Challenge Prep #1: Everything you need to know about Prep Week!
Hey!
I’m popping into your inbox with your first “official” Challenge Prep email for Autoimmune Strong’s 14 Day Challenge.
Today, I’m discussing why we need to take time to prepare for a challenge, and how that preparation commits us to showing up.
I want you to feel strong and confident on your first day of this Challenge. No wondering about what equipment to use or where to find the link…I want you to just be able to show up and do the thing.
The good news is that you can breathe easy and relax. I am here to make this Challenge easy for you.
In this Challenge, I am going to guide you slowly into habit-forming, progressive exercise that may feel small or insignificant at first but is actually the foundation of what good fitness is built on.
Once we are successful with teeny tiny baby steps, we can continue to be successful and add more to our routine when the time is right.
Now, the first step towards success is preparation. That’s why we are starting with these Challenge Prep emails. They are the first step towards preparing your mind and body for the Challenge.
In the upcoming Challenge Prep for Success emails, you will receive prompts on the following topics:
How to select the equipment you will need and where to purchase it (don’t worry, all you need is a foam roller!)
How to set up your physical surroundings at home so they’re conducive to exercise.
How to successfully make time in your daily life for your exercises.
How to “think” about exercise, because the proper mindset is an essential component to success at accomplishing this Challenge.
Details on how this Challenge will work so you know exactly what to expect
And details on how to access the Challenge Facebook page, so we can all communicate, support and encourage each other when the Challenge begins!
Today’s Challenge Prep For Success Tip: Get excited!!!! Tell your friends and family! The Challenge countdown begins! We start in just 1 week!
I believe in you! I know you can do this!
With strength + love.
Your Coach,
Andrea
PS. Stay tuned for your Challenge Prep For Success Email #2, all about exercise equipment, coming to your inbox tomorrow!
Challenge Prep #2: What Exercise Equipment Do I Need?
Hi!
The first question I always get is this: what equipment do I need?
The good news is that you don’t need much equipment to be successful at this Challenge.
I do recommend using a yoga mat to denote my workout space and give me a comfy place to put my body, but that’s not a requirement. Here is a link to a few yoga mat options.
But there is one essential tool that really helps to transform your body—a foam roller!
Foam rolling is one of the most important cornerstones of Autoimmune Strong.
Don’t worry if you haven’t heard of foam rolling yet. I am going to teach all about it in the Challenge. BUT I want you to have the right tool so you are ready for action on our foam rolling Challenge day.
I swear- foam rolling will change your life- so it's worth it to buy the right tool.
Here are my three favorite foam rolling equipment options:
I have included links here so you can buy the one that best works for you (and I do receive an affiliate commission) but you can also find them at your local big box store or sometimes even at the Dollar Store. Foam rollers don’t have to be expensive to work wonders!
The Tiger Tail: This is my favorite foam roller option for people with limited mobility, restricted joint movement and difficulty getting up and down off the floor. You can use this standing or sitting in a chair!
Traditional Foam Roller: If you are mobile enough to get up and down off the floor easily, then you should start with this foam roller. The Amazon link I posted here shows you the shorter version- but make sure you purchase the full length option (36"), so you can foam roll your whole body and do some shoulder openers as well (which I will teach you in video 5). This one is medium density which works for most people, but if you are highly sensitive to pain and pressure, you could try this white version, which is a little softer.
The Infinity Foam Roller: This happens to be my favorite foam roller option, but I had to work up to it over time. I recommend this one to people who are freely mobile and who have previous exercise experience. The grey one is the softest and is best for highly sensitive people.
The Mini Infinity Roller: I am going to teach you how to foam roll your feet, which I promise you will love. You can use a tennis ball or a golf ball or something similar you have around your house, but many members love having this specific foot foam rolling tool to make their feet sing!
So, pick the foam roller you think will work best for you!
Today’s Challenge Prep For Success Tip: Pick your foam rolling tool and order it. Future you will thank you for being prepared on the foam rolling Challenge day. You will feel prepared and confident!
With Strength & Love.
Your Coach,
Andrea
PS. Any questions about which foam roller is right for you? Just reply to this email and Alissa (our Autoimmune Strong Coach) will help you out! I believe in you! I know you can do this!
Challenge Prep #3: Where do I exercise? And what should I wear?
Hi!
We get a lot of questions about how to set up our workout space, what clothes to wear and what equipment to buy, so here are all the answers!
It’s a little long, so I made it into a blog. Click here to read it!
Today’s Challenge Prep For Success Tip: Decide where you want to exercise and get your space set up. Also, talk to your friends and family about the Challenge and ask them to cheer you on!
With strength + love.
Your Coach,
Andrea
PS. Did you know? There are Autoimmune Strong t-shirts, tanks and sweatshirts available for you to workout in! They are super comfy and soft, and I always wear mine to workout because it inspires me to be strong and keep showing up for myself.
Challenge Prep #4: Feeling Overwhelmed Yet?
Hi there!
I know, I know… it’s a lot of emails and the Challenge hasn’t even started yet!
Are you keeping up? Most likely, you are not…because there are lots of other things going on in your life. And this process can be overwhelming.
Don’t worry, I am going to give you the weekend to get caught up and settled. The prep week emails have been about getting your equipment and space all set up, so if you need the weekend to do that, it’s no problem at all!
(You can find all the prep week emails stored in the portal and if you need help finding it, click here for video instructions).
But… more importantly I wanted to troubleshoot the concept of “making time” with you.
I know your health is important to you.
I know your exercise is important to you.
I know feeling good is important to you.
But yet- obstacles are going to get in your way that are going to keep you from making time for this challenge.
