Prior to my MLE (Major Life Event), I was working out 5 to 6 days a week. I *made* myself take a day off, which usually fell on the one day I had to run errands. Errands that involved a lot of walking. It wasn’t *quite* working out, but it wasn’t quite not working out either.
After 10 months of that workout regimen, I had noticed some subtle weight loss. I wasn’t trying to bulk up as much as lose some weight, so I was pleased when my pants fit a little looser, and my short sleeve shirt cuffs felt a little tighter. I by no means looked like any kind of body builder, but I also didn’t look like climbing one flight of stairs would wind me. I was very satisfied with my progress.
In addition to working out, I had also given up sodas. This was a major “thing” for me. I wasn’t, and haven’t ever been, a coffee drinker. Oh, I’ll have one every once in a while, but it isn’t a normal thing for me. My mornings had always started with a Coke (cola, not the illegal substance). I was a hard-core, three-a-day Coke drinker. When we moved to Chicago, I decided I would give them up and start working out, both at the same time. It was rough at first, but after a while, I didn’t miss the Cokes, and I definitely missed the gym on days I didn’t go. Weird.
My MLE was a set-back on the workout front. For five weeks, I couldn’t work out, at all. I could, and did, walk as much as possible, but even that was slow going and nowhere near my pre-MLE mileage. I tried to cut back what I was eating, and I was mostly successful, but I still ended up reviving my beer gut. (Which is hugely ironic, because I don’t drink beer, or any other alcoholic beverages).
At the six-week mark, I managed two days in the gym, taking it very easy and very slow. It frustrated me to no end. I felt like all the gains I had made were gone. They weren’t, but it sure felt like they were. By the seven-week mark, I had upped it to three days in the gym, and inched closer to breaking 10,000 steps a day.
I’m now eight weeks post-MLE. Today was the first day in the gym that I did a full weight set rotation. (I do a weight / cardio split, alternating days between weights and cardio). Granted, the weights were not as heavy as I was lifting, pre-MLE, but I did a full number of reps and sets at the lower weight. I am absolutely thrilled that I was able to do this.
For the first time in two months, I feel like I’m back on track with my fitness goals. I don’t ever expect to be super muscular, but I do want to be healthy with my weight and in shape with my body. And I’m getting there.
Apologies that this was a late post today – I was in the gym!
After 10 months of that workout regimen, I had noticed some subtle weight loss. I wasn’t trying to bulk up as much as lose some weight, so I was pleased when my pants fit a little looser, and my short sleeve shirt cuffs felt a little tighter. I by no means looked like any kind of body builder, but I also didn’t look like climbing one flight of stairs would wind me. I was very satisfied with my progress.
In addition to working out, I had also given up sodas. This was a major “thing” for me. I wasn’t, and haven’t ever been, a coffee drinker. Oh, I’ll have one every once in a while, but it isn’t a normal thing for me. My mornings had always started with a Coke (cola, not the illegal substance). I was a hard-core, three-a-day Coke drinker. When we moved to Chicago, I decided I would give them up and start working out, both at the same time. It was rough at first, but after a while, I didn’t miss the Cokes, and I definitely missed the gym on days I didn’t go. Weird.
My MLE was a set-back on the workout front. For five weeks, I couldn’t work out, at all. I could, and did, walk as much as possible, but even that was slow going and nowhere near my pre-MLE mileage. I tried to cut back what I was eating, and I was mostly successful, but I still ended up reviving my beer gut. (Which is hugely ironic, because I don’t drink beer, or any other alcoholic beverages).
At the six-week mark, I managed two days in the gym, taking it very easy and very slow. It frustrated me to no end. I felt like all the gains I had made were gone. They weren’t, but it sure felt like they were. By the seven-week mark, I had upped it to three days in the gym, and inched closer to breaking 10,000 steps a day.
I’m now eight weeks post-MLE. Today was the first day in the gym that I did a full weight set rotation. (I do a weight / cardio split, alternating days between weights and cardio). Granted, the weights were not as heavy as I was lifting, pre-MLE, but I did a full number of reps and sets at the lower weight. I am absolutely thrilled that I was able to do this.
For the first time in two months, I feel like I’m back on track with my fitness goals. I don’t ever expect to be super muscular, but I do want to be healthy with my weight and in shape with my body. And I’m getting there.
Apologies that this was a late post today – I was in the gym!
