Start your summer looking and feeling your best with this fun 14-day healthy summer challenge! A challenge that relies on simple yet effective strategies that make a big impact. No gimmicky quick fixes here.
Right before summer, most people are super motivated to get into shape. Bikini and shorts season? Ugh. It’s the perfect time to try a 14-day summer challenge.
I am really excited about this challenge because I think they’re fun yet effective and can lead to long-term changes. I made one around Christmas but it wasn’t too popular. Summer, however, is that time where we all want to work on that summer body and feeling our best.
Each day, there will be one easy, effective goal focused on instilling healthy habits that work! You can complete this 14 day challenge before summer starts or during it. I have even provided resources for each day to set you up for success and make it really easy to just pick one and complete it.
Let your family know that you are completing this challenge and why so they can support you! Blame it on me, if needed. Feel free to swap days if one makes sense for you .
Reasons to Try This Challenge
14-Days of Healthy Habits + Resources
Each day, there are resources available for you, if needed. Read over the entire challenge before implementing it.
Day 1: Meal Prep Breakfast for the Week
Why is it important to eat breakfast? Oh, I could talk about this all day long. Eating something in the morning, even if it’s on the smaller side, will provide you with energy and can help reduce mindless snacking. That way, when coworkers are bringing donuts to work you won’t feel like you have to eat them because you’re starving. This is just an example – if you still want to eat a donut: go for it!
Even further, a breakfast that contains protein and fiber helps to stabilize your blood sugar, keeps you fuller for longer, and might reduce your appetite so you’re not ravenous and overeat at lunch time. Plus, you’ll have an easy, grab-and-go breakfast and that in itself can eliminate stress on busy mornings.
Easy Breakfast Meal Prep Ideas
I am going to make it easy for you and list a bunch of options. All you have to do is choose one! Overnight oats are my go-to for breakfast prep because it only takes 5 minutes! These options prioritize protein and fiber and can be kept in the fridge for up to 5 days.
- Lemon Berry Kefir Overnight Oats (shown above)
- Easy Breakfast Meal Prep Ideas – a list of easy meal prep ideas.
- Berry Cheesecake Overnight Oats – one of the most delicious overnight oats recipes you will ever taste!
- Raspberry Key Lime Pie Overnight Oats – a refreshing breakfast that screams summer.
- Quinoa Breakfast Bake – this recipe makes 4 large servings and it’s very filling!
- High Protein Breakfast Casseroles – it doesn’t get much easier than making a huge breakfast casserole for the week!
- If smoothies are your idea of breakfast, try one of these: Banana Berry Kefir Smoothie or Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Smoothie.
If you prefer variety and hate eating the same thing every morning, you could always prep 2+ items or meal prep the base of the overnight oats and add different toppings everyday.
Day 2: Do an Extra 10 Minutes of Physical Activity
What does your typical day of physical activity look like? If you’re not very active, this is your day to start small and do something for just 10 minutes. For the gym-goers, add an extra 10 minutes to your gym session. Or, try one of the ideas below.
This could be waking up a little earlier to fit in that extra 10 minutes, getting creative and working out with your kids, or doing a 10-minute ab routine while watching TV at night.
Ideas for Inspiration
- Pamela Reif 10-Minute Ab Workout
- 10-Minute Extreme Abs Workout
- 10-Minute Glute Workout No Equipment
- 10-Minute Quick HIIT Workout
- 10-Minute Full Body Sweat Sesh
- A 10-minute walk before or after work
- Jumping jacks, squats and running in place while making dinner
- 10-minute dance party with your kids
Day 3: Practice Mindful Eating
Mindful eating teaches us to listen to our body: respond to hunger cues, and recognize when we’re full. This is a very helpful strategy to have on hand during holiday parties and get togethers. Learning how to eat more mindfully is quickly becoming a popular approach to teaching people to have a more positive relationship with food.
Select one meal where you sit down and practice the principles of mindful nutrition. Ensure that you’re experiencing hunger cues prior to this meal. Before starting, take a few deep breaths to relax. Examine your food, chew very slowly (20-30 chews before you swallow), and focus on the taste of each bite.
