What can a 48-year-old desk jockey do to himself in a 12-week stretch of time before Halloween in terms of fitness? In this 12-week challenge, I plan on going all out and potentially dressing up as Venom for Halloween using latex body paint.
But at the moment, no one wants to see that.
Halloween Fitness Challenge Data
The sheet above estimates averages to gauge performance throughout the Halloween fitness challenge. Sections that are highlighted in yellow boxes are points of data that have been recorded. Sections with green highlights denote that I maintained my Net 600 diet plan. The sections in red are days that I ultimately failed at recording data.
The idea is to not see any kind of red in the sheet.
Halloween Fitness Weekly Updates
- Hot 4 Halloween: What Can I Do to Myself in 12 Weeks?
Here we are, yet another fitness challenge that I am attempting. This one is going to focus on seeing what I can do in 12 weeks before Halloween. This time, I don’t foresee any hiccups along the way. - Week 1 H4H: Lost 0.8 Pounds Amidst the Chaos
Well, my first week of Hot 4 Halloween didn’t go according to plan. It was quite a bit chaotic but for a very good reason. I still lost a bit of weight, so at least I’m going in the right direction. - Week 2 H4H: Gained 0.6 Pounds This Week, Sigh…
It’s been another busy week as we continue to clean up Grandpa’s basement. It’s insane how much stuff we had to throw away or recycle. Needless to say, I didn’t get as much exercise or gym time as I wanted. - Week 3 H4H: Lost 3.4 Pounds Without Much Effort
This week has been another busy one at my house. I’m still working on trying to get it all organized and wasn’t really putting in the effort to exercise or go to the gym. Yet, it all kind of worked out. - Weeks 6, 7, & 8 H4H: Chaos Reigns Supreme!
Maintaining my Hot 4 Halloween challenge has been especially difficult the last few weeks. It’s been a mixed bag of various elements, and all of them unique. Still, I’m not giving up. - Week 9 H4H: Getting Back to Basics
This past week was quite uneventful for weight loss. I’m definitely not hitting any goals before Halloween. However, I think I’m in a mental place to get back to basics. And so far, Week 10 has been going well. - Week 10 H4H: The Chaos Continues!
No matter how I try to hedge my bets, something always seems to sidetrack my efforts for this challenge. It’s starting to feel like the universe is throwing everything it can at me. Bring it! - Week 11 H4H: Sunk to the Bottom of the Ocean
To say this challenge went belly up is an understatement. It was hit by a torpedo while smashing against the shoals during a hurricane. With everything that has been going on lately, it’s just been a wild one. - Week 12 of 12 H4H: Epic Failure, But…
So, the Hot 4 Halloween challenge was an epic failure of biblical proportions. I didn’t put in a lot of effort and was sidetracked more often than I would have liked. However, I learned a few things for the next.
What the Halloween Challenge Entails
This challenge may be a bit simple to some, but for me, it’s going to be grueling. That’s mostly because I often forget or get easily sidetracked. But if I can maintain the Halloween fitness challenge for 12 weeks, I should see a considerable difference in the mirror and on the scale.
So, what does this challenge entail?
- Sticking with my Net 600 Calorie Diet
I know how well this diet plan works for me. It’s focus is increasing physical activity and burning twice as many calories as I consume each day. - Dropping average carb intake to 150g per day
Reducing my carb intake is key to losing weight quickly in a healthy manner. However, I don’t want to cut out the goodies entirely. - Increasing minimum protein intake per day
I don’t get enough protein in my diet, especially since I push so hard at the gym. I figured I needed a minimum of 120g per day. - 12,500 steps per day on average
As I am a desk jockey, getting 12,500 steps per day is going to be a challenge in itself. Yet, this includes all physical activity. - Getting more sleep on average
My average sleep over the past six months is 6.47 hours per night. Let’s see if I can get more than that throughout the week. - Breaking a personal record each week
I often focus on breaking personal records. It’s one of the ways I gamify fitness as I have fun while working toward the goal. - Weekly video updates on YouTube
I’m going to push to upload an update video each week to the YouTube channel. If all goes well, it should be relatively easy – knock on wood. - Updating ColoradoPlays.com gaming calories
Now that I have a new Fitbit, I want to record new data for the different Oculus and Kinect games I play to burn calories.
This may look easy, but for someone who lives as chaotic of a life as I do, it’s quite difficult. And if I can keep everything balanced, I should be able to do some awesome things for Halloween while boosting my overall fitness.
Final Results
As this challenge is ongoing, I don’t have the final results yet. However, I’ll update this page on October 28, 2024. I’m looking forward to seeing what I can do.
How Do You Challenge Yourself for Fitness?
I love challenging myself. While it often ends in frustration as the universe seems to be against me every step of the way, I keep trying. That’s because I refuse to give up and will continue the fight until I achieve my goals.
How do you challenge yourself to go beyond your perceived limitations?