Snap to it: Fitness challenges are catching on
Strike a pose for the #ChronFit yoga challenge
They’re all over social media: Down-dogs on Instagram. Facebook Live videos of a steadily growing daily number of pushups. Snapchats of barbell snatches at Crossfit.
But what do participants really get from making a daily commitment to post their progress online, along with thousands of strangers? And is it worth it?
“People get stronger. They’re able to do things they couldn’t do a week ago,” says Nathan Herrington, head of team development at Big Power Yoga, which regularly hosts yoga challenges that encourage participants to attend class six days a week.
The benefits are more than skin deep, though.
“They get more physically healthy, but there’s like this mental benefit in confidence and the ability to do something, and the ability to keep a commitment to yourself,” he says.
Herrington points to a woman participating in his challenge as an example. She’s done yoga about four times a week for years, but never thought she’d be able to
handle six days a week. She’s flourishing.
“And she said to me, ‘Now that I’m doing this, I’ve been asking myself the question of what else can I do that I think I can’t?’ and she took on some public speaking roles at work,” he says.
Setting goals are good, he says. But they shouldn’t all be physical, like watching the pointer on your scale slide to the left.
“If you’re looking for a specific kind of result, you can miss the other results that are happening,” Herrington says. “So, you probably haven’t lost 10 pounds after doing yoga twice,” he adds, laughing. “And after a week, you might still not be able to do a chatarunga (pose), but that doesn’t necessarily matter.”
Kristin Anderson, a clinical psychologist who specializes in sports psychology, among other areas, says focusing on the psychological aspect
is important.
“I think these kinds of challenges are really beneficial psychologically and physically,” she says. “Maybe more so psychologically than physically. We like to feel successful, so if we set small measurable goals and we attain them, that feels good.”
Consistency, and showing up, can be a great goal for a challenge, she says. Not only will this help participants grow incrementally stronger; it will help build new habits.
“Researchers say that after 30 days of doing something, it’s more likely to become a habit,” she says.
If people learn to focus more on the consistency than searching for the results in the mirror, it can have a lasting effect, says C.J. Woodruff, founder and CEO at the Fitness Trainer Academy, where he teaches physical trainers.
“My goal as a trainer is to try to get someone toward the intrinsic side of things and try to create a love of the game,” he says. That will keep them coming back.