So I stopped exercising.
I had Ali and immediately busted my butt to lose my pregnancy weight (before and after talk is here).
I lost it (and then some) by eating well and waking up before 6 AM 6 days a week to do Insanity or T25.
And one day I just stopped. And I’ve been stuck ever since.
I haven’t gained any weight (yet), but I’d like to lose 7 more lbs. It’s vanity weight but I want to lose it. And it kind of sucks to step on the scale every day and see the same exact weight when I want to be losing weight and moving on with this dumb phase. I want to buy fitted pants! And aside from a couple of pairs of inexpensive GAP jeans that I bought I just haven’t. I keep holding out for the magical weight loss pill/ early morning exercise motivation that just isn’t there.
How did I do it all of those days? I was severely sleep deprived and nursing far more than I am now, and somehow I stuck to my workout schedule day in and day out. I attribute the following to my previous success:
1. Early morning daylight and warmth. It’s a lot harder to get up these days when it’s still dark out and my bed is so cozy.
2. Desperately wanting to fit in anything aside from leggings. Now I fit in all those clothes in my closet so that desperate motivation is completely gone.
3. Not working. I was on my maternity leave when I did Insanity so it was easy to take a 20 minute power nap when the kids were sleeping. And really I was just so relaxed the whole leave because my focus was entirely on my kids, my husband, my home and my self. I was really good at it and am still having a tough time balancing all of that with my work. Also, I eat poorly on my busiest work days. I can’t decide if it’s stress or lack of time, but I almost always sneak a little extra something on those tough days. If it’s caused by stress, however, products like CBD Oil might be an essential to use.
4. Hormones. The post-partum Superwoman hormones are amazing. Some women hate them but I love them. I had so much energy despite rarely sleeping enough.
It’s now been 12 days since I’ve exercised which is no big deal. In fact, I’m still doing my morning pushups. BUTTTTT I haven’t done more than 2 days a week of exercise in like 2 months. Which to me is a big deal. I felt so happy and energized when I was doing Insanity.
It all started going downhill one day when I had a ton of extra work and had to skip my workout. Then the next day I put on my workout clothes and they were just so baggy and not supportive and I just wasn’t comfy doing my workout. And then the next morning it rained and I said screw it and stayed in bed. And then it snowballed from there.
I need a digital kick in the butt to get back to it. I hopefully just gave it to myself.
How do you get back in your exercise groove? I need some help getting back into it.
11 Responses to “So I stopped exercising.”
Comments
Read below or add a comment...
You’re telling me! Wow, I think you look FANTASTICAL! I wish I could have your motivation. Maybe your routine got boring and methodical and perhaps all you have to do to maintain is vary it a bit. My take. Good luck!
You have done an amazing job! Set realistic expectations for yourself. I just went back to work last week after baby #2 and am working on being realistic about what I can do. I don’t have a lot of time with my job, a 2 year old and an infant, so I made it a goal to exercise 4 days a week (2 of those on the weekend when I have more help) and to squeeze in extra walking at work on the days I don’t exercise. Working out 6 days a week just isn’t going to happen right now, and I need to accept that. Don’t let better be the enemy of good enough…something is infinitely better than nothing!
A second thing I’d recommend is to vary your routine so that you don’t get bored. Do something other than Insanity a couple times a week.
Don’t get discouraged. I found that when I stopped nursing my first daughter that I lost 5 pounds almost literally overnight. Your body may be just hanging onto what it needs. You have done a great job so far!
Do you have enough time to leave the house ever? I find the only thing that keeps me going is paying for something – and something more than a cheap gym membership. I keep signing up for an 8 week bootcamp 2 days/week and because I have paid [a decent amount] for a set amount of workouts I make sure I never miss them. I also have built a relationship with the instructor and that helps. Maybe personal trainer sessions? I know that sounds like a lot but if you can do it even 3x/week it might be worth it.
If you lived just a tiny bil closer, I would be dragging your butt to Barre with me!
I agree with the above. I think you’ve done a fantastic job focusing on getting back in shape. I honestly think you’re psyching yourself out a little bit now though. Instead of getting on the scale every day and focusing on those 7 pounds accept that this is probably NOT going to be the period in your life when you’re at your vanity weight (when the kids are in school and you can steal an hour on your lunch break to go to the gym? definitely). Instead just focus on doing *something* every day knowing that it will make you feel better and probably be a happier momma. Can you sneak in a walk with the kids at any point during the day? I know for me just mentally giving myself a break the last year or so (I have a fifteen month old and work full time with a commute) has made a huge difference. I still work out a lot but its mostly yoga right now and not a ton of running. I do miss running and would love to get back into distances but unfortunately that’s just not reality right now.
I agree with setting realistic goals. Even just saying that you’ll do something 2x a week (if you have to load up on the weekend, so be it!) I often find that setting high expectations leads me to fail.
Just do it. Commit to a minimum and do it. Don’t say try. Don’t say you want to workout. Say you will workout or you do workout on x days at x time and stick to it.
I know that sounds oversimplified, but you said yourself you’ve done it before. Maybe even set some type of strength goal to keep your eye off the scale and just to keep you going. I always like women to set goals to be able to do a chin up or pull up. 🙂
Are you workouts fun enough? Just remember that absolutism (only being consistent under perfect circumstances and falling off the wagon after one misstep) doesn’t make for very sustainable life changes. Try to put those 7lbs out of your mind and maybe just focus on having 45 minutes of activity every day – even if it’s just stretching in your living room. I always find that the best way to get back into things after a break is to find a really fun workout online to kick things off. Remember that this also might be your body’s way of asking for some unloading time – something that, in the long term – helps you keep working out harder over a longer period of time.
Work out buddy?! I think we all need that extra push. I bought a fitbit and found that was awfully motivating too!
I just had my first baby. He’ll be 4 weeks this Monday. I have NO IDEA how you did that exercise routine when you had Ali. I didn’t last with breastfeeding, but I was for the first 2 weeks. I just can’t imagine doing what you did, so maybe it just caught up with you? I don’t know, but I think you’ll strike a balance when you can! I can’t wait to be cleared to exercise at the 6 week mark!
Congratulations! I know, I was an animal. It prob did catch up with me.
How is motherhood treating you? It took me a long time to figure it all out the first time around.