Last Thursday was my first day back at the gym in 2 weeks. I didn’t really work out at all for two weeks, which I didn’t plan on, but it happened. I did my powerlifting meet on Saturday May 12th and took a rest day Sunday. Since I didn’t have my next workout plan yet, I decided to take a yin yoga class on Monday and my usual aerial yoga on Tuesday. After that, I was working at the house and packing for vacation and then on vacation. My coach suggested a week off from the gym anyway and yoga was good for mobility. While I tried to do a little yoga here and there on my own and stretching, I could tell I tightened up.
When I got back from vacation (read this post), I was so tired. I really wasn’t myself. I just wanted to crawl into bed for 10-12 hours to get refreshed. Well life doesn’t always go the way we want and I still pushed through work. I tried to get to bed early each night last week and catch up on sleep. I got my new workout plan and decided to start that last Thursday morning. Even though I was catching up on sleep, I missed my 5am workout routine. I missed heading to the gym and feeling more energized and awake throughout the workday. I was so sluggish not going to the gym.
When you take a break, the hardest part is getting started again. Oh and squats were TOUGH. I kept the weights a little lighter as I get back into routine, but man, I could really feel that leg day. By the end of Thursday, my legs were already feeling so sore and I was walking funny on Friday. Muscle soreness to the extreme for sure. I even tried to foam roll and it was so painful. I felt better when I was just walking. Going from sitting to standing was hard.
I think you know when you have a passion for something when you miss it like crazy and don’t feel like yourself. At least that’s what I am thinking. I typically weight lift 4 times a week. That seems to be a good number right now for me so I can fit in some yoga and me time on other days.
So it’s now one week back in routine. I headed to the gym on Sunday morning and with the holiday weekend, it was me and 1 other person or just me at the gym. I love my gym and going in the mornings so that I can pick and choose my equipment. The gym is like my playground.
Monday morning, with the holiday, I got to sleep in, but since I still headed to bed at 9pm, I was awake around 6:30am. Hey at least I got a good 9.5 hours of sleep. My arms were sore from Sunday’s workout and I had my accessory day so it was more arms. Still, it was a good workout with a few new moves or moves I hadn’t done in a while so it was nice to change things up.
My appetite has sky rocketed since getting back to the gym. When I was fully resting, I was definitely less hungry. Then with vacation, I didn’t track and enjoyed what I wanted. I also only ate 2 meals some days due to so much driving. Whenever I am on a road trip I don’t feel the need to eat as much because I am sitting for X hours and not very active. So I listened to my body and it was kind of like a cleanse, just eating what I wanted and not worrying about it and now I can go back to tracking. With my workouts, I noticed I really do need to track. More for the fact that I need to make sure I eat enough, especially protein, so tracking has been helpful with that. However, it is still a puzzle to figure out how to exactly meet my macros some days. Planning the day before is key so I know what I am eating and it’s less stressful having it all planned out.
It feels good to be getting back on track. Caught up on sleep, cooking at home, eating lots of good food and getting my gym sessions in. If I’m feeling really run down, I’ll take a rest day, but for now, I excited for my gym time and seeing my muscles grow and what my body is capable of.
Have you ever taken an unplanned long break from the gym?
Thanks Amanda for letting me Think out Loud