If you don't make time for your exercise- then nothing changes. In order to see the change in our bodies (and our minds and our moods) then we have to make a little time for this Challenge.
So- how do we prioritize it?
Here are my three tips to making this challenge a priority in your life for the next two weeks:
Plan ahead: Look at your daily schedule for the next two weeks and decide: when are you going to exercise? Are you a morning person? Or is it best to do it at night? When are you most likely to make this happen for yourself?
Prepare yourself: Consider: What can you do to prepare for your exercise the next day? Would laying out your clothes, yoga mat and foam roller the night before help? Would setting a reminder in your phone help? Would asking a friend or family member to check in with you help? You can put that into motion now, ahead of time.
Be kind to yourself: Recognize that there will be days that you don’t get your exercise in. Brainstorm ahead of time. When you miss your exercises, what will you do? Will you let that knock you off course? Or will you just begin again the next day? (For the record, I recommend beginning again the next day. One or two missed days does not mean that the Challenge is over for you!)
Today’s Challenge Prep For Success Tip: Follow these three tips, and re-commit to yourself: I will do this, as best I can! This is your mantra- and repeating it often will help inspire you to keep going.
I believe in you! You got this!!!
With Strength & Love.
Your Coach,
Andrea
Challenge Prep #5: Preparing Our Mindset for the Challenge
Hi!
Only three more days until the Challenge begins!!!!!
Mindset is super important to our success in this Challenge.
We have to avoid the obstacle of “losing steam” which is very common and happens to many of us. But it doesn’t have to be that way!
Here’s what happens:
When we sign up for something like a 14 day fitness challenge, we are of course initially very excited! A chance to change up our routine? To carve out space for a new way of working out? Excited about potential results that we’ll both see and feel? Sign us up!
But…we often get overwhelmed by the flood of excitement so much that it can wear down by the time we are actually set to begin. That’s when the fear and doubt set in, and we start to wonder if we can actually do this.
And then…we get paralyzed by all the worries. “What if I can’t do it? What if it’s too hard? I have tried things like this before and I haven’t been able to complete them, why would this time be any different?” The voices in our heads become louder…
And finally- they take over. These mental head games then lead to us giving up before we even gave ourselves a chance to really get started.
Can you relate? I bet you can!
But here’s the thing: This time WILL be different.
You can breathe easy and relax. I am here to make this Challenge easy for you. I recognize these patterns, and I am going to show you how to overcome them.
In this Challenge, I am going to guide you slowly into habit-forming, progressive exercise that may feel small or insignificant at first but is actually the foundation of what good fitness is built on.
Each day, you will receive an email with your daily Challenge instructions. We will alternate between exercise days and mindset days because exercise and mindset go hand in hand. This is what will actually make the Challenge doable. Together, we will overcome the obstacles that have knocked you off course in the past so you can see how to move forward with a healthy consistent exercise routine.
Today’s Challenge Prep For Success Tip: Acknowledge the uneasy and fearful feelings that might be bubbling up now that you have committed to this Challenge. Tell yourself that they’re OK. These feelings are common. You are in a safe space. This Challenge is designed for you- to help hold your hand through the obstacles. We are going to do this together!
I believe in you! I know you can do this!
With strength + love.
Your Coach,
Andrea
PS. If you are feeling super overwhelmed and don’t feel like this Challenge is going to work for you, and you want a more personalized coaching experience, check out our small group coaching program, enrolling now for the Fall session!
Challenge Prep #6: Thinking Small
Hey there!
Have you ever considered how much your mindset plays into your physical exercise?
So much of what we do physically, what we believe we’re capable of, what we tell ourselves is too much or too little, doesn’t have to do with our bodies, but actually, with our thoughts.
The #1 reason people don’t complete the Challenge?
They think too big.
Now, I am not against big thinking, in fact, in many instances, I encourage people to think and dream big!
BUT in order to get to the finish line of any big goal, we have to break it down into small steps. And that’s where the big thinking gets in the way.
The key to success in this Challenge is going to be all about thinking small and SHIFTING our MINDSET.
Because small steps lead to big changes.
So, as we get closer to the start date of this Challenge (T-minus 2 days!) I want to let you know what to expect…
We are going to be addressing our physical exercise and our exercise mindset in the Challenge!
They go hand in hand. You’ll see. There’s a method to my madness, I promise.
Today’s Challenge Prep For Success Tip: Take the time today and tomorrow to catch up. Read all the past prep week emails (you can find them on the portal here) and get ready for some action on Monday! Prepare your mind and body to trust the process and go with the flow. You’ll see, there is magic here!
I believe in you! I know you can do this!
With strength + love.
Your Coach,
Andrea
PS. If you are feeling super overwhelmed and don’t feel like the Challenge is going to work for you, and you want a more personalized coaching experience, check out our small group coaching program, enrolling soon!
The Challenge Begins Tomorrow!!!
Hi!
It’s finally HERE!!!!
Tomorrow’s the big DAY!!!!
So, here’s what to expect:
There will be an email awaiting you in the morning titled: Challenge Day 1!
It will be very simple and easy to follow.
There will be a short 1 minute exercise video to watch, learn and practice.
That’s all. Remember, we want to think small. Our goal here is to be consistent and to complete the 14 Day Challenge!
Today’s Challenge Prep For Success Tip: Join The Autoimmune Strong Challenge Facebook Group so that you can get support and cheer the other members on! We are all in it together!
With strength + love.
Your Coach,
Andrea
PS. An important note about the Autoimmune Strong calendars: the challenge will NOT follow any of the calendars. So, if you are already using a calendar and want to participate in the challenge, no worries- just put your calendar aside and we will get back to it when the challenge is completed. :)