Giving the gym a rest

Over the years there have been countless trends in the health industry and just as many workout fads. Some of them stick around and have a devoted following, and others fade off. I personally have always loved a high intensity workout for myself. I always felt accomplished afterwards and proud that I was able to hang with some of the most fit people I have ever seen. I’ve always had the mindset that every body reacts differently to different exercise, just the same way that bodies react differently to different foods.

While working with Byrdie and The Thirty, I had the opportunity to meet many different women in the health and wellness space and it was so interesting to see how diverse their workout routines were. Some focused more on mindfulness and just moving, while others just wanted to jack their heart rate up and really get sweating (me being one of the later). Some of the thinnest women in the room believed in just moving, even if it just meant a walk. But again, I thought every body reacts differently, and my goal has never been to be “thin”, it is just to be the healthiest and happiest version of myself.

Lately I’ve been on a mission to work on balancing my hormones and while on this mission I’ve listened to a lot of podcasts, done a lot of reading and have made a few doctors appointments. And one thing that has stood out to more than anything is focus of rest, moving throughout the day, but not overly exerting oneself. I also see an acupuncturist and he asked about my workout routine. To my surprise he actually suggested that I do less. So I’ve been putting a lot of thought into the workouts I do and how it might be affecting my body. I have never given my body any other type of workout, I’ve always had some sort of high intensity in my routine. So I’ve decided for the next two months, I am going to do more movement, lower impact and trying different types of workouts. I am hanging up my crossfit towel and freezing my membership to see how I feel. Because at the end of the day, the way you feel is the most important. I have already done a few at home workouts and I have done really well with walking my dogs at least 5 days a week for 30 minutes. I think I will keep hiking in my routine since it brings me so much joy and it’s only really difficult for about 1/2 of the trail. But I’m interested to see if I see changes in my body, in my mood, in my sleep and my energy levels.

I’m off to do an in home dance workout with long stretching afterwards!! I’ll let you know how everything goes and if I return to my box jumps and burpees.