Top 3 fitness challenges to try for March 2022

I'm no stranger to workout challenges: I tried the 10,000-swing kettlebell challenge and 100 pull-ups a day for a week challenges before. Exercise challenges can help you get out of a workout rut and help you reignite the passion for workouts in one fell swoop. For March 2022, I recommend trying the below 3 workout challenges to keep you moving!

But before you start walking tens of thousands of steps every day, it's worth thinking through why you want to do a workout challenge in the first place? Have you got an end goal in sight or do you just want to get started? Have you got any equipment to use for the challenges? Have you allocated some time in the day to exercise?

Don't overthink things but make sure you don't pick a challenge that's impossible to complete for you. For example, if you're sedentary, I wouldn't recommend starting high-intensity running workouts. Brisk walking is more beneficial for your joints and cardiovascular system. Once you can move around for longer with ease, you can start thinking about introducing more exercise in your daily routine.

Challenge #1: Fat-burning 4-week running challenge

To kick things off, here is a workout challenge that doesn't require you to wear anything on your wrist (although it's not a bad idea to track your efforts with a watch). You might need a comfortable pair of running shoes – or stability running shoes if you suffer from overpronation – to make sure your legs stay fresh as possible throughout the month.

There are no badges to earn here; your reward is the comforting thought that you lost some weight and kick-started your metabolism, ready for beach body season. For the best results, I recommend not stopping at the end of four weeks but carrying on with some resistance training to keep the weight off and increase your BMR.

The challenge itself is relatively straightforward: you'll be doing alternating low and high-intensity runs throughout the week with a rest day after three running sessions. Low-intensity runs are 30-50 minutes long while the high-intensity sessions will last for only 20-30 minutes.

For more info and the complete plan, visit the challenge's page today.

Challenge #2: Starbucks March Steps Challenge (US & Canada only)

Moving on! This is a simpler challenge than the previous one, in the sense that it doesn't require you to do full-body workouts every day. Instead, you'll be walking, a lot, but in return, you'll be able to have free drinks at Starbucks. Nice!

For this challenge, you'll need a Garmin watch and if you haven't got one just yet, you can get one for cheap by visiting our cheap Garmin watch deals page.

To earn the Starbucks March Steps in Garmin Connect – the free companion app you get access to when using a Garmin watch – you must record 400,000 steps from March 1–March 31. This equates to 12,903 steps per day for 31 days. If you're starting today, you'll need to do 21,052 steps for the rest of the month to complete the challenge. Not impossible by any means!

Should you do this challenge, you'll be able to add 150 Stars to your Starbucks Rewards account, redeemable for a free beverage or food item of your choice at participating Starbucks stores.

Get slurping!

Check out all the Garmin Challenges for March (UK) here.

Challenge #3: Le Col Shape Up Challenge (UK)

Fancy winning £3,000 worth of Le Col kit? Try completing the Le Col Shape Up Challenge on Strava, which starts on 11 March 2022 and runs all the way until the end of March.

You'll need a running watch, triathlon watch or fitness tracker for this challenge; any wearable that tracks sports activities and can feed data into the Strava would work.

To acquire the badge, ride/run/ski or kayak for a total of 250 minutes from the 11 March to the 31 March to receive a £50 Reward for use at LeCol. Better still, the activity page states that "All challenge completers making it over the line in time with 250 minutes of activity will receive a £50 Reward for use at LeCol. (£50 minimum. spend applies)."

So no need to spend £1k to have that £50 off, woohoo!