An Uncomplicated Life Blog: UPDATE! Coming Back From A Fitness Break

Monday, February 3, 2020

UPDATE! Coming Back From A Fitness Break

It's been three months since I re-began my focus on fitness. Here's an update on progress and thoughts and feelings on re-focusing my efforts on fitness


Three months ago, I wrote this post where I declared my attention back on my fitness. I had taken a "break", more or less, from fitness classes. I was breastfeeding the twins for their first 14 months, but once I began weaning them (actually, they self-weaned - I wanted to nurse for 18 months but they both gave it up at the 14 month mark!) I had more time to focus on myself, because I wasn't constantly attached to an infant and I also wasn't worried about what working out would do to my supply. Thus began my reentry to the world of working out regularly and consistently. Here's a three month in check in, with some surprising results. Here's what it's like coming back from a fitness break, three months in.


I think the hardest transition in fitness is when you start to put ON weight, because you're transitioning fat to muscle. When I wasn't regularly working out, my muscles inevitably disappeared. Fat weighs less than muscle. So, when you begin to work out again to build up your muscles, you're likely going to see a weight INCREASE instead of a decrease, even if you're seeing inches fall of your waist, thighs, arms, etc - and even if your clothes are fitting better than they did before. 

One of the biggest internal struggles I faced was that I was doing this over the holidays... And I don't diet. So at a holiday party, you better believe I'm having that extra glass of wine, and if you've got a great cheese spread for an appetizer, I'm going to sample every piece of cheese possible. Oddly, I have zero sweet tooth, so I never had one Christmas cookie. But those parties were all well catered this year, and when I saw the cheesey glory, I dug right in! Because of that, I was suspicious that I wasn't just gaining muscle weight - I thought perhaps I was gaining real weight, too. Mostly because not only was I lifting weights again, I went from breastfeeding TWO babies to not breastfeeding at all, so I knew there was a calorie deficit that I enjoyed while breastfeeding that was no longer there.


After a bloated 6-8 weeks over the holidays, I can say that I'm honestly not sure what the culprit was (it was likely a little of both) but now, my weight is still up 5 or so pounds but my clothes are back to fitting great. In fact, they now fit better than they used to! When I was breastfeeding, I was thin but also had no SHAPE. Now, my butt fills my jeans out but I also don't have a "muffin top." My arms are far more toned and my abdominal muscles, despite suffering from Diastasis Recti, are starting to come back. I feel leaner, more toned and less "puffy" than I did over the holidays.

So outside of working out, what have I done?

Well, I did this juice cleanse back in the first week of January. I didn't lose weight from it, but I'll tell you - it was AMAZING. It helped me reset my physical body and reset my mind, it helped me de-bloat, and it enabled me to focus and reset my intention. As I said in that post, I plan on doing a 3 day juice cleanse every quarter to help my body detox and reset. Do I promote juice cleansing for weight loss? Absolutely not; it's not sustainable, just like a Keto/Adkins diet isn't sustainable. Eat everything in moderation, mostly veggies, and use small plates to limit portions. That's what will promote weight loss more than any juice cleanse or trick diet - that's what's sustainable!


Did I stick to at least three workouts a week? Yes I did! I love working out. It's not something I "have to do" but rather it's something I "get to do." Yoga, Pilates, and barre are my main workouts of choice. Adding in workouts wasn't an issue for me. I love working out and look forward to the days I make room for physical fitness.

Did I add veggies at every meal? Yes, I did this too! Even when my husband went to the donut shop with the kids on a Saturday morning, I added spinach to my breakfast sandwich. I don't like donuts (I know - I'm weird. I just don't like sugary things!) And instead of eating chips, which was actually necessary of me when breastfeeding twins to get enough calories, I switched back to my old standard of carrots and hummus as a "side" to my lunch sandwich. My go-to lunch sammy, btw, is whole wheat bread, half an avocado, a piece of organic cheese, tomato and spinach with a little spicy mustard on one side of the bread and mayo on the other.

Did I eat a protein bar for breakfast daily? Ughhhh, no. I didn't. I think it's finally time I just own up to the fact that I'm not a breakfast person, will never be a breakfast person, can't even stomach the thought of food before 11am and you know what? That's ok! That's just who I am. In the three months since I wrote my initial post, writing out my goals for a return to better fitness, I've had breakfast about four times. Four times in three months. That's it. Yeah, I'm just not a breakfast eater and it's time to accept it.

I feel like you can see improvement in my arm that's taking the photo and in my ab definition. It's a slight improvement, but it's there!

Did I consume less alcohol? Well... No. I didn't. It was a lofty goal to have during holiday party season, and I failed at it. Not only was it consumed at holiday parties, people gifted us wine, so hubby and I found ourselves opening bottles mid-week, which we rarely ever do. In fact, I probably drank more wine than normal during this period. I'm really looking forward to a non-holiday time over the next 6 months where I can reign my wine consumption back in. 

Looking forward to the next three months, what do I want to accomplish with my fitness/diet/lifestyle?

  • Make it to 3 fitness classes a week minimum; begin to shoot for 4 classes each week.
  • Meditate 3 mornings a week for at least 5 minutes
  • Consume alcohol three days a week or less
  • Read 4 nights a week as opposed to watching TV/movies
  • Spend an hour a day (or more!) outside - bike rides with the kids, gardening, walking to the park, etc.
  • Make 2 vegetarian suppers a week. I already eat them regularly for lunch, but I want to do more for family suppers.

Have you ever had to "get back into it" after taking a break from something? It's tough to get back into the groove! I've heard it takes 21 days to make something a habit. Fortunately I've managed to get back into going to fitness classes regularly, and hope to increase it to four times a week. It's adding the meditation (ahhhhh, does that mean I'll have to wake up earlier or carve out some other time in the day?!), ditching the TV (shouldn't be too hard as I'm not that big a fan of TV) and wine (which I am a huge fan of), and adding more vegetarian recipes that my whole family will eat that I'm ambivalent about. Ok 21 days, let's start now and create some new habits!

9 comments:

  1. Great post! I have "gotten back into it many times" sadly! HA! I lost a lot of weight (over 75 pounds) and then maintain a while and then gain. Same thing again...and now I am back in it for the third time. I know it is doable for me just takes so much commitment to get started, I feel like now that I have started there is nothing to stop me. All about the "getting back in"...they say the first step is the hardest right?!?!? Good luck - you look fantastic!

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  2. Good work! I have started working out regularly, as well. I feel so much better and stronger!

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