The 30 Day Challenge: Day 1
November 25, 2011
On Monday, after a week worth of serious contemplation and planning, I decided to embark on the infamous Bikram Yoga 30 Day Challenge. At Bikram Yoga Park Slope, where I normally practice, the 30 Day Challenge is defined as “taking 1 class every day for 30 days in a row” after which you receive a month of free yoga to fulfill a 60 Day challenge. Why, you ask, would I want/need to do this? Well…
Back in late July I gave birth to a beautiful baby boy, Dylan, at 8lbs 4oz. Since then I have been on maternity leave from my job. It’s been a magical time of bonding with my baby and enjoying being home and a housewife. But as you know, all good things must come to an end so, on December 5th I go back to work. With the clock ticking I started going to Bikram Yoga again 2 weeks ago in an attempt to get rid of some of the baby weight. Since Dylan’s birth I’ve lost a considerable amount of weight, but I’m still not at my “pre-pregnancy weight” and my jeans from that era were fitting just barely (muffin top!). I finally got sick of feeling and looking like the Pillsbury dough boy. Now I know, I just had a baby! I mean, I have a great excuse for being overweight. But, I don’t want excuses to stay unhealthy and unhappy.
I’ve been breastfeeding this entire time and for a while that was a great excuse not to diet or exercise. One of these days I will write an entire post on breastfeeding and how challenging it is to do. It’s also rewarding which I why I am still doing it. But it’s a big time commitment and it really ties you to your baby (as if you weren’t tied down already!). Now that I’ve mastered breastfeeding, I decided I had to try and do something healthy for myself and take advantage of what’s left of my maternity leave. I came to grips with the fact that Dylan is going to have more formula bottles per day while I am at yoga and that is Okay.
After flirting with the idea of the 30 day challenge for 2 weeks I finally asked Ran what he thought. He is always so supportive and proclaimed, “Of course you can do it!”. I made a calendar and cross referenced it with the yoga schedule and Ran’s work schedule to find out if I really could attend 30 classes in 30 days. There were some gaps, but nothing major that couldn’t be fixed with a hired babysitter and asking some friends and family for help.
Then the fear set in. What if I can’t do it? What if it’s too hard? What if it’s too painful? I was freaking out Monday before the 5:30 class I was planning to attend. I got lazy and stayed on the couch and over ate. Man, was I uncomfortable! I was so scared to take on a new challenge I ran right to my comforts: TV and Food. Then I figured – I have nothing to lose by trying. I have to lose weight. I have to get healthy. I know this. I want this. Even if I fail, I still win because I tried. I went to class, I did the postures and got the benefits.
Ran came home from work Monday and I asked him to take some “Before” pictures of me. I made sure to put on my most ill-fitting outfit so they would look horrific, and believe me – they did! And then, I went to class and signed up for the 30 day challenge. I have taken the first step. Stay tuned. I will only post those frightening “Before” pictures when I have some amazing “After” pictures to put alongside it. Namaste!
