If you don’t know who Alexis Ren is, she was one of the first people to become a famous Instagram model. More importantly, she also does tons of fantastic charity work like working with underprivileged kids and restoring coral reefs with Coral Gardeners; she was on Dancing with the Stars (as the star) ‘s a classically trained ballerina, a model, and a passionate environmentalist. She also just launched a new regenerative commerce brand, Future Prosperity, which makes the Environmental Scientist & Conservationist side of me sing! Overall, she seems like a very kind, intelligent, and hard-working person. Plus, she has a crazy amazing physique, which was why when she announced that she was doing a 30 Day Workout Challenge to teach others how she stays in such excellent shape, where she would post a workout video led by her every day for 30 days straight, I wanted to try it.
Here are my thoughts on the Alexis Ren 30 Day Workout Challenge.
Alexis Ren’s 30 Day Workout Challenge
There are no rest days in this program. Sundays are active recovery days, wherein she leads a stretching course for about 40 minutes, incorporating yoga and traditional stretching techniques to improve flexibility and elongate muscles. During the workouts themselves, there are no breaks. The object of this challenge isn’t to bulk up, but to rather burn fat, tone muscle, become more disciplined, and more flexible. It wasn’t easy to get into the habit of working out every day because I didn’t work out every day, even when I played sports in school. Still, these videos were between 30-45 minutes long, making them manageable yet intense enough to be effective.
While each day generally followed the same cardio-legs-abs-stretching format, each day was different enough to target different muscles and prevent soreness. I was sore the first 3-5 days of doing this, particularly in my abs and the back of my thighs, but after the first week, the soreness would dissipate by the next day. I made sure to stretch each morning like I always do. I usually did the Sunday stretching video after each workout because improving my flexibility is something I’ve really been working towards.
Overall, I really loved this program. I loved Alexis’s upbeat attitude and encouragement throughout the workouts. I loved that they were similar enough to know what to expect but different enough that I knew I’d be challenged each day. As part of the $33 workout subscription/challenge she offers, women have access to an eating disorder counselor, a registered dietician nutritionist, daily journaling prompts, plus, of course, the daily workout videos. There is also a group chat for all participants to talk to one another via the Telegram app and have their questions answered by the people running the workout program.
There was also a weekly Zoom call with Alexis where participants could ask questions about life, get advice about working out. They would do journaling exercises together, but I could only fit part of one call into my schedule, so I can’t really comment on it, but it seemed super cool and very chill.
Constructive Criticisms About the Alexis Ren 30 Day Workout Challenge
Before I get into what I loved the most about this program, I want to acknowledge a few things I would have liked to have seen done differently. These are in no way to be misconstrued as criticisms of anyone running the program personally or of Alexis Ren herself since I don’t know them personally, and what little I do know of them has been stupendous. These are just things I think could be improved upon in the program itself in the future. I’m sure no one in charge of the program will ever see this, but if somehow they do, I hope these help improve the program for the next time because it’s already so fantastic, and I’m thankful for everything I’ve learned from it so far. It’s seriously been the best $33 I’ve ever spent, and it has tons of potential to be one of the best programs ever made!
Weekly Stretching Video
My favorite thing about this program was the long-form stretching video each Sunday. Alexis is so great at leading stretching, explaining her philosophy on letting go physically and emotionally, and mentally, and using stretching as a form of checking in with oneself and making small changes to maximize the benefit of stretching and working out. I loved these so much, but I was disappointed to find that it was the same video uploaded each Sunday rather than different videos. All of the workout videos were unique, which made the experience so much more enjoyable, so I hoped the same would be true of the stretching videos. Apparently, there is a stretching challenge beginning soon, so I am very excited about that!
Diet Guidance
It would have been so beneficial to have recommendations about what to eat, what not to eat, what Alexis buys when she goes grocery shopping with sample grocery lists, what she keeps in her pantry, what she eats when traveling, etc. There was a list of 8 smoothie recipes and a snacking guide included in the program, which was helpful to a point. I already have a good idea of how to eat healthy, of course, but I would pay good money to learn exactly what Alexis Ren eats in a day, a week, or a month, even if that was sold separately from the workout course. I think she mentioned that she was vegan unless locally sourced fish was available, but I would have loved to have learned more about what she eats. Please, take my money and teach me your ways, Alexis! haha
Daily Emails
I would have loved to have received the daily emails each morning as we did at the start of the program, every day. I was disappointed when they randomly stopped. They were really helpful!
