Sunday, August 18, 2013

Fitness doesn't have to be your whole life

I got absorbed into fitness. It became my whole identity and I got swept right into it. This isn't necessarily a bad thing, but the problem is that I also exited this life as well.

I still workout, I still run, but I run less and workout less. I probably run 20km a week less than what I used to. I probably ran 40km+ a week and now I run 20km + a week. I used to do cardio for 45minutes of cardio on the days I didn't run. I usually only went to the gym or ran 6 days a week, always giving me one rest day. Now my cardio is usually 20-30 minutes and I'll do 45 minutes once or twice a week. I don't always do cardio when I go to the gym. Usually at least 2 of my gym visits a week has under 10 minutes or no minutes of cardio.

I used to lift weights/strength train 6x a week for 45mins-1 hour and now I do it for about 30minutes-1 hour.

Honestly, I was bored with my routine, and I switched up a few moves that weren't working anymore, so that has helped.

Luckily I am moving soon so I get to experience a whole new gym so I can get back on my A game with new moves.

But this lifestyle became my whole life for a little over a year. Until about May/June this year I started to slow down. Since I slowed down I probably gained about 5/6 pounds. But 2 of those pounds were muscle and the other few are fat.

But I am not fat. I have fat, but so does everyone else. I just have more fat than I had 5 months ago, which is fine.

It is fine. It is fine. I keep saying these words to myself over and over and over again. Is it really fine? I suppose it is. I am happy with my body. I am 126 pounds and my body fat% is around 23%. It was at 17% at one point. I would like it to get back down to that point, but spending almost 15 hours a week working out really isn't going to be an option that I can take, or I even want to take.

Part of my problem is my eating habits have slipped a bit. I always slip on and off my diet but I always get back on, which is what matters.

I guess my whole point is that fitness doesn't have to be my whole life. I got way too swept up in it. But I have rediscovered a new kind of respect for fitness and I think I can handle that in my schedule.

It's really simple, move your body when you can and eat the healthiest foods you can. Buy stuff from the market, drink lots of water, do cardio, lift weights, run... it's so simple.

I still do plan to run a full marathon someday. It won't be this year, maybe next year. There's no rush.

If you are new to the fitness world it can be exciting. Don't completely quit it when it bores you, just let go a little and hold on to what you want to hold on to. Don't get too swept up into the bodybuilding scene because it is almost inescapable and you feel guilty when you try to escape it. Just be healthy, that is all that matters.