What Exactly is a Challenge Group?

At least once or twice a month, I post an invitation to my Facebook page inviting people to join one of my challenge groups.  Some are just 5 days to provide a free jump start to getting back on track through making good eating choices, finding time to workout, and of course, gleaning from my coaching support. Other challenge groups are 21 days in length for a more focused group that works on the specifics of nutrition, portion control, water intake, and scheduling a 30 minute daily working out.  All of this may sound a little intimidating to people who do not understand what actually happens during a group.  Many fear the unknown so they never take a chance and try it out.  Well, I am here to provide the inside scoop on challenge groups to hopefully debunk any myths out there of which you may have either heard or have been fearful.   My hope is that by knowing exactly what goes on before, during and after a group that you will find it less intimidating to take that first step to join one and experience the power of accountability for yourself.

Once a person decides upon joining a challenge group, he/she notifies me so that I can invite them to a private Facebook group or to the Challenge Tracker App.  The private Facebook group is seen by no one outside of the group participants, meaning all posts stay within that group forum and are not posted to your wall.  The Challenge Tracker App works very much like Facebook, however, it is much more geared towards the nutritional and workout goals we are trying to achieve within the longer group.  The App is free and very user friendly for both the coaches and the participants. Again, it is private to the group only and requires an invitation email from a coach to join.

The week before the group officially begins the challenge, participants will be getting daily posts from me sharing tips and ideas for setting everyone up for success.  For instance, meal planning is key to any nutritional gains so there will be tips on how to best accomplish this prior to "go" day.  Participants will also be encouraged to set their own goals for the duration for our group, most of which do not deal with weight loss.  They are geared to be more about the process of getting there.  For instance, "I will workout 3 times a week, eat only clean foods and drink 8-8oz glasses of water a day".  That is a realistic, measurable and achievable goal set for a person getting back into the health and fitness realm.  Members may be asked to do a little mini introduction of themselves (questions provided) so that everyone can better know who they will be spending the next 21 days with.  Group members will also be asked to record their  measurements and start weight so that they can adequately measure their progress along the way!  Don't worry, no one shares their personal measurements with the group.  Those are for your eyes ONLY!  However, it is a super important step because the scale is not always kind, but inches may be changing regardless of the scale!  Also, it qualifies you to win Beachbody prizes for completing a whole program.

Once the group officially starts, participants will still receive daily posts for motivation and encouragement  from me as well as helpful tips so it will be important to stay in tuned to the group forum at least once a day.  In addition to receiving input from me, participants are asked to post daily as well (this is the accountability portion which is one of the TOP strategies for getting successful results). A participant post might include something like, "I did great today and stayed within my calories! Had a cup of hot tea to wave of the afternoon cravings which worked well!"  Or it might look like, "I really struggled staying on track today.  We went out to eat and the bread sticks at Olive Garden really called my name!  Back on the wagon tomorrow!"  Group members are also encouraged to share pictures of the foods they are eating, sweaty selfies after working out, ideas of their own that are working, recipes they found, questions they may have about something that came up, etc.  The list goes on!  The forum becomes the participants forum at this point and interaction is pertinent to success and growth in their health and fitness journey.

At the end of the group, participants are asked to report their successes from all of their hard work!  It might be as simple as, "Now I am used to working out 3 times a week so I plan to continue!" or "I lost 5 lbs and 9 inches overall!" or maybe it is "I was able to stay on track with my eating and no cheats the entire 21 days!"  It could be anything that they learned, accomplished or even plan to continue doing once the group is over.  A member can always join in on the next group to keep the trend going or they may wish to try it on their own.  Most good coaches will still check in from time to time to hear about your continued success.  Most of us are very passionate about what we do which means we LOVE to see others achieve more self confidence,  feel better health-wise and get used to a routine that sets them up for nothing but success down the road! The thing I like most about Beachbody is that it is no quick fix pill or wrap or drink.  Success comes from solid work on reigning in eating habits (without taking away all of the foods you love), working out to your level of intensity (there are modifiers in almost every program video) and using the group as your accountability forum.  Those three things add up to mounds of success!

So as you can see, really there are only perks to being a part of a challenge group. You are joining with like-minded people to reach common goals which is more empowering than one can imagine.  So the question is simple....why haven't you joined yet?  :) If you are ready to jump in and create the changes in you that you have been thinking about, I would be happy to support you through your journey.  I am beginning my October Challenge Group called Frightfully Fit on Oct. 10.  I am looking for 10 eager women who are ready to take action to change their lives for the better.  All you have to do is fill out the form below, and I will invite you to our private forum. Once I have 10 members, the October group will be closed for this coming month.  Currently, there are only 7 spots remaining so act fast.  If you work the program, you WILL NOT FAIL!  Beachbody guarantees it with a full refund if you are not fully satisfied.  So what are you waiting for?

Click here to sign up for the Frightfully Fit Challenge Group
or click here to email me with further questions