Close your eyes after each bite (or every few bites) and really savor the moment. If you start to feel full, drink some water and wait a few minutes before continuing to really recognize if you are still hungry.
So, in conclusion: on this day you will choose one meal where you eat really slowly. Eating more mindfully can be a great tool for those who are emotional or stress eaters.
Day 4: Batch Cook or Component Cooking
Whatever you are making for dinner on this day: choose one component to double or triple for future meals. For example, if the recipe calls for 1 cup of uncooked rice make 2 or 3 cups. These components can be stored in the fridge for 3-5 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months to prevent foodborne illness.
You can therefore use that component for another home-cooked meal that week or a meal in the future. Check out the infographic below for component cooking ideas.
This strategy saves time and energy on busy nights. If you’re making a power bowl, already prepared rice is one less pan you have to dirty! Or, if you make an easy crockpot recipe the rice is already done. It might make you feel more inclined to cook when you really don’t want to.
Batch cooking chicken or a lean protein source comes in handy with dump-and-go casseroles that require already cooked chicken, too – making dinner another night so much easier! Or, even for assembling lunches for the next day or two.
Day 5: Make a High Protein Plant-Based Meal
Eating more plant-based meals offers many advantages to both health and the environment. Research has shown they’re associated with a lower risk of heart disease, high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, certain cancers and obesity. Plus, they’re typically more affordable!
So, on day 5 you will choose a plant-based meal idea with the goal of aiming to eat at least one a week. If you already eat plant-based, choose one that is high in protein – at least 20 grams of protein per serving.
Plant-Based Meal Ideas
Day 6: Healthy Snack Prep
A healthy snack can be a great bridge to the next meal and even help fill in those nutritional gaps. Day 6 is all about meal prepping a healthy snack that you can eat for the next couple days. I also highly recommend having a snack before any summer social gatherings so you’re not ravenous once you get there! This might help you make healthier food choices, too.
High Protein Snack Prep Ideas
A high protein snack, say at least 10 grams per serving, can help you reach a higher overall protein intake. Below are some delicious and fun ideas! If you don’t have protein powder, you could easily omit.
- High Protein Cheesecake Cup (shown above)- very easy and delicious!
- Kefir Chia Pudding (a good option for day 7).
- Birthday Cake Protein Popsicles – these are so yummy and you can keep them in the freezer for 3 months! 13 grams of protein per popsicle.
- Cottage Cheese Birthday Cake Bark – similar to the popsicles but like a yogurt bark you can store in the freezer.
- S’mores Protein Pudding
Pro-tip: Make one of these High Protein and Fiber Snacks to set you up for success on day 7.
Day 7: Consume At Least 25 Grams of Fiber
The recommended amount of fiber each day is about 14 grams for every 1,000 calories, or 25 grams each day for women and 38 grams for mean. It doesn’t sound like a lot, but most people are not meeting the minimum amount of fiber daily!
On day 7, I want you to be really mindful of your fiber intake – even jotting down an estimate of how much you’re eating throughout the day. Make sure to drink a lot of water, too! Some of the best food options to increase fiber? Raspberries, beans and legumes, whole grains, avocados, chia seeds, oatmeal and high fiber pasta.
Use the list above and put some of these foods on your grocery list for the week! For my favorite tips, read 7 Easy Ways to Sneak Fiber Into Your Diet.
Resources to Increase Your Fiber Intake
Day 8: Practice 30 Minutes of Self-Care
Stress can have such a significant impact on overall health. So, this day is all about self-care! Even small acts of self-care can decrease feelings of exhaustion, burnout, stress, and depression. Get your nails done, read a book, get a facial, take a bath – whatever it is that makes you feel more complete!
If this day doesn’t work for you specifically, I want you to schedule at least 30-minutes of self-care for a future day. Call and make a facial or massage appointment! Or, just tell your husband you are going to a coffee shop by yourself on a scheduled day.
Day 9: Lunch Prep
On day 9, the goal is to lunch prep for at least the next two days. Make some extra dinner and store it for lunch the next couple of days. Or, meal prep some high protein lunches to set you up for success for the week.
These meals will keep you fuller for longer, help you reach a higher protein intake, and prevent ordering out or snacking on your child’s chicken nuggets.
