The Lagree Challenge

Sore.

Sore, tired and a little cranky.

It was becoming my norm.

Not the good kind of sore — not the “I just crushed a Lagree class and feel amazing” kind — but the kind that comes from running on empty. From pushing through long days, skipping workouts and meals and promising myself I’d “start again on Monday.”

The truth is, I’d been taking care of everyone else and putting my own wellness on the back burner. I could feel it in my body, which already felt like foreign terrain after childbirth. My mood was unpredictable, and I began to feel like a slave to my changing hormones. It felt like it was all slipping downhill. My energy was dipping, my motivation was low and even the things I normally loved started feeling like obligations.

I started to hear myself having the same complaints I hear from my patients every day.  And searching for answers outside of myself. I started listening to that nagging self-talk that comes from a place of judgment instead of love and I felt really uncomfortable in my own skin. I noticed it impacting not only my physical body but my mood and, ultimately, my performance.

Enter Dustin with his annual personal challenge. At first, the invitation to join sparked all that negative self-talk and a twinge of ego but it also rekindled that inspiration to make a change. I decided to join him not to prove something but to reset.

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I wanted to get back to feeling strong, clear and grounded in my body again. To remind myself what consistency feels like and to rediscover that connection between movement, mood and mindset that I talk about with clients every day. I needed to reclaim that role of leading through example.

It’s important to note: I didn’t want this challenge to be about punishment for the years of deconditioning or working off those cheat days. I wanted it to be about reclaiming my energy, one small, consistent action at a time.

By syncing the start of my challenge with my hormonal cycle, I was able to give myself a little advantage over some of the rough early mornings or sore nights after a good workout. Harnessing my natural rhythms empowered me to plan ahead for the weeks when my needs would change. Paying attention to what I was eating and when allowed me to consciously refuel my body and manage my energy.

It happened sooner than I expected, but I immediately started noticing something shift. My mood lifted. My posture changed. My crankiness softened into focus.

That early alarm was met with readiness instead of the urge to snooze for five more minutes and that night of rest was actually restorative. It also helped that I had an accountability buddy counting on me to show up, too.

This challenge became more than just movement, it became a way to reconnect with myself. To show up not only for my body, but for my whole life. A moment to remember why I fell in love with what I do in the first place.

And that soreness? Now it’s a sign of healing, progress, accomplishment. It’s that good kind of soreness again.

If you’re inspired to start your own personal challenge, give yourself permission to slow down and start where you are. Strength and balance don’t come from pushing harder, they come from showing up for yourself, one small choice at a time.

If that resonates, know you’re not alone. We’re here to support you in feeling good in your body — one mindful movement at a time.