and not just for my mental health - apparently my body needed a break, too.
to be fair, i didn’t exactly ‘quit’ the gym for no reason. summer was already sooo physically active for me. and at some point i had to be real with myself and choose sth bc my body simply didn’t have enough time to recover from everything i was throwing at it.
i think i used to have this mindset that if i wasn’t training, i was somehow doing less. like i always had to be working towards sth, getting stronger, building muscle, improving, pushing myself. and sometimes it’s hard to admit that your body doesn’t need another workout, it needs a fucking break.
i didn’t realize how constantly exhausted, hungry, irritated and just.. overwhelmed i felt until i stepped away for a while. why was i waking up groggy, having an appetite like i could devour everything within a 5 mile radius, running on fumes, and getting irrationally angry over literally nothing??
and the funny thing is, i thought i just needed to ‘push through’ bc that’s what you do when you’re committed, right? but looking back, my guess is my body was basically asking me to stop adding more stress and actually let it catch up.
now my energy is actually HIGH. i wake up feeling refreshed, my appetite feels normal again, i’m not thinking about food 24/7, and i’m genuinely in a better mood. i’m not walking around feeling like everyone is personally inconveniencing me just by existing.
BUT before anyone thinks i’ve suddenly become anti-gym - absolutely not lmao. i’m actually planning to go back bc i genuinely LOVE the gym. i love having a routine, i love lifting, i love building muscle, and i love seeing what my body is capable of when i train consistently.
i think the difference now is that i’m going back with a completely different mindset. not because i feel like i HAVE to constantly push myself, but bc i actually miss it, want to be there and keep my promises that i made a long time ago for my future self.
so yeah… taking a step back didn’t make me lose my love for the gym. if anything, it made me realize how much i genuinely enjoy it - just without needing to sacrifice everything else my body needs. the goal isn’t doing more, it’s learning when more is actually helping you… and when it’s just more.