I never planned to stop exercising, it just kind of happened.
First, the kids got out of school which made it hard to workout every day. Then we renovated our kitchen and seemingly did nothing else all summer. I broke a toe. And we went on vacation. Through all that I actually lost weight and I became really okay with not working out. I had been between 135 and 140 pounds. By July, I was below 134 and have stayed there ever since. That might not seem like a lot but it made me feel like a whole new person.
I have always exercised obsessively (and kept a record) as seen below. I would do something almost every day. I’d run or do some sort of video at home. I’d go to yoga, spin and Jazzercise.
I was surprised (but not surprised) when I lost weight in July. I wasn’t “working out” but I was doing demolition and a lot of heavy lifting. Ever removed a hardwood floor and sub floor? Torn out cabinets? Installed a new hardwood floor? Combine that with very little eating because you have no kitchen.
We did most of the renovation in flip flops and joked that we should have a show on HGTV called “Flip Flop Flippers”. Construction sites are not the place for flip flops but that is not how I broke my left number 2 toe. I broke it by slipping on the wet garage floor. If you’ve never broken a toe, and I have, twice, the correct way to rehab it is to ‘buddy tape’ it and not exercise for six weeks. Six weeks??!! (Apparently, I don’t consider riding a bike to be bad for a broken toe.)
When my toe seemed to be completely healed I celebrated by doing all the planks and downward dogs. But, as you can see, not much else. My first day back to Jazzercise, I thought I felt it re-break a little bit, but I think it will always be a little tender.
So, this is where I am now. I don’t need to exercise anymore.
I might do it once in a while, when I feel like it. I do feel a lot better, especially mentally, when I workout. Having broken a bone tells me that I should exercise more, particularly with weights. Feeling really fit while doing the kitchen made me realize I should be doing much more muscle strengthening. As we head into the colder months, I know it will really help to get outside and move. A little walking, a little running. I will probably still go to spin class and Jazzercise, because it’s fun. Oh, and yoga because it makes everything better.
NO KITCHEN
KITCHEN
