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Happy Heart Challenge: 50 Days to a Happier You

By Melissa

on Jan 01, 2018, Updated Jul 02, 2024

Join me in The Happy Heart Challenge – 50 Days to a Happier, Healthier You! Use my printable PDF to help you track your goals and progress.

Welcome to a fun Happy Heart Challenge to get you started on a journey to a happier you! The number challenge focuses not on pounds lost or calories counted – it’s an approachable, real-life strategy for being a little more intentional about your time.

This challenge runs the course of 50 days. You can start today, you can start Friday, you can start next month. The beauty of this challenge is that it can be started at anytime that works well for you.

Over the next 50 days, I challenge you to:

• Log 100 miles
• Eat 50 meatless meals
• Enjoy 50 days without stepping on a scale
• Meal plan for 30 days
• Write 20 “abundance” journal entries
• Go 14 consecutive days with no sugar
• Go on 4 dates with yourself
• Write 3 letters of appreciation
• Read 1 book just for fun

Spend less time mindlessly scrolling and more time taking care of the most important person in your life: you. Because here’s a little secret: if you don’t take care of yourself, no one else will.

This Happy Heart Challenge comes with a free printable PDF page to help you reach your goals. Isn’t it pretty? My friend DeDe from Designz by Dede made it!

Just click here to print out your own Happy Heart Challenge tracker sheet!

I wanted to take a few minutes and talk about each of the number challenge tasks to help give you some ideas, excitement, and direction. When I was thinking about making a happy heart challenge (I got the idea here from my friend Cassie of Wholefully), I wanted to challenge you to be your best version of yourself in mind, body, and spirit. I chose things that will help you not only physically, but emotionally, too. 2016 was a rough year for me, but what it taught me is that I have to make myself a priority!

Log 100 miles

This challenge is to help you to move more. Exercise because you love your body and because it’s amazing, not to punish it!

I don’t care how you log your miles; just be active. You can walk, run, dance, or swim – no matter how you get the miles done, enjoy them. I find that the days I make sure to get in some exercise are the days that I eat, sleep, and feel best. Here are some ideas to help you reach the goals of 100 fitness miles in 50 days – schedule a dance party with your kids everyday after school, walk to school with your kids, plan a family date to your local indoor track/swimming pool/ice skating rink, sign up for a fitness class, organize a walking group with neighbors.

Eat 50 meatless meals

Eating meatless is such a money saver and I think there are a lot of health benefits from eating less meat. You don’t have to do 50 meatless dinners – any meal will count towards this challenge. Have a smoothie or egg bake for breakfast, salad in a jar or egg salad for lunch, and/or any of my favorite meatless meals for dinner, and you’ll reach this goal in no time. Keep a running list of your favorite meatless meals so that you can use them more often in the future.

Enjoy 50 days without stepping on a scale

You are not a number and your worth is not tied up in what the scale has to say to you. Take a break from your scale for the entire 50 days.

Meal plan for 30 days

Meal planning is such a sanity saver in my house. The weeks that I plan ahead and know what I’m making for dinner ahead of time are the weeks that I feel most in control of my life and the least stressed in the evenings – plus, those are the weeks when we eat the best. If I have time, I can prep a few things one day in the week to make dinners even easier, but that isn’t a must. I also spend less on groceries and we eat out less in the weeks that I meal plan. The 30 days for this challenge is about a month. You can plan your whole month out, 2 weeks, or one week at a time.

Write 20 “abundance” journal entries

My sister was telling me all about her “abundance” journal the other day and I just loved it. I’m a big fan of journal writing, and though I keep all kinds of journals, I have never done a gratitude journal very well. I like the idea of writing down the “abundances” in my life as a form of a gratitude journal. You can write your journal entries however you see fit (on Facebook, in a word document, or in a notebook). I’m a big fan of the old fashion pen and paper writing – it’s extra therapeutic to me. Simply write down the things that you had an abundance of that day or the previous day. As you start this process, you’ll start seeing more abundances in your life. This could be so many things – an abundance of birthday wishes, an abundance of kind words, an abundance of help with a project from your spouse or kids, or an abundance of fruits and veggies to eat after a great trip to Costco.

Go 14 consecutive days with no sugar

Two weeks of no sugar is tough, but you’ll feel so good. Don’t be a slave to your sugar cravings! This can be no added sugar at all, or just no added processed sugar, you pick. It’s amazing how sweet and delicious a date ball, fruit, and smoothies get after cutting out added sugar.

Go on 4 dates with yourself

Spend some time doing something you love, alone! That’s such a hard thing to do, especially if you have a family who needs you. Last year I started budgeting for a high schooler to come to my house for 2 hours after school every Wednesday to babysit. Sometimes I’d go shopping or get my hair cut, and other times I’d simply sit in my car in my driveway and read a book. Taking time to recharge my batteries is so important. I come back to life more able to handle the everyday issues that can wear on you over time. Go on 4 dates with yourself over the next 50 days. You are going to love it!

Write 3 letters of appreciation

Tell someone thank you, that you love them, or that you appreciate a kind word or thought that they shared with you. It doesn’t have to be long and emotional, even a quick note will do. You’ll feel as good as the person who receives your letter. I bought these fun little postcards to color and mail this year. I don’t have to write much but the thought is there. Everyone likes real snail mail, too.

Read 1 book just for fun

If you are like me, reading has taken a back burner to life. Read one book, just because you can, over the next 50 days. I’m hoping to start and finish Little Women. Can you believe I’ve never read that classic?

See! Well-rounded, fun, attainable, and thoughtful challenges to help you feel great about yourself in lots of different ways.

Don’t Forget the Prize!

I’m a big believer that a job well done needs a little reward/incentive. You can think of a prize that you want to reward yourself with and put it on your tracker sheet to look at and keep you motivated. Hair cut and color? Getting your nails done? $100 to spend on Amazon? New cookbook? The choice is yours! I think I’m going to motivate myself with dinner out, me and the hubs. We don’t do a lot of date nights out of the house, but I know I’d work really hard to get one. There’s a fancy tapas restaurant 25 miles away that is delicious but spendy. My reward will be a night out with Thomas going to the fancy restaurant I love but don’t get to enough! What about you?

Who wants to do this with me?! I’d love to hear from you and have you on board.

Click here to print out your own Happy Heart Challenge tracker sheet!