Challenge Groups Explained & July Results

Every month I talk about my 21 Day Fix Challenge groups but I still get the question – what exactly IS a challenge group!? It’s simple – it’s a group of women (and sometimes men too!) who are doing a Beachbody program together and keeping each other accountable for their fitness goals via daily Facebook group interaction. While the majority of my challengers do 21 Day Fix or 21 Day Fix Extreme (and my posts are geared toward those programs), I always have at least one challenger who is doing a different program (P90X, Insanity, Max 30, 22 Hard Corps, for example). If you aren’t sure what 21 Day Fix is, read this post first.

Challenge Group Details

I set up my groups at least 5 days before the challenge starts and I’ll include some posts on what to expect, what equipment is needed, what you should to do prepare before we start, and some guidance on the nutrition plan (including a link to the daily container tracker I created in Excel which is accessible in google docs). I also ask everyone to introduce themselves and remind them that this group is 100% private, secret (meaning nothing you post can be seen by anyone outside of it unless I ask for your permission) and that it’ll be deleted afterward. The group usually ranges from about 12-20 people. I encourage daily participation, though it is not required.

Once we start, I set up posts to go out at 3 a.m. pacific time so that everyone gets the message as soon as they wake up in the morning (I have challengers from all over the world – this month I even have someone from Germany!). I will share which workout we’re doing that day (it’s in the fitness guide that comes with the program bu some people like a reminder) along with some encouragement. I will post a Facebook task of the day and invite my challengers to complete it and comment on the post. For example, I’ll ask everyone to post a photo of a meal or snack they ate that day, to share a favorite recipe, or to post a photo of them flexing after their workout on Flex Friday. Commenting, posting and participating s totally optional and depends on your comfort level and time.

I love hosting challenge group sand I look forward to checking my Facebook feed daily to see how my challengers are doing. The first time I was in a challenge group I was in my sponsor coach Allison’s group even though I wasn’t actually doing a program (I was actually on vacation the first week). Just READING the posts every day got me inspired to work out and eat healthier, and I wasn’t even on a program. I absolutely believe these challenge groups make a difference in achieving results. Even though 21 day doesn’t seem like a long time, it can be hard to maintain motivation for three full weeks. When you have a daily reminder that others are cheering for you to achieve your goals, it really helps keep you on track.

July 21 Day Fix Challenge Group Results

My favorite part of coaching is hearing feedback from people who have changed their lives from these programs. THEY WORK! I changed my life with P90X in 2011 and got back into shape with P90X & 21 Day Fix and 21 Day Fix Extreme after pregnancy. I 100% believe in these programs and I would NOT sell them if I didn’t.

Here are some of the results from my July 21 Day Fix Challenge Group:

“I’m down 7 pounds and 11 inches total! I plan on continuing with the meal plan because it has helped me so much with my portion control and mindless snacking. This was just the kick in the butt I needed.” – Katie

“I’m down 2.3 lbs and 2 inches total – I’ll take it! I plan on continuing with workouts, as I’m noticing I’m strength/endurance in doing the moves has improved. Feeling great! 🙂 ” – Anne

“I definitely feel that I met my goal of getting stronger to stay injury-free for running and plan to keep going with five 21 Day Fix workouts each week. This has also been a huge wakeup call for how skewed our diet was toward carbs. We even joined a CSA to help keep the veggie focused eating going!” – Nicole

“We both made great improvements with my husband down 10 lbs and 3″ and myself 7 lbs and 10″ overall ! I think this plan was helpful to understand portions better and to plan ahead for the week which prevented quick grabs/take out or unnecessary snacking. I think this was also a jump start to prioritizing our own health and fitness. Thank you!” – T & G

“I curbed my desire to eat sugary food by enjoying more fruit in my diet. I don’t mindlessly grab things in the afternoon when I’m tired. I have a better idea of my portions. I could eat carbs and more carbs and more, but focusing on limiting those in favor for more protein and veggies is helpful. I plan to continue using the containers and the workouts into my otherwise active life! Continuing goals are still to wake up early and be consistent with my runs.” – Heather

“I loved the workouts and feel so much stronger! The most challenging part for me was Plyo Fix. I learned that I can get an awesome workout in 30 mins, which is definitely something I’ll continue!” – Claire

Also check out my May Challenge Group results post.

I couldn’t be more proud of each and every one of my challengers. They all do 21 Day Fix for different reasons – to add some strength training to their running routine, to lose the baby weight, to tone up, to be more conscious of their eating habits, to feel better, to feel more comfortable in a bathing suit…the list goes on. No matter what each of our goals are, we support each other. And we all know that support is pivotal in achieving your goals.

My August 8^th group is currently underway but I’m hosting another group August 29^th – I’d love to have you! Reach out by commenting below or emailing me at fitnessfataleblog at gmail.com.