Tomorrow marks the 30th day – in a row – of my hot yoga challenge. With the classes 90 minutes each, that makes the total time I logged sweating it out on the mat a whopping 45 hours. But the actual time I dedicated was two and a half hours a day when you include travel. So we’re talking 75 hours. And here I’ve been gun shy to sign up for a weekly cooking class, not thinking I could commit to seven Tuesdays in a row.
But this was different. As much as this was a physical challenge, it was a mental one as well. Unlike a New Year’s resolution I didn’t think of it as losing weight, it was simply to challenge myself to do something every day. I think that was the most important factor as it kept the focus on the challenge, not the results. And honestly, the hardest part was showing up.
While I did this as a way to get through the last few weeks of winter, something happened towards the end of the 30 days. One day in class in the middle of a rather hard pose, the instructor said, as they all do when switching between poses, “Change,” releasing us from the uncomfortable posture. As relief washed over my muscles, I realized that while “change” was what I had been looking forward to, as in the change in season, I had changed too. I didn’t want the 30 days to end. I was loving it.
Completing this 30-day challenge has me wondering about my next 30-day challenge. Will it be to take calcium every day? (Seriously, you’d think it would be easy to remember, but…) Write one letter (on paper!) a day to a different friend? Or maybe it’s to walk five miles a day. The challenges are endless. That’s the exciting part.
While I did promise myself a reward if I accomplished my goal (a summer dress from Athleta), it turns out I’ve already been rewarded. Knowing that I can succeed at anything I put my mind too is priceless. Well, that and seeing my name written on the 30-day challenge board.
What’s your 30-day challenge going to be?
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