Outro to Bees, Intro to DDPY Positively Unstoppable Challenge

I’ll start with a little wrap-up of the previous content because I never got around to it originally.  As the name of this blog suggests, I (and a few helpful friends) stung myself withbees.  Lots.  Of bees.  About 60 bees a week for 9 months in an effort to control the condition.  I’ll let you do the math.  If you’re inclined, you can browse older posts to see some of my journey following my Rheumatoid Arthritis diagnosis.
  
Ultimately I made the decision, in 2012, to quit the bees and take the medication recommended by my doctor.  I desperately wanted to manage it the natural way, but even coupled with a super special paleo diet, it wasn’t working for me. Taking the medications hasn’t been without some complications.  But it was a great decision.  Live in misery naturally for a shortened time with guaranteed debilitating pain and deformity?  Or take the damn drugs and live a normal life, which could *possibly* be shortened due to said drugs?  It was pretty clear at that point.  

I was 30 at onset, and I’m 40 now, living an adjusted, but basically normal life, which for a while I was afraid I'd never have.  Speaking of 40, I've decided to kick off the new year with a challenge.  See the blonde dude in the black pants?  He’s my yoga instructor now, albeit really tiny through an app on my phone.  His name is Diamond Dallas Page, and as you can see, he is a former professional wrestler who I remember originally from the Monday Night Raw dorm lounge gatherings.  Now he’s a fitness coach and the driving force behind DDPYoga.

This is my second go-round on his program.   The first time was when I’d just left my husband.  I was waking up at 4:30am every day, so anxious.  Right around that time is when I first heard about DDP’s yoga program via my friend Ian’s review of “The Resurrectionof Jake the Snake” for Vice Magazine. Something about his personal philosophy coupled with his gym-coach demeanor resonated with me, so I used it to help give myself an improved sense of control, both in mind and body.  And if you haven't seen the movie, watch it when you need some inspiration and motivation.   

Well I’m doing it again.  I’ve done at least one workout every single morning for the past 6 weeks.  My strength and flexibility have improved dramatically in a very short period, and I’ve lost 5 out of 15 pounds.  I have a couple of physical goals here:

1)   to get myself into the best shape possible prior to my surgery in early February. 

2)   To start back again as soon as my recovery allows so that I can continue to be strong and healthy, and so that some of the more insidious effects of Rheumatoid Arthritis such as heart damage and loss of mobility will never get me.  

His message is one that I need badly right at this very moment in my life, because it isn’t just about physical health – it’s about owning one’s mindset.  He has a lot of catch phrases that he repeats often so that we can learn and internalize them.  A few of the biggies are “Life is 10% what happens to you and 90% how you react to it.”, and “Whether you say you can or you say you can’t, you’re RIGHT.”  These are ideas that I carried with me before I started the program, but it is so nice to hear this sort of thing daily so that they’re at the forefront of my consciousness.  What I realize is that I have every single thing I need to succeed, but its my own  psychology that holds me back.


Back to the challenge - it's a 16 week effort to own one’s life in whatever capacity you choose.  It doesn’t have to be just fitness.  My long term goals are to become a great singer and to work for myself via my clothing business.  Neither of these are going to be complete in 16 weeks.  I know that.  He knows that.  But he’s got me so fired up about what I can achieve if I just bust it for 16 weeks!  My next couple of posts are going to expand on these goals and my plans for how to achieve them as well as his goal-setting methodology.  But for now I just wanted to give you an intro to my guiding light of 2019.

 Last day of registration is on January 31, so if you’re interested, click here to learn more and join in.