Just out of curiosity, did anyone stick to their resolutions for 2015? I didn't have one this year, but I was on a mission to discover something about myself. In the past couple of years, I have embraced exercising because of my unwillingness to stop consuming sweets. This was my way of balancing things out and I've been content with my shape and size. Last year in particular, the "you're too thin" comment got out of hand. This was weird to me because the only change I had made was exercising more frequently. Then, I decided to slow down and when that did not seem to change the comments, my genius plan at the beginning of this year was to wean myself off exercise and then stop completely for a year. The weaning started out with three days of exercise a week, then two, then one, and then never. I stopped exercising in May 2015.
After today's workout, the first in seven months, I can truthful say that not exercising was the worst plan ever. Yes, it's not one year yet. The no exercise plan lasted for seven months and couldn't take it any longer. I didn't plan to begin exercising for the first reason that would come to anybody's head. In fact, I weigh less, which means, I lost muscle mass. Oh by the way, I did not reduce my calorie intake, so it has nothing to do with dieting. I refrained from posting the before and after photo because it would have sent the wrong message. I looked stronger, defined, and toned when I exercised as opposed to my just slim look without exercise.
You know what's funny, I didn't disclose this plan to anyone. Guess what? I still got the "you're thin" comments during my no-exercise hiatus. There was also, "you look stressed and tired," "are you okay?," "maybe you should get more sleep." The funniest and most thought provoking statement for me was from a friend who said, "wearing big clothes won't hide your thin neck." That made me laugh but made me think. I'm way past the years when body image issues was a thing for me. What I didn't realize was that I was purchasing larger size clothes. I'm a big fan of oversize clothing but when it becomes more than a trend, then it's a problem. That opened my eyes. I'm not actually buying this larger sizes in the hopes of filling them up. I do like my size.
This past year has thought me that I know myself more than anyone else, and I should always treat myself (my body) with love and care. I used to climb three flight of stairs like it was nothing, but now I huff and puff when I do it. I used to be faster and stronger. Now I feel a bit slower and less lively. I'm still fun though, thank goodness! My workout today showed me how unfit I had become. I couldn't even hold a plank exercise for two minutes. I'm so happy I'm back because I missed it badly. Happy New Year to you all in advance and please don't make stupid resolutions. Cheers!
(ukoemem - Author; Ola Y - Editor)