The 30 Day Challenge is Complete!

I might as well beat you to the punch - what the heck took so long to post the final chapter of the 30 day saga while my neighbors, friend and family wait with bated breath?? Almost a week?! I can't say I was too busy at work, since I’ve only worked 2 days since I completed the challenge. Maybe part of me didn't want the saga to end and, by prolonging my final blog submission, I was keeping the spirit of the challenge alive...

Most likely, I've been lazy and enjoying all my free time outside of the hot room!

Rewind one week. The final few days of the Challenge were uneventful. Anti-climatic in a way. I pushed through a difficult week 3 followed by multiple doubles in week 4, so I really just coasted through the last few classes. On Day 30 - Saturday June 30th - I planned on sleeping in (God knows I needed it!) and joining my gals for the 9:30 class. I must have been too excited to sleep because I was up and at 'em for the 7:30am class. I was joined by many likeminded soldiers who were completing their long and arduous journey as well. One of my favorite teachers taught. What else can I say? I did it J

I mentioned before that I had completed a 30 day challenge in April 2010 at the Bikram studio in Boston. The Danvers 2012 challenge definitely seemed more intense. First, when I was going to the Boston studio, I attended 6:15am classes Mon-Fri and could shower at my gym at work; it was just part of my regular routine except, instead of spin a few times a week, it was all yoga all the time. This time around, I had to adjust my work-from-home schedule and squeeze in some night classes. Also, I did way more doubles my first Challenge and only one class per weekend. I definitely didn’t do 16 days in a row like I did the first half of June! Furthermore, I did it alone. This time around, it was so great to not only have friends to talk to about it, but also their blogs to read! And finally, what made this challenge really meaningful to me was blogging about it. It forced me to be introspective about how I was feeling and what I was experiencing. It also kept me accountable and motivated. Instead of getting bogged down when my cyst reared its ugly head, I actually viewed it as good drama for the blog J

And how have I changed as a result of completing this challenge? Like I said – it was a little anti-climatic. No sudden revelations. No huge weight loss (dammnit!) My big life lesson? In one class, the studio owner commented that if you let someone get the better of you – get you angry, stressed, overheated in the hot room, etc. – then they win. In life, there is stuff you can’t control –your boss piling on too much work, the room being too hot; all you can control is how you react to these things. Do you get angry, sad, frustrated… or do you just accept it and choose to feel happy, serene and peaceful?

Thank you all for reading my blog and joining me on my journey. I hope you had as much fun as I did. Don’t fret though because this isn’t  good-bye, it’s see you later. I will be back, posting about healthy eating and the magic* secret to weight loss!!

*Spoiler alert – there is no magic, only good sense.