This can be as simple or as complex as you want it to be! I have a lot of meal prep resources to help you out.
- High Protein and Fiber Lunchables (shown above)
- Dense Bean Salad Recipe – this trend has been going viral on TikTok and many people find prepping a “DBS” is very helpful for the week.
- Low Calorie, High Protein Lunch Prep
- Easy Work Lunches in 15 Minutes or Less
Day 10: Meal Plan for Next Week
Take some time to plan out your meals for the next week – whether that’s easy breakfast or lunch ideas or what you’re going to make for dinner each night. Honestly, I absolutely hate meal planning but it really sets you up for success to prioritize more home-cooked meals. It sucks as you are doing it but you’ll be glad you did the following week!
If you struggle with meal planning, think about having a “theme” for each night. This can eliminate some of the mental load that goes along with figuring out what’s for dinner every night. You can grab a blank template of the above meal plan in my Theme Night Guide.
Easy Summer Meal Ideas
Check out these recipes that focus on healthy yet low prep, low maintenance meals to make for a more relaxing summer.
- Easy Slow Cooker Dinner Recipes for Summer Nights
- Easy Summer Dinner Recipes
- Delicious Summer Snack Ideas
- Low Prep Dinner Recipes for Busy Nights
- Mediterranean Chicken, Cucumber and Tomato Salad (shown below)
Day 11: Try a Workout You’ve Never Done Before
A change up in the typical workout routine can help break a weight loss plateau, make things more exciting, improve cardiovascular fitness or increase muscle mass. Therefore, day 11 is adding some variety to your workout routine and trying something new.
Maybe that’s stretching, yoga, Pilates, an easy HIIT routine, or weight lifting. If you’ve been wanting to try a new fitness class at the gym, this is the day to do it! For at home workouts, I highly recommend one of my favorite YouTube trainers: Heather Robertson and Caroline Girvan.
Day 12: Aim for 100 Grams of Protein (At Least)
Day 12 you’re going to make sure each meal consist of at least 25-30 grams of protein with the goal of consuming at least 100 grams of protein for the day. Breakfast is often the hardest meal to consume 25-30 grams of protein (with lunch being the second, I would say). So, this might mean that you have to be very thoughtful in your breakfast.
Then, for each meal, be mindful of those little additions (shown below) that can really increase overall protein content for each meal. If you are already consuming this much protein – this day will be a breeze for you! To reach that 100 grams, though, you might need to include the snack you prepped on day 6 (or see my resources below).
Day 13: Increase Your N.E.A.T.
N.E.A.T stands for non-exercise activity thermogenesis. In simpler terms, this is the amount of calories we burn outside of exercise as well as outside the calories we burn at rest, from breathing and digestion. So, it’s essentially all the other movement we do throughout the day: like standing or sitting.
Interestingly enough, the calories we burn from N.E.A.T is typically much higher and more substantial when compared to exercise related activity. So, for day 13: I want you to choose at least two ways to increase your N.E.A.T. It could be standing up while folding laundry, setting a timer to walk around your house after long periods of sitting, or standing up while talking on the phone.
Or, you could follow the below checklist to potentially burn an extra 200-300 calories for the day on top of what you are already expending.
Day 14: Make a List
It’s time to reflect and make a plan. What parts of this challenge do you think you could realistically add to your everyday life this summer?
Achieving and maintaining a healthy lifestyle is not just about hitting the gym or counting calories. It involves a significant mindset shift which prepares you to overcome resistance and ambivalence. Write down your goals, what you want for your future for the new year and how you are going to accomplish those things. Be realistic, of course!
Create a detailed action plan that not only includes how you’re going to achieve your goals, but strategies to overcome obstacles. How will you handle them? Write that down, too! Below is an example of a list you could make with goals, resources to achieve those goals, potential barriers, positive outcomes that will come with achieving those goals, and ways to stay accountable.
Use the above goal sheet to create your own for the summer. Or, I have an entire post on setting goals with this very template for download. If you are interested, read this post and download the template at the end!
If you tried this challenge, please comment and let me know how it went! Did you find it helpful? Fun? Ready for a healthy summer?