Are you feeling exhausted and in need of a fresh start? Well, it’s the perfect time to renew your mind and body with the Excy Spring Renewal Challenge. Spring is here, and just like the buds on the trees and the flowers blooming from the ground, there’s always room for renewal and personal growth.
A walk with my dogs over the weekend observing the spring growth spurred the idea for a new challenge! Let’s call this our “Third R” on the heels of our 2020 Resilience Challenge and our 2021 Rejuvenation Challenge. We’re all still coming out of the COVID funk of the last three years! Let’s shift to “Renewal.” –Michele Mehl
Spring Renewal: The walk and colors that inspired our challenge
10 Spring Renewal Dares to Unleash Bold New Energy
To help you embrace the new beginning that spring brings, we’ve created 10 dares designed to renew your energy and leave you feeling invigorated. And the best part? They’re simple, achievable, and will transform you from the inside out. Just remember, your physical, mental, and spiritual health are the biggest investments you’ll ever make, so take care of yourself to achieve your greatest wealth.
So, what are you waiting for? Let’s get started with the Excy Renewal Challenge
1) Let Sleep Heal Your Body
Create an evening and morning sleep routine to allow your body and brain to function optimally. Sleep is crucial for our overall health and well-being. It is essential for muscle repair, memory consolidation, and regulating hormones responsible for growth and appetite. For the next 30 days, make sleep the centerpiece of your renewal journey. By allowing your body and brain to function optimally, you can improve your overall well-being.
Sleep Tip: Set a consistent bedtime and wake-up time, and establish a relaxing wind-down routine before bed. Avoid electronics and stimulating activities in the hour before sleep.
2) Nourish Your Body with Good Food
Eat two servings of fruit and three servings of vegetables a day to rejuvenate yourself from the inside out. Food has the power to rejuvenate us from the inside out. Shift towards a healthy dietary pattern to achieve and maintain good health and reduce the risk of chronic diseases.
Nutrition Tip: Make small changes to your eating habits and commit to healthy eating one day at a time. Choose colorful fruits and vegetables for maximum health benefits.
3) Use Exercise to Rejuvenate Your Cells
Identify a “why” behind your exercise intentions and commit to a weekly goal to improve muscle health and exercise capacity. Exercise has been shown to improve muscle health and exercise capacity, which is a predictor of mortality in the general population. Use exercise to rejuvenate your cells and extend your lifespan.
Exercise Tip: Find a physical activity that you enjoy and set achievable goals to stay motivated. Start with small steps and gradually increase your intensity. Excy can help here! Throughout the month, enjoy pedaling Excy as a recumbent bike, upper body ergometer, and in the supine lying down exercise bike position or another fun workout position of your choice (explore the positions here). Make sure to download the Excy app for coaching and to keep you motivated!
4) Discover a Curious Mindset — Listen. Learn. Grow
Take a moment to learn something new each day and expand your mind. We are including getting a curious mindset in our Rejuvenation Challenge because curiosity has been linked with psychological, emotional, social, and even health benefits. The power of being open-minded, the ability to step into the unknown, and desire to acquire knowledge is at the core of human nature. Our brains reward us for being curious and then pursuing that curiosity. When we explore and satisfy our curiosity, our brain floods our body with dopamine, which makes us feel happier.
Curious Mindset Tip: Be curious and stay curious a little longer than you are comfortable with. The unknown path is the path to growth. Something small, yet impactful that I have done during the pandemic to get a curious mindset is to start listening to thought provoking podcasts and books during my daily walk. However, my walks are short, so I rarely finish a podcast. Instead of finishing it the next day, I simply started listening to all podcasts and books at 2X the normal speed. It takes time to get used to it, but once you do, it’s a game changer for consuming knowledge.
5) Help the Helpers
Find someone doing something that is important to you that helps others and support their cause in an authentic way to reduce stress and improve mood, self-esteem, and happiness. Putting other people’s needs before our own can reduce stress and improve mood, self-esteem, and happiness. In addition, those who volunteer to help others consistently tend to live longer than those who don’t. They also report lower blood pressure, less depression, lower stress, and greater happiness while doing it. Helping the helpers is the perfect way to help renew your mind, body, and soul.
