August at Spinecare Prospect is all about The Challenge.

Embracing the challenge and dipping a toe (or three) outside your comfort zone is not only stimulating for your brain,  but wonderful for your health, too.

Think you’re up for it? Pick your favourite challenge from this month’s article and tell us how you went next time in clinic.

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When was the last time you scraped your knee?

Or jumped off a jetty?

What about fumbled through the first words of a brand new language?

As adults, we’re less likely to try new things. 

We become set in our ways and safe.

We forget the fun of seeking out new experiences, falling over, rolling around laughing and trying again.

Sound familiar?

It’s not that we’re lazy, it’s just that life becomes more known.

We establish a routine; mastering a set of skills to get us through work and family and social life with relative ease.

The need to actively learn and grow diminishes. 

But in becoming ‘fixed’, we lose the joy of pushing ourselves and gaining something new.

The beauty of the challenge

Remember how great it felt to stand up on a surfboard for the first time? What about conquering your fear of the dark by camping out in the backyard when you were 10? Maybe you did something extraordinary – like hiked Machu Picchu – or went in your very first fun run?

Whatever the task, the sense of achievement at the end makes it all worthwhile.

This month at Spinecare Prospect, we’re encouraging you to embrace the spirit of challenge.

To help, we’ve compiled a list of 20 fun tasks that you can do daily, weekly or monthly. 

Take your pick and tell us how you went next time you’re in clinic!

20 challenges for curious adults

1. Know someone with a skateboard? Ask them if you can take it for a spin down at the park. (Remember to wear your knee pads!)
2. Got an instrument lying around? Play it for 2o minutes, each day for a month.
3. Use an app like Headspace and try a 10 day meditation challenge.
4. Take a photo of something you’re grateful for, every day for a month. (Remember to have a laugh at the end with your loved ones!)
5. Buy a pedometer and commit to walking 10 000 steps for a month. Write down how you feel before, during & after – compare!
6. Volunteer at your local community garden.
7. Buy 3 vegetables you’ve never seen/used before, find a recipe and make an exciting meal.
8. Write a letter to an old friend, family member or loved one – just because.
9. Book yourself in for an art or craft course.
10. Watch a TED talk each morning for 14 days. Broaden your mind!
11. Inform yourself. Set aside an hour or two each week to read a (quality) newspaper, use an app like Clearer Thinking to hone your reasoning skills, or read non-fiction.
12. Take a 30 day no alcohol challenge.
13. Discover your town or city. Pack your backpack and set out for the day on a bike to explore.
14. Go on a hike or a bushwalk next Sunday.
15. Try a lucky dip! Use the clever Comfort Zone Crusher to set yourself a new challenge every second day. Have fun!
16. Commit to weekly acts of kindness. Here’s a list of lovely ideas.
17. Send yourself back to school! (Well, the online equivalent of). Sites like Coursera have a wide range of online courses that you can take – for free. Amazing!
18. Join Toastmasters – or a similar public speaking group. They’re a fantastic way to develop yourself both professionally and personally.
19. Try rock climbing with your kids – conquering your fear of heights and getting a good workout at the same time.
20. Give up Facebook, Instagram, Twitter – or all social media – for a month. Think you can do it?!

Still want more? Here’s a great community of people committing to daily challenges.

This August, become a curious adult committed to challenge, change and growth.

Trust us; you’ll feel all the better for it.

Good luck!