I love the New York Yankees. The moment the YES (Yankee Entertainment System) was created, it became the only cable television station my family watched. I'm not sure if it's because we're mutually from New York or if it's just what I grew up with, but my heart pounds hard for the Bronx Bombers. It's only fitting that Yogi so perfectly described the beginning of my 40 day yoga journey.
I began my second semester of my sophomore year of college almost four years ago. I spent the first half of the year in Oxford, England, drinking and carb-loading my way through Ireland, France, Italy, the Czech Republic, and Germany. I knew I was becoming malnourished and overweight, but when in Rome... and the bingeing didn't subside upon returning to the States. College food and beverages created a tank of a female. Woof.
I didn't see the severity of the problem until the summer rolled around. I hit the gym a couple times a week, and when I found that I couldn't fit into a bridesmaids dress for a wedding in three weeks, I crash dieted and worked out twice a day with Chalene Johnson's Turbo Jam. I fit in to the dress, and headed back to college junior year feeling better about myself and looking healthier. Healthy eating lasted a couple weeks before the cafeteria got the better of me. The next two years was a constant cycle of binge diet, crash exercise, drinking consistently and overeating. While I never reached my peak weight of sophomore year, the pounds were creeping up once again.
Enter law school and living on my own. First semester of law school is notoriously awful, with stress and panic in every ounce of a 1L's life. My experience was no different, and included no exercise. But I did start to eat a little better, and after a few months was directed toward Amazing Yoga, a studio across from my apartment. It took one class before I was hooked.
Here I am, just over a year later. In that year I started a weekly work-study at the yoga studio, got back into Turbo Jam, discovered Hungry Girl cookbooks, lived on protein shakes, became a regular at farmers markets and re-taught myself how to run. At the end of the summer I had concerned family and friends approach me because of how rapidly I lost weight; I had to purchase a new wardrobe because the pounds came off so quickly. I learned how to make a lifestyle change, not just binge.
I've managed to maintain a healthy lifestyle since the summer and not sacrifice a whole lot of fun - except for the six weeks leading up to and including law school finals. I thrive on stress, but the one seriously negative stress in my life is academic. I can't deal. I received an email about the 40 Days of Yoga program happening at my studio in the middle of finals prep month. The email said the program would focus on a healthy diet, meditation, stress relief, and of course, yoga six days a week for forty days. I read it and instantly decided I had to do this. If I can learn how to maintain a balance between yoga, school, diet, relationship, and the rest of life, I can certainly handle the academic stress I deal with at the end of a semester. I want to maintain this new lifestyle I've found and not revert back to the sick bingeing cycle of my past.
So I'm doing it. And I'm blogging about it. I really don't know where I'm going with it. I don't know why I'm blogging about it. I just... am. Maybe it'll help, maybe it won't. I may "never get there", as Yogi warns. ButI'll learn something, I think. And after my 40 day obligation has ended, who knows where my intention will set me. For now, we'll focus on day one.
It begins on Sunday.
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