On Tuesday, July 19th I started a 21-day challenge that I told no one about. The reason for this secrecy was because I have a habit of telling people of my embarkments, and most times not following through. Like, a couple of years ago, I was moving to Portugal. I started learning the language, researching jobs, reaching out to my friends in Lisbon on relocating, set a date, and basically told everyone, including complete randos, of my new [future] life.
Well, a month past the date, I was still in New York, battling a severe bout of depression made worse by me [again] failing myself. So when I decided to take on this new challenge I thought it best to keep it on the down low. [Actually, three people did eventually hear of it during the 21 days only because fitness and accountability were the topic of discussion.]
The challenge I took on was called the 21-Day Yoga Shred from DailyOM. It was found one morning as I lay in bed scrolling through Instagram wasting precious time. The sponsored post caught my attention because with all the changes happening in my life, it seemed only befitting to add another element of self-love to my routine.
The first week, it was so easy to wake up at 6 or 7AM, put some sort of fuel into my body and get some work done as I waited for the 11AM challenge to arrive. [My schedule is more flexible due to summer break.] The next two weeks became a bit more difficult as my flexible summer schedule, shifted slightly due to last notifications from my boss’s decorators. But that just being life, I adjusted personal plans to ensure that each assigned goal was completed.
What I didn’t like:
Now for the challenge itself – it was great overall. Of course there were some issues with some workouts and how it was setup that really bothered me, but because my overall mission was to do something to completion; it passed. For example, Sadie (the host and instructor throughout every video) would say we’re taking our arm and core shred up a notch, but we were actually doing the same video from a couple of days before. Like that’s not taking anything up a notch. This idea of “upping” happens quite a bit, but to find out they were videos we had already done was disheartening. If she were just to say, “We’re going to take it back to a video we’ve already done to really hone those skills and see your progress.” I’d think, “Oh yeah! What a great way to track my progress from day one to day 12.” It really is just in the message sent. Or when some of the videos are of her teaching a class. Because of the way the camera is pointing and she is setup (she’s facing the camera vertically, not horizontally) so much of her form is missed. I’m a very visual person, so when I can’t see what you are doing, yet you are describing it, it’s like trying to scream instructions through a soundproof window. Your mouth is moving, words are definitely forming, but the most vital part is missing; essentially falling on deaf ears.
And lastly, I swear it’s my last complaint…haha. One video where we go into a pretty intense and invigorating sequence, she does burpees. Someone in the class actually called it a burpee and she said something along the lines of, “it’s like a burpee, but it’s not.” Wait, what?! IT IS! It is a burpee. Why can’t we just admit that? It doesn’t take away from the authenticity of the yoga sequence. We all know that lots of fitness practices take from each other… like it’s not that big of a deal. Call it what it is, and move on. This only bothered me because so many wellness practitioners love to do exactly what Sadie did. I’m here to see YOU and learn from YOU. Not anyone else. There’s no need to invalidate, negate or diminish another brethren just because you feel it takes away from your originality. It doesn’t. And your ownership would actually make me respect you and keep me coming for more.
Why I loved it:
ONE: Working out in my home has been something I thought I would never be able to commit to, but being able to do this in nothing but my bra and underwear was life altering. Has anyone tried this?! Why has no told me about this?!
Yes, I see fierce and bad-bodied babes flaunting their fly fitness selves up and down these mean streets giving no effs about anything, but staying as dope as Alice Smith and Citizen Cope. [You like that rhyme and shout out? You’re welcome!] But Miss Tillie here is not that comfortable in her smooth, chocolate melanin skin [another rhyme. Again, you’re welcome.] to be in fitness classes wearing spandex booty shorts and vibrant sports bras, aka a glorified bikini, downward facing dogging the person behind me – for many reasons! But doing that in the comfort of my boudoir where “NO PANTS” is the permanent dress code, the personal freedom that came through wouldn’t have been found in an overpriced class. It was something that I could only experience on my terms.
TWO: There were separate motivational videos before the yoga sequences. I don’t really need motivation in fitness. It’s either I do it or I don’t. Sometimes people’s motivations come through as a guilt trip and no one, especially if you’re looking for a healthier path, needs that. Anyway, Sadie’s weren’t guilt ridden. I mean, after the first two I skipped through a majority of the rest, but always enjoyed her message of self. For me, it’s so important to grasp the correlation of “bettering oneself” with “self”. Many people, including myself, have taken up new ways of personal change because another has convinced us it’s best. We may falter throughout the journey or complete it and revert to old ways, but that’s because we weren’t ready. We allowed others to project what they thought needed change without taking into account our wants and needs.
THREE: It wasn’t costly. Anything wellness related that is experimental or experiential shouldn’t cost an arm and a leg. It just shouldn’t. For me, that’s like insane pricing of healthy food options in comparison to items filled with artificial everything. People complain that society is so unhealthy, yet the nutrient filled produce cost twice as much as the items on the opposite spectrum. Now which option do you think the family of four will choose when shopping on a salary near the poverty line?
With it having the option of paying $10, $25, or $40 for the series [One class at YogaVida ($18), Y-7 ($25), Yoga Works ($28), or Twisted Trunk Yoga ($22).] it’s more cost smart when getting back in to the groove of things, just starting out, or as a supplement to what you’ve already been doing. And this is no way knocking any of the aforementioned studios and I think it’s silly that I need to even add this disclaimer; it’s just a comparable for those with disposable income who think DailyOM’s prices are exorbitant, or not cheap enough.
How I feel after:
I’m ready for my next challenge, that’s for sure. Where to next? That hasn’t been decided yet. The soreness the first couple of days were serious, but I just got used to it. I had tons more energy and looked forward to receiving the daily challenges. But as stated earlier, it was less about the series, but more about me completing something that solely benefitted me. It unearthed something suppressed for too long, and am ready to take on anything else. Probably not at home, which means no bra and panty freedom, but I still have access to the 21-Day Yoga Shred to relive those moments whenever.
As a thank you from the challenge, they gave us access to gift one (1) other person this same opportunity. I want to bestow this upon someone else who is looking for that special thing to bring love and heal that sense of self. Just follow this link to my Instagram to see how you could win access to Daily OM’s 21-Day Yoga Shred.
With loving vibrations from my heart to yours,
xTillie
P.S. Yes, I did do my the challenge wearing glasses because my old contact lenses were seriously irritating my eyes. So much so, I was re-fit for a new brand altogether.