 days.
And finally, I created Stronger in 60 because I needed it. I do a lot of health-building things, but not consistently enough.
Why 60 days?
I chose this number because James Clear, a well-known habit expert, says that research has shown that 66 days is the sweet spot for habit building, so I just downsized a bit from that number. However, it is a lot higher than the 21-days that you often hear of.
Why I included what I did in the challenge – The Seven Daily Tasks
In this post I will only give brief explanations, then unpack each of the tasks further in later posts. I chose the following out of many possible choices after much thought as I concluded the following are likely to be the biggest needle-movers to our health and well-being.
So here are the basics and a short why ~ (You can click HERE for a printable pdf of the challenge and the Quick Start Guide):
Diet ~
Eat life-giving food.
No sugar, no junk.
WHY? You have probably heard that you cannot out exercise a bad diet. This is true. You need nutrient-dense food, and you need to avoid added sugars, sugar-laden foods, and junk food. All of those are not only devoid of nutrients, but they can also cause harm. Read this article about dealing with sugar cravings.
Exercise ~
30 minutes. Can be broken up into 2 segments.
WHY? Movement is so important for a myriad of reasons. You can read some of them here.
And why 30 minutes? It is doable, but will be challenging for many because a lot of people are too sedentary . Plus, you can always choose to do more.
Water ~
Women need to drink 90 ounces of water and men 120 ounces.
WHY? It is commonly stated that we need to drink 64 ounces daily, or half our body weight in ounces. However, many respected institutions are saying women should drink 91 ounces, and men 125 ounces, so I just rounded these figures to clean numbers. Also, drinking water is a task because most of us do not drink enough fluids and we can benefit from being adequately hydrated in many ways, one of them being this will protect your kidneys. Dehydration taxes them. Drinking water also aids in detoxing.
Alcohol ~
No alcohol
WHY? Many people use alcohol as a crutch for dealing with stress & boredom, and even think they need it to have fun. It is important to learn that alcohol really isn’t necessary for happiness and well-being. In fact, alcohol can impair weight loss attempts, sap your energy, require your liver to work much harder, and even ruin relationships, plus much more.
Bible* ~
Read one chapter (*or 5 pages of a self-improvement book if you are opposed to this).
WHY? We are more than a body; we are body, mind, and spirit. And I am interested in your health in all of those areas. As a Christian I believe the Bible to be spiritual food.
Gratitudes ~
Write down 3 things you are grateful for.
WHY? Gratitude is actually good for your body, mind, and spirit. So many studies have proven this. Trust me on this one. I will go into this much deeper in a later post.
Custom Task (Choose 1) ~
(You can do the same one or choose a different each day. Yay! You get options!)
Do a brain game
Kneel during prayer
Cold shower
Random act of kindness
Learn something new
Extra 30 minutes of exercise
WHY? ~ These just add another dimension to your life, gives you options to choose from that appeal to you, allowing you to customize your challenge and make things more interesting. Plus, I believe any one of those can benefit you.
***Be sure to get the printable pdf to the Stronger in 60 Quick Start Guide for important information.
I started Stronger in 60 last week. How is going for me so far?
I have followed it 100%, which is part of the plan. Otherwise, you have to start back at Day 1.
Out of the 7 daily tasks required I have found drinking 90 ounces of water the most difficult. When I started this challenge I had been drinking far less, probably dehydrated most of the time, even though I know that this is not good for you.
I have found it is really easy to get behind in drinking 90 ounces (120 for men), and I need to be careful to start first thing in the morning and then continue, pacing myself throughout the day, not leaving too much to drink later in the day.
I am actually enjoying this challenge and am finding it very helpful in keeping me on track to do what I know I need to do.
Also, I am very curious to see what kind of changes I will find at the end of 60 days, what differences I will notice, what benefits Stronger in 60 will have provided. Already I am feeling more energetic and cheerful.
Anyway…
I hope you join me on the Stronger in 60 adventure! It’s free, fun, and challenging. I think you will be glad you did. If you would like a Stronger in 60 checklist, contact me HERE to request one, and I will send it within a few hours.
Also, sign up to belong to the Stronger in 60 FaceBook group and/or follow me on Instagram @wellnessadventure_RN for upcoming support and information. You can also get the free Stronger in 60 Checklist in the private Facebook group under Files.
—–>>>Also, consider signing up for my non-spammy email newsletter where I provide useful, healthful information. And it is easy to unsubscribe if you find that it is just not your thing. Sign up HERE.
Other articles I have written that you might be interested in:
Stronger in 60 – My Alternative to 75 Hard Challenge
8 Ways to Deal with Sugar Cravings
***Disclaimer: Please discuss with your primary care physician before starting this challenge. Do not attempt if you drink 3 or more alcoholic drinks per day, have chronic kidney disease, or any other concerning health issues without consulting with a medical professional.
