Tag Archives: challenge

At the beginning of November, I challenged myself to get up at 5 every morning and work on my novel. That has gone so well that I want to challenge myself to a year-long goal. This one, however, I want to be fitness- or diet-related. The caveat is that meeting the challenge has to have a payoff commensurate with the effort — success is not its own reward, but thank you for playing — and my husband will have to agree to the payoff terms. The challenge will be all-or-nothing though, so he wouldn’t have to cough up the reward unless I am 100% successful.

So I want to hear your opinions and ideas. What challenge should I undertake? What reward should I ask for? Here are some challenge ideas I’ve thought of, in order of difficulty:

• A year of working out, a minimum of 30 minutes a day, 6 days per week
• A year following the Primal Lifestyle workout recommendations
• A year following the Slow Carb diet
• A year without sugar
• A year without grains
• A year following the Primal Lifestyle diet
• A year following the Primal Lifestyle diet AND workout recommendations

The degree of difficulty from the top of the list to the bottom of the list is massively different, and it would require some pretty significant motivation for me to commit to something at the bottom of the list. In all honesty, I don’t think my husband can afford the challenges at the bottom of the list. (I’m not sure he wants to afford the ones at the top of the list either, for that matter.)

As far as rewards go, I’ve come up with two: money or a trip. Money would probably be used for a trip. My husband isn’t wild about the idea of a trip, because I don’t like leaving the dogs alone — ergo, he would get stuck at home while I was off doing something fun. I won’t lie and say that’s not a risk. It would depend entirely upon the trip. I don’t think he’d much enjoy a week at Bitterroot Ranch.

So I want and need your comments on this one. What challenge do you think I should undertake? What reward should I request?