Help the Helpers Tip: Volunteer your time, money, skill set, or energy to help others. It doesn’t just make the world better—it also makes you better.
6) Identify and Eliminate Controllable Stress Factors
Take a 24-hour break from the news, social media, or even certain friends that cause you stress. Stress affects all systems of the body including the musculoskeletal, respiratory, cardiovascular, endocrine, gastrointestinal, nervous, and reproductive systems. With the American Psychological Association warning us that physical health is declining due to an inability to cope in healthy ways with the stresses of the pandemic, we have to find a way to put out the stress fires. Stress that’s left unchecked can contribute to many health problems, such as high blood pressure, heart disease, obesity and Type 2 diabetes.
Stress Tip: Use your 24-hour break to engage in relaxing activities that bring you joy, such as meditation, yoga, reading, or taking a warm bath. This will help reduce stress levels and promote a sense of calm and well-being.
7) Hydrate
Drink eight 8-ounce glasses of water a day to regulate body temperature, keep joints lubricated, and prevent infections. It is essential to stay well-hydrated as every cell, tissue, and organ in our body requires water to function properly. Proper hydration can help regulate body temperature, lubricate joints, prevent infections, deliver nutrients to cells, and keep organs functioning properly. Moreover, it can also improve sleep quality, cognition, and mood to help you feel rejuvenated.
Hydration Tip: For adults, the general recommendation from The U.S. National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine is to drink about 11.5 cups (2.7 liters) a day for women and 15.5 cups (3.7 liters) a day for men. To make it easier, fill one container with the appropriate amount and carry it with you throughout the day. If you don’t like water, try adding fruit like lemons, limes, and oranges. Alternatively, you can add cucumber, watermelon, strawberries, or herbs for a delicious twist.
8) Spread Positivity
To start spreading positivity everywhere, find a good uplifting story and share it with at least three people. Spring is a time for growth and renewal, and it’s an excellent opportunity to start fresh with a positive outlook on life. Positive thinking has several health benefits, including improving the immune system, reducing anxiety, and increasing positive emotions such as happiness. Therefore, we could all use more positivity in our lives to rejuvenate our health.
Positivity Tip: The next time you find yourself sharing a negative or uninspiring story on social media, pause and process the stream of unspoken thoughts and emotions running through your head. Positive thinking often starts with self-talk, and we need to avoid negative self-talk as much as possible. If it generates any form of negative thoughts, don’t send it. If we start thinking more positively, we’ll start feeling and acting more positively, ultimately spreading positivity.
9) Watch a Sunset
Take some time to enjoy a sunset and let go of any worries or stress. Watching a sunset can be a magical experience that signifies the completion of a cycle and the promise of a new beginning. It’s an excellent opportunity to appreciate the beauty of nature and let go of any worries or stress.
Sunset Tip: Find a peaceful spot in nature to watch the sunset, whether it’s a park or a hiking trail. Take some snacks or drinks and make it a picnic to enjoy the moment with friends and family.
10) Watch a Sunrise
Take some time to watch the sunrise and connect with its powerful energy, signifying a new beginning and starting fresh with the spring season. The idea of this Spring Renewal Challenge is to start fresh with the season and let go of the past. Watching a sunrise can be a representation of stepping out of darkness and into a new beginning, making it an excellent opportunity to appreciate the beauty of nature.
Sunrise Tip: Watch the sunrise with friends or a loved one if you need motivation. Plan a breakfast picnic or go for a morning walk afterward to get your body moving and start your day on a positive note.
Spring Renewal: Your Health for Your Greatest Wealth
We hope this Excy spring renewal challenge offers 10 dares to help you renew your mind, body, and soul. By taking care of ourselves and investing in our physical, mental, and spiritual health, we can achieve our greatest wealth.It’s time to shift to “Renewal” and start fresh with the spring season. So, join us on this journey and take on these simple and achievable dares to transform yourself from the inside out. Remember, every day is an opportunity to invest in your health and well-being. There’s no better time to start than now.
And don’t let obstacles get in your way when it comes to exercise! Excy is here to help!