What I Loved About the Alexis Ren 30 Day Workout Challenge
I loved so much about this program; I don’t even know where to begin. For reference, I did every day’s workout for 30 days straight (waiting for today’s final workout to be uploaded, currently, then I’ll be done!), and I also did the Sunday stretching video most days after working out because I really wanted to improve my flexibility. I also used the app called LoseIt! to track my calories, water intake, sleep duration, and more. Aside from that, I didn’t change anything else about my lifestyle.
My Results
Inches Lost
I lost 2.5″ from my waist and 3″ from my hips, plus 1″ from each thigh, and about half an inch from each arm. I already thought I was pretty toned but, I am starting to see some solid abs forming, and some of my clothes that were a bit snug fit very comfortably now. I’m super pleased with the results!
Improved Flexibility
I can touch my forehead to my knees when doing split stretches again! I used to be able to do the splits when I was in college, and I feel like I’m about 70% of the way to being back able to do that, which is amazing. Alexis’ stretching flows are my favorite I’ve ever done, and I’ve done a lot of yoga classes and videos online, so that’s really saying something.
Improved Endurance
I no longer get out of breath when working out for 45 minutes straight, even when really pushing myself through the workouts without breaking. When I first started this challenge, I really dove right into it. I pushed myself as hard as I could to do each exercise properly and as deeply as possible (like when squatting or lunging, for instance), which caused me to usually take a 3-5 second break in the middle of each exercise. Now I can push through without stopping, and I’m not as tired at the end of each workout, nor do I shake nearly as much while doing something of the longer sequences. I’m so happy about all of these changes because there’s absolutely no good reason for me to be out of shape.
Improved Strength
Previously, I couldn’t do a proper pushup, and now at the end of this challenge, I can do about 15-20 in a row. I can also squat, lunge, and “pulse” deeper and longer without taking breaks. My arms and legs have more definition, and as silly as it sounds, I can carry more groceries in one trip, which is obviously the most important result here. I can’t believe how much I improved in strength, flexibility, and endurance from just a month of 30-45 minute workouts and the 25-minute stretch sequence!
Diet Improvements
It’s hard not to be motivated to eat better when working out consistently, especially when someone as fit as Alexis Ren is leading each video. I set a goal to drink more water every day, which was easy to meet and exceed because I was thirstier each day from working out. I also found myself not wanting to eat anything unhealthy because I was spending about 1/12th of my day improving my health, so I didn’t want to sabotage that. I tracked my nutrition each day for the entire duration of the program, and I found it’s a very comforting thing to do, so I plan to continue doing so.
Other Things I Loved About the Alexis Ren Workout Challenge
Workouts Were Fun and Went by Quickly
I’ve done other workout programs, classes, and challenges that just seemed to draaaaagggg onnnn, and these videos were the total opposite. Sometimes, I couldn’t believe how quickly the workout was over, even if 45 minutes had passed. Alexis tells funny stories, is empathetic, and really encourages participants to dig a little deeper and keep going. Between her talking and the upbeat music in the background made the workout period go by very quickly.
Daily Uploads Were Very Motivating
The daily video uploads were super motivating. Since I knew a new video would be posted every day, I never took even one day off because I didn’t want to fall behind.
Cultivated Dedication
There’s a big difference between motivation and dedication, and this program has created dedication I didn’t think I’d want, let alone ever have. Now that the challenge has ended, I’ve already created my own daily workout schedule that includes these workouts, integrating some other things I’ve learned from the program mixed with things I already knew, so I can continue working out every day. I don’t want to stop working out every day!
Prepping for Travel
I have been at home for nearly an entire year straight, when I should have traveled around the Americas, Asia, and Europe, so this has helped me channel my cabin fever into something productive and has helped me get back into shape after sitting around the house most of this time since we quite literally were not allowed to go anywhere. I hope this time next year I’m able to go hiking somewhere mountainous, explore icy caves, snorkel in the tropics, soak in hot springs, and go site seeing, all without missing a beat, now that I’m back into good shape.
How to Join
The Alexis Ren 30 Day Workout Challenge has been so much fun and has done wonders for my health, physique, flexibility, wellbeing, and confidence. I am honestly so thankful that I found this workout challenge. It’s been so motivating and so incredible! To join, head to Alexis Ren’s website here. You can also follow Alexis Ren on Instagram here.
Follow me on Instagram for more travel & lifestyle content @AnnieFairfax
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