It’s no secret that Americans aren’t getting enough exercise and are getting more and more obese throughout the years. Currently, 42% of adults are obese and a staggering 20% of children are clinically obese - and both numbers are rising.
Sure, a large part of this revolves around our nutrition (or lack thereof), but simply not moving enough also plays a vital role.
As the calendar flips to 2024, according to Forbes, 48% of people say improving fitness is their top priority in 2024. While this sounds amazing, there’s a reason the number is so high every single year… And that is because, unfortunately, most people give up a few weeks to a few months in.
But the reason might surprise you…
Your goals are too general and too big for your current level of discipline.
To put it another way, you are relying on in-the-moment motivation as opposed to discipline forged over many years.
That might be shocking or even hurt your ego to hear, but the simple fact is that most people fail because they set themselves up to fail.
After all, they feel super motivated by the New Year, but fizzle out because they start missing a day here or a day there, and eventually… they quit.
Here’s a classic example. Let’s say your New Year's resolution is to work out 5 days a week and lose 30 pounds.
OK… great.
What will those workouts look like?
Do you need to drive somewhere to do them?
Do you have a plan in place for your meals if you are spending 2 hours a day going to and from the gym?
What about your kids, do they need to be dropped off and picked up from somewhere during the times you want to go?
The list of things that can disrupt your plans is endless and all too likely to derail you and before you know it, you’re off the wagon planning for 2025’s health and fitness resolution.
While I’m not discouraging you or trying to give you an excuse to be weak (HA, if you know me, you know I’m not about that), but I am encouraging you to take an honest assessment of where you currently are with your health and wellness discipline and habits.
We want to encourage you to build a good foundation and make your health and wellness not just a trend or something you do at the start of every year, but something that you work into your life to make a part of your life cycle going forward.
So, Maddie and I thought that it would be fun and a great way to connect with our community by doing a health and wellness challenge to start the year!
In this challenge, we will be focusing on our 6 core principles of ancestral health:
Sun
Sleep
Nourishment
Movement
Struggle
Community
The challenges aren’t meant to overwhelm you or to crush you with workouts.
Quite the contrary actually.
The challenges are meant to help you start small and build healthy, long-lasting habits that you can build upon throughout and after the challenge to begin or continue your health and wellness journey.
Join us and the community in building sustainable habits that you can be proud of when the next year is over.
Once you sign up, you will receive our Habit Tracker, followed by an email every Sunday for 6 weeks that details each habit above.
Each email details why the pillar is important to your overall health and gives you a few habits to choose from to commit to for that week.
Let us know if you have any questions about the challenge and we’d be happy to answer. We look forward in leveling up with you in 2024!
Happy New Year! See you in 2024 👋
-Sebastian