30-Day Weight Loss Challenge: Have Fun + Get Fit Together!

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*Post updated 02/01/2023

As my long-term readers may know, I love good friendly competition. For those of you new to my site, welcome! I am a pretty competitive person. It brings out a fun side of me. Being in competition always drives me and makes me push my limits and try that much harder to reach my goals. In fact, I actually wrote a book all about challenges, The Big Book of 30-Day Fitness Challenges. As a personal trainer and nutrition specialist, I love how challenges can help my clients focus on one thing at a time to build healthier habits. Everything becomes more fun when you can twist it a bit and make it a game. If we want to reach our goals and stick to new habits, they had better be fun, right?

I especially love a good 30-day challenge because it helps us embrace a new habit and try it on for a bit. By striving every day to make small changes, we get closer to our goals. So if you are here because you are looking for a 30-day weight loss challenge to help you hit your weight loss goals, or you are looking for a 30-day fitness challenge to help you build new healthy habits of working out and moving your body every day, and improving your fitness level, you are in the right place! This 30-Day Couples Challenge is a great way for anyone looking to shift and make a change in their lives.

Let’s face it, as humans; we hate to lose. That’s why the best way to make a change is via friendly competition. 30 Day fitness challenges are a very effective way to stay on track when you want to lose weight.

Hence the reason I created this fun couples fitness challenge!

I know this says “couples” challenge – but really, you only need at least two people to compete. If you cannot get your significant other on board, ask a friend, sibling, parent, or co-worker. Or you could up the ante and make it a group challenge with a group of your favorite humans!

Most 30-day weight loss challenges are won by the amount of weight loss in 30 days. I wanted to make this one different. Let’s face it everyone loses weight in completely different ways. You may not lose much weight but will lose inches instead. It is also likely your husband will lose weight faster than you, so for that reason, this Couples Fitness Challenge is based on a points system and not tied to weight loss on a scale.

You receive points daily for making healthy decisions for a healthier and happier you. You can also lose points for some less-than-stellar health choices. I put those in for extra motivation not to cave into cravings and incentivize you to choose healthy food instead.

The whole point of this challenge is to have fun as your work towards new and exciting fitness goals in your life. Change is hard, but the good news is it can be fun. And the best part, I promise you will feel better, maybe not at first but after a week or so of eating a healthy diet and exercising, your body will start to have more energy, and you will FEEL amazing! Our bodies are designed to be nourished with real whole foods and to be moved daily.

How The Point System Works Out For The Challenge:

1. Working Out For 30 Minutes – 5 points

Every day the goal will be to move your body for 30 minutes, which can be simply going for a walk, or you can choose resistance training, HIIT (high-intensity interval training), yoga, dancing, or a cardio workout. The fitness program you choose does not matter. The main concept here is to do something every day to get your heart rate up! Choose something you enjoy, mix it up and have fun with this; there is no WRONG way to move every day. I am more concerned about making regular exercise a part of your daily routine for hopefully the rest of your life.

2. Drinking 8 oz of Water – 1 pt for every 8 oz

Drinking water is the most underrated tool for healthy weight loss and its overall health benefits. I recommend to my clients to drink at least 2/3 of their body weight in ounces, so if you weigh 150lbs, that would be 150/ {2/3} = 100 ounces; you can divide that by 8, and you’ll earn yourself about 12 points every day! Try these fun water recipes to add flavor without extra calories. Get in the habit of always having a water bottle with you!

3. Abstain From Sugar – 5 points

This sugar challenge may feel like a major bummer; I get it! I am a recovering sugar addict myself. Sugar has a bad rap for a reason. So many health issues have been tied to an overabundance of added sugar in our daily diets. Opt for natural, no, calorie sweeteners instead; I like stevia, monk fruit, allulose, and erythritol. They do not have a negative effect on your blood sugar levels as some artificial sweeteners can. Order a KetoKrate they are filled with healthy no sugar added treats! (Don’t let the “Keto” scare you!) use code andiethueson to save 25%

4. Run/Walk – 1 pt for every mile.

One of the easiest ways you can make a change in your health is by aiming to get 10,000 steps daily. This is actually will take a bit more effort on your part. 10,000 steps usually equate to about 5 miles, which will help you rack up extra points pretty dang quick! And your body will thank you! (Use a fitness tracker to keep track of your steps – I love my Apple Watch for this)

5. Drink Soda – lose 5 points.

Diet or not, drinking soda is not good for you; I hate to break it to you. As an avid Diet Coke drinker for far too long, this small change of giving it up has made a big impact on my overall health and wellness. When I need a caffeine boost, I reach for perk instead, which also helps control my cravings as well – so double win.

6. Eat Fast Food -lose 5 points. 

Ditching the processed foods in your life is another quick (I won’t say easy) way to flip the switch on your health. Choose to cook from home, where you have more control over what goes in your food, and you can choose healthier foods when you are cooking healthy meals for your family. I often tell my clients to start by improving their eating habits first! Since 80% of success in weight loss comes from our food choices. Always remember real food is your friend!

7. Complete 4 Rounds of 20 Repetitions of Ab Exercises -5 points

This is a simple way to rack up extra points every day and whittle your middle. I will do a couple of rounds while watching TV at night.

8. Hit your caloric goal for the day – 5 points.

Use a tracker like My Fitness Pal to help track caloric intake. If you are not sure how to calculate your macros or daily caloric intake needs, I am happy to help! I offer customized macro plans based on your body’s particular needs. My Macro plans work a bit differently than any other plan out there. I tie in the scientific approach (NASM Nutrition Specialist) as well as dive into what your body needs energetically based on your Human Design chart. (certified Human Design Chart reader) so the practical and woo-woo get tied together beautifully.

Bonus – Extra 20 minutes of after-dinner activity – walk, bike ride, dance party… – 10 points

In the summer, my husband and I love to take a walk after dinner, it helps with digestion, and it is a quiet time together at the end of the day. This is a bit trickier during the winter, but get creative and have fun. End the day with a family yoga stretch!

I have created a free points tracker that is an excellent tool to help you remember “the rules” of the challenge and to help you keep track of your daily point totals for the entirety of the 30-day challenge. So you can crown the victor at the end of the 30 days!

To download a copy now, click here, and it will be sent to your email right away! Where you can download a PDF copy.

At our house, we like to put a little extra skin in the game and make friendly wagers. Make the bets interesting! Hate to fold laundry; make the loser fold the laundry for the next month! I had one reader report they put some sexual favors on the line. Mr. Thueson would LOVE that! So if you want to up your fitness game and kickstart your fitness journey, a challenge is where it’s at. A 30-day weight loss challenge will bring out that inner competitor in you and push you when you feel like giving in or giving up.

And when you and your partner in the challenge both create new healthy habits, regardless of who is named champion, you both win, and that, my friend, is a very good thing! This is not the kind of 30-day weight loss challenge that promises fantastic results or that you’ll lose 30 lbs in 30 days. This challenge is about setting you up for good habits that create a long-term change in your life. Your hard work and commitment will pay off. And you can be proud of the changes you are making! Small changes = BIG lasting results over time.

As Mary Poppins so eloquently stated so many years ago:

In every job that must be done, there is an element of fun. You find the fun and – SNAP – the job’s a game.

The more we can make our weight loss journey fun and exciting, the more likely we will be to stick with it. So take this 30-day weight loss challenge for couples and grab your man, friend, sibling, parent, or co-worker, and have some fun! 

For More Fun, 30-Day Weight Loss Challenges Check These Out:

• 30 Days of Fitness Challenge 
• 50 Ways To Get In 10,000 Steps 
• Step 2 It Challenge 

Good Luck!