What a break taught me.

After working out faithfully 6 days a week for the past 8 months, taking a 3 week break was not something I planned. I got a very infected tooth and my baby got RSV and had to be admitted to the hospital. Once that long, sleep deprived week was over, my tooth was extracted and my baby was feeling better we drove to my sister's house. Helping her clean, pack and renovate her house was good exercise, but other than a few sporatic sets with free weights, I still didn't get the opportunity to "offcially" work out. In light of my previous post, I was feeling totally nervous that I was gaining weight. Man, this is such a mental process!!!!!!! I was so "mental" about it that for most of that Sunday I just assumed, since my clothes felt tight, that I had gained at least 10 pounds....then I realized that my skirt was actually lose, it was just my tights that were, well, tight. PHEW! Huge sigh of relief! It's amazing to me how I could just assume that I would wake up one morning and be the old, fat Heidi just for missing some workouts!! So I came home and started back to my regular workout routine of going to the gym for about 2 hours a day (any less than that and my kids complain that I am picking them up from the gym child care too early!) I was SUPER sore after my first workout, but am feeling AWESOME now, after almost a full week back. And, I don't have to worry about trying to lose that extra 5 pounds I thought I had gained....I actually weighed 131.5 a few days ago, so I guess I'm okay after all and haven't gone as over-board as I thought I had. Taking a 3 week break has taught me that I am okay. That I am and can be "normal"...in my eating and in my weight without having to be a maniac about working out. I will still workout out a ton because I love it and it makes me feel awesome (and my kids beg to go...) but now I know that all will not be lost if I miss a day (like today since my toddler is sick.) I can breathe. I can relax. I can not freak out. In not freaking out, I can give myself permission to not freak out about food...which in turn helps me to focus on eating healthfully and not just on eating. Breaks are good. :) Were it not for the this forced break, I think I would still be in a very unhealthy over-eating then over-working out cycle that was so not fun or cool. Now I feel more even. Now I feel even more in control and POWERFUL! :) Sometimes we need to step back and let life happen to figure out were we fit into it all and refocus to put more time and effort into things that are the most important. For me, I needed to chill and realize that now I can take some emphasis off of food and exercise and put it back into my family...and still reach for my health goals like a "normal" person. :)