Temptations begone, I can do this

I AM about to embark on my second six-week fitness challenge.

And boy is my outlook on the experience different this time around.

I’ll admit when I registered for the first one in July it was mostly under the influence of my boyfriend who had also signed up.

Infuriatingly, he needs no help being kept on the straight and narrow. He is one of those rare (read: disciplined) creatures who can flick a mental switch and go full steam ahead with a health kick.

I, on the other hand, am more of a three days on the bandwagon, three months off, kinda gal.

I didn’t believe significant mental and physical improvements could be made in just six weeks but I figured if my boyfriend was going to be turning down Friday night pizza in favour of a salad I had two options: sabotage or support.

I decided it would be easier on both of us if we were in it together.

To my delight the fitness test at the beginning of the challenge wasn’t done in a group setting where I would traditionally compare and despair, and the results were used only for the purpose of tracking your own progress. Better still, the prizes weren’t for “most weight lost” but rather incentives for participation and consistency. The competition was with yourself, no one else. The first challenge gave me insight into my own bad habits, and techniques on how to break them. Pre-paying was a good motivator to start with. You want your hard-earned cash to be worth it. And while the decision to succeed is ultimately your own, I learned it helps to embrace the community so you can stay connected and accountable to others on the same journey.

Exercising in the morning also means there is little time to realise you feel good, bad or in-between and come up with a reason not to work out.

Add to that the importance of getting your gear out the night before — no one wants to be looking for matching socks at 5.30am.

The next challenge starts on Saturday and concludes on the first day of summer, but contrary to popular belief it’s not all about before and after photos or getting bikini ready.

Come December I can’t wait to have improved on my last effort, discovered more of my strengths and weaknesses and be ready to set all new goals.