Took the longest break ever this year from training/working out. I snuck in a couple runs and Pilates classes here and there because the thought of just taking a break didn’t seem ok. Luckily I was traveling with Wes and he kept reminding me I needed to rest. It was hard for the obvious reason that I love the feeling of running and working hard. I also relied so much on using working out as a coping mechanism for pain. So when I couldn’t use running as a way to distract the pain from heartbreak, it really challenged me to figure out how to comfort myself emotionally without just going and running myself down until I felt like I couldn’t walk or breathe, which yes I’ve done in the past... Not ideal, but running is how I deal with any emotional or mental struggle. It's great to an extent, but once it becomes something you rely on or abuse because you can’t handle it in another way is when you should probably check yourself. Which is what happened during this time and I didn’t really see it coming. It was crazy how not working out everyday effected my mood and effected the way I saw myself.
One of my friends Maya is also on a break now from working out because she injured herself and it hurts my heart to hear her worry so much about gaining weight or worry all her hard work and progress is now down the drain. So between how I have felt the past couple of months, and the things I see from my best friend, made me realize how many of us sometimes just work out and train every frickin day more so because we think we NEED to, not want to. Look at moving your body as something fun. Be thankful that your body is able to do all of those runs and workouts. Move your body because you LOVE it and respect it and want to challenge it, not because you’re punishing it. If you’re on a break because you’re injured or sick or just NEED a break (like all of us do), don’t panic, don’t starve yourself, and don’t get down on yourself if your body changes a little bit during that time. Taking a break doesn’t erase the work you put in before. You will be surprised how well your body can bounce back and actually perform even better once it gets some rest. This is obviously way easier said than done, and I even have my days where I panic because I don’t look like how I do when I’m training. I realized the reason it’s frustrating for me is that I have a different body type than a lot of the girls I train with. They seem to stay perfectly ripped all year long😂 So even though I love my body and the way I look, I feel this pressure to look the same as them and get self conscious that other people judge me if I don’t look like a “typical athlete.” But I for real can't even get ripped when I’m in my best shape haha so it’s ridiculous to compare myself to them. My body just won’t do it, so I remind myself whenever I notice my mind starting to go back to those thoughts that even though I don’t look like everyone else, does not mean I’m not healthy or strong. My body just simply wasn’t built to have low body fat and just because I gain a little extra Cush or you can’t see my abs perfectly anymore doesn’t mean shit and it shouldn’t mean anything to you either.
Now let’s talk about food😍 I definitely abused my body a little more than usual because I’ve been eating whatever I want whenever I want it. And I have not done that in a long time. I was so strict with my food for probably 6 years now. INSANE!!! I was so obsessed with being a perfect athlete, so eating all the pizzas and cheese and pasta, etc was actually scary for me at first. I thought if I ate that stuff I’d blow up, get sick, and not be able to run the next day😂 I know that sounds crazy, but once you stop eating something for so long you’re convinced it’s poison. So before I went on all my travels, I went to get blood work done to make sure I wasn’t celiac or allergic to any of the foods I had been avoiding. Turns out I wasn’t really allergic to much anymore. I managed to reset my body and heal my gut pretty well. That bit of information kind of freed me to try it all, and I’m so happy I had this time because now when I am eating super healthy and simple it’s because I know it’s good for my body not because I’m scared of the other things. And it’s cool to know that I can always go and eat a pizza or cheese with baguette and not feel like I’m hurting my body. It's such a trend to either be SUPER healthy or SUPER unhealthy. Nobody ever talks about balance because it sounds kind of boring. We all love the EXTREME of things. But that’s not realistic🙄
Let's talk about how it’s ok to indulge and not feel guilty because you eat "clean" the majority of the time. Let’s be honest, eating pizza and junk food every day will not make your body feel good. And eating healthy 24/7 is nice but it’s not fun and chances are you’re not eating something off your “diet” because you’re scared of it, which is unhealthy in itself. It’s good to be proud of what you eat, and I think we like to pretend that we can eat everything and anything at all times and that we don’t care about health. But GUYS, it’s good to want to FEEL GOOD! It’s good to care about health. It’s just about balance and eating certain things in moderation. Health isn’t supposed to be lame or annoying it’s just a lifestyle that you commit to so you have a solid base that will support you so you can go enjoy your life! Anyways, just wanted to remind you and me that we aren’t supposed to be 100% one way all of the time. Our bodies will go through change, the way we eat won’t always be perfect, and working out isn’t supposed to be punishment. It’s something you do because you love yourself and respect your body.
Thank you guys for taking the time to read my posts! As always, I love seeing what you have to say so feel free to comment on my latest post here what you think, or just come on over and say hi!
