Bikram Yoga Challenge: A Second Wall.

I think most people (though I can't speak for everyone) will hit a few "walls" during a 30-day Bikram challenge.

For me... The first one tends to hit around Day 11. I am exhausted and sleepy. It lasts until about Day 14 or 15... And then I bounce back. Till Day 20. Then I hit another wall again.

The best ways to avoid these "walls" in a challenge is:

• Sleep. Get into a consistent sleep cycle during the challenge. For me, I try to hit the sack by 9:30pm, and then I get up anywhere from 5am to 5:30am. So about seven hours of sleep is what I average a night.
• Water. If you're doing a challenge, you need to kick up your water intake by at least three. So if you're used to downing 40 ounces of water before a class, you need to get down about 100 to 120 before you go into class. No lie. And of course, this is assuming you're hitting a class that comes later in the day, and not first thing in the morning.
• Don't eat crap. Avoid heavy meals and alcohol as much as possible. I personally tend to think that small amounts of caffeine actually enhance a fitness activity... So I wouldn't cut that out. But definitely heavy processed meals.

Now, out of these three recommendations, I have really only followed the first one (Sleep) in this challenge. I can't seem to get enough water in me before class... And I do eat crap (bagels) for breakfast each day. But I will continue to power-through and try not to hit another wall in my remaining 10 classes.