I Stopped Working Out Every Day and This Is What Happened
By: Auriane Alix
Tags: Self Improvement, Journey, Sports, Self, Fitness

I Stopped Working Out Every Day and This Is What Happened

I’m not very proud of myself.

Photo by Derick McKinney on Unsplash

“I’ve discovered the power of consistency.” “I don’t even need to find motivation anymore. It comes from within.” “Motivation is necessary to start your journey. But when you feel the well-being it brings you, momentum is created, and it takes more motivation to stop than to keep going.” “Sport has become an integral part of my life. It’s no longer a constraint.”

These are all words I typed in May when I wrote a story about my fitness journey. It was quite successful, and I got tons of words from people telling me they were motivated by my story. I was happy to share that.

It has now been 8 months since I started working out again. I was doing 2 or 3 sessions a week in my 18 square meter apartment in Paris, on my carpet, using apps. When quarantine began, I slowly felt the need to train more, before reaching an almost daily rhythm.

It did me a lot of good. I saw my body change, my mind got clearer and I was more focused on my work. I also felt calmer and more relaxed, as sport helped me to release negative energies. My relationship with food was also better.

I doubted I would be able to maintain this pace after quarantine, and instead aimed for a rhythm of 4 times a week.

It turned out that I wasn’t very good.

From 6 workouts per week to 1 or 2

I could say life got in the way. But I’m not convinced by that excuse, because that’s what it is: an excuse.

I moved into my new apartment. I got a job as a waitress in a restaurant, which meant that I had almost no free time, and no more energy. Summer and the heat prevented me from training in good conditions.

Here are my “excuses”. It sure explains a few things. But it’s not enough. My goal now is to get back to a better rhythm, since I no longer work as a waitress and my move is over.

Here’s what changed after a month

It’s been about a month since I stopped exercising so much. During this time, I haven’t been sitting around doing nothing: I’ve been working 35 hours a week standing up, walking a lot and doing physical tasks, doing activities such as hiking and canoeing, and some swimming in the sea. I have also completed one or two workout sessions a week as before and recently added an occasional 25-minute elliptical bike session.

But still, things have changed, and not the way I wanted them to.

Weight

I haven’t really gained any weight. But I may have lost muscle and gained fat. The muscle being heavier than the fat, the difference cancels itself out. I try to eat healthy every day, but summer barbecues and drinks get in the way. And at the same time, I don’t want to stop living and enjoy nothing.

The change is not radical. My body looks a bit less toned, especially my abs. But abs seem to be a special part because as soon as you stop training, they become less visible.

Physical performances

It’s something that hasn’t diminished. I saw my physical performance increase when I started training: I could lift heavier loads without too much difficulty, and I could maintain a physical effort much longer than before.

I haven’t lost this progression yet. But I think it’s time to get back into work-out if I don’t want to end up losing that as well.

Well-being

That’s the tricky part. I don’t feel as good in my body as I used to when I exercised almost every day. But I still feel better in my body than when I didn’t exercise at all.

I miss the well-being that comes after a workout. I’m getting it back a little, but less than before, since I only do 25-minute sessions instead of 40 because of the heat.

Mentally speaking, I feel a little more guilty when I eat too much, because I know I have less training to compensate. I’m also less focused, and less calm: that was one of the great benefits of exercising a lot, especially for someone on the verge of hyperactivity, because negative energies were used in a healthy way.

Mental resistance, however, has not diminished. Before, when I used to train and it became difficult, I just stopped. Now I manage to finish my series almost all the time. It’s a great skill, which also helps me in my daily life because it applies to many areas.

My plans for the future

My fitness journey has done me so much good that I can’t let it go. I’m proud of how far I’ve come and I don’t want to give up all my efforts, especially considering all the benefits it’s brought me, both physically and mentally.

My rhythm has been shaken up over the last month. Now I want to find it again, slowly but surely. My goal is to reach 4 sessions per week. Exercising every day is great, but it’s a hard rhythm to maintain since lockdown ended and life has resumed its course, with its dose of activities and things to do.

It taught me a lesson though. Nothing is ever linear. You can feel like you’ve solved something and the momentum is there, but it’s not. You have to keep pushing, otherwise, things fade away.

It doesn’t matter if you’ve taken a break from your fitness routine. You probably needed it, and it’s a way for you to start even better when you come back. Be gentle with yourself and accept imperfection.

Some sessions are harder to finish than others. Sometimes you won’t even be able to finish them. Others will be excellent and almost easy. Some weeks you’ll train a lot, but not at all the next one. That’s okay, as long as you don’t lose sight of your goals.

Know why you’re doing it. It’s the best motivation you can find, and it’s your guarantee that it will come back to you no matter how much time you need to stop or slow down.