HEALTH AND FITNESS

Everything is Now a “Challenge”

The pros and cons of forcing yourself to do something you don’t really want to do.

Photo by Clique Images on Unsplash

The first “challenge” I remember was in 2014.

That was the Ice Bucket Challenge, wherein you let somebody pour freezing water over your head— or you gritted your teeth and did it yourself — to promote awareness of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS).

One of my high school classmates died of ALS and it was terrifying to watch. The Ice Bucket Challenge is an example of a “good” challenge.

The second challenge I remember was the “cinnamon challenge,” also from the 2010s. That’s where you had to eat an entire spoonful of cinnamon, without drinking anything, in 60 seconds or less.

That’s an example of a “bad” challenge. People were injured by the cinnamon challenge and at least one person died, and they were mostly kids thanks to YouTube and TikTok.

Now the challenges I see are exercise regimes meant to motivate you to change not just your body, but your entire life.

When I was growing up, all we had was aerobics. You put on your leg warmers, popped in a tape, and watched a…