Just about seven months ago, I stopped running and working out intensely all together. I was finding that my body really needed a break from working out hard — I really had never taken a break for over five years, and it was taking quite a toll on my body. After a few months, my thoughts were confirmed — it was exactly what my body needed at the time.
I love that quote – “They always say time changes things, but you actually have to change them yourself”. How true is that? I spent years (yes, years) telling myself that I had to change my intense exercise ways to get the results I wanted, but never had the courage to do it. To be totally honest with you, it was a vanity issue. What would happen if I stopped? Would I gain weight? Would I be disgusted with myself? Would people perceive me differently? It didn’t occur to me until I stopped and actually did gain weight that my self worth isn’t and will never be based on what I look like in the mirror or how I fit into my clothes.
To be perfectly honest with you, it could have been the best thing that ever happened to my psyche. I didn’t feel like I had to fit into someone’s idea of what I “should” look like. It was hard though — really hard. At first I hated just walking. I wasn’t sweating. I didn’t feel like I was doing anything at all — but it was necessary for my body. It was especially hard as someone who puts myself out there as a blogger, reading about everyone else’s fitness escapades was tough. Knowing that I was eating way more than so many people out there was hard — but very essential and I’m so glad I experienced what I have in the last half of the year.
With that being said, I’ve spent the last few months letting my body get back into a normal rhythm and allowing it to trust me again. I have, however, been itching to get back into some sort of a normal exercise routine. I say that loosely too, I’m not looking to push my body super hard at the moment. I don’t want to shock it again. I’m going to take it slow and allow myself to get back into the fitness world. Right now I’m not looking to drop pounds or inches. If it happens and my body is still working in tip top shape, then so be it. I’m sure along the way I’ll end up being more toned than I am now, which is fine if it happens or if it doesn’t.
Working out for me has always been about relieving stress and allowing me my “me time” to think and wind down. Yes I’ve been walking/doing yoga these last few months, but it’s not the same. I need those endorphins. I love feeling accomplished after a sweaty workout. It’s part of who I am, and I miss it.
My “plan” right now is to work out 3-5 times a week, depending on my mood, my energy levels, and my schedule. The last thing I want to do is make myself feel stressed about getting a workout in. I want to do a combination of run/walking, lifting weights, and yoga. When I do each one of those is going to be flexible. If I feel like running, then I’ll run. If I want to lift weights, then that’s what I’ll do that day. My plan is to let this take stress away, not to create any more on my body. And if I find that it’s too much for my body right now, I’ll scale back immediately. And while I’m on this “new” journey, I’m going to try to remember this:
I am looking forward to starting my new plan that’s really not a plan at all. Right now, I’m just incredibly excited about getting back into exercising — well, except for the major soreness I’m feeling in my rear from an abundance of squats, lunges, and burpees two days ago. Ouch! 
{ 99 comments… read them below or add one }
I feel your pain, I did Tina’s workout this morning and my butt is now pretty sore after 120 burpees! Well done on cutting back on the exercise, there are so many bloggers also in your shoes too so hopefully you’ve found that to be of some support. Has your body made the changes it needed to? (If you don’t mind me asking that is…)
Absolutely! I wrote a while back about how I regained my cycle in April! I just wanted to give it a little more time to get itself back in rhythm.
Great to hear!!!
So inspiring reading this- love that you are respecting your body and doing what’s best for YOU right now! I think so many bloggers, myself included, are so dependent on exercise-induced endorphin highs….as great as exercise is for our health, it can’t be our only outlet!
Thank you!
Thanks for being so honest and open, Chelsey. I think both you and Ashley are so amazing for sharing your stories. And I think it’s great that you’ve been listening to your body and taking care of it. We as women get sooo wrapped up in body image, but we are called to do and be so much more than a body!!
Haha can you tell we talk just about every day? We’re like the same person – I’m glad that I had someone on this journey with me though. It made those bad days so much better!
I am so happy you posted this. I have been thinking about you so much and I can’t tell you how good it is to hear that you have such a HEALTHY and mature attitude about this. You are so beautiful, inside and out,and I truly look up to you and am so humbled by your inspriation.
<3 you sooooo much girl!
What an awesome journey you’ve been on! “Gaining a few pounds” and realizing your self worth is not affected – priceless! Good luck on your not-so-plan plan
Thanks lady – I think I might go play with my PollyPocket instead of working out tomorrow.
It sounds like this was the absolute best thing you could have done for yourself! I’ve learned a few lessons already today just by reading this…I hope you continue to feel well and take care of your body. Thanks for sharing this part of your life with us, Chelsey
Thanks Danica! I’ve definitely learned “My lesson” with all of this!
SO proud of you because I know what you have went through ( as I am going through this now) and you are strong and beautiful! I am so happy you are ready to get back into a little more exercise and I know you are happy about that!
Love ya girl! <3
Thanks girl! I know you are going to get through this journey as well! Remember – it’ only temporary!!
LOVE your attitude, I know how hard it is to compare yourself to others and feel inadequate…I think you’re wonderful for doing what’s right for you!!
Thanks Katie!
Thank you so much for posting this! I think we often put so much pressure on ourselves as women to look and be a certain way we forget about us. Kudos to you for being comfortable in you and doing the right things for your body! I look forward to following you!
Thanks Abigail! I think that women (and men really) get caught in such a trap in this society’s image of what we “should” look like!
Lol this sounds veeerrrry similar to someone else’s post this week! I can’t believe it’s been 7 months! I’m sure it will feel great to get some strength training in, and it’s so good for you!!! Yay!!! And I’m so proud of you having the courage to have stopped all together and to have learned so much about yourself! Thanks for being an inspiration
haha can you tell we talked? I can’t believe it’s been 7 months either. It seems crazy. That just goes to show just how minor this all is on life’s ups and downs!
Sounds like you are in a really good place right now Chelsey! Very happy for you! I can’t wait to hear more about your transition back into fitness and how your body responds!
So glad you are able to add some activity back into your life when you feel like it! It is amazing what our bodies will do for us if we treat it right!
I’m so glad that you have encouraged so many women, myself included, to not look at the scale or the size of our clothes and to do right by our bodies. 
It’s rough to do, but you’re right!
Sounds like a great plan! This is pretty much my workout philosophy too — I listen to my body and do what I feel like doing on any particular day…otherwise it becomes too obsessive!
That’s a great plan! Good for you!
It sounds like you’ve learned a lot and have realistic expectations moving forward. Wishing you the best!
Awesome Chelsey; sounds like you’ve worked out something that will work perfectly for you!
So happy for you! I think it’s great that you can listen to your body and give it exactly what it needs. Comparing ourselves to others is something I think many people do too often. But we are all so different!
You’re inspiring for being so in touch with your body and doing what is best for your health! I think your non plan plan sounds like a great, reasonable way to get moving again. To steal a mid-90′s phrase… you go girl!
I’ve never commented before, but I just want you to know how inspiring this post is. You must feel fabulous
Thank you Maggie! I do feel pretty proud of myself, but as far as feeling fabulous, my body is pretty sore from my lack of fitness these days.
This is beautiful, and so what I needed to hear! I put too much stress on myself to go hard every.single.day. And it just isn’t worth it, physically or mentally. I’m so excited for your new journey!
Thank you Trisha – you’re right. We beat our bodies up so much – we only get one in this life!
What a great post! Love your attitude about this and am slightly envious that I myself an not quite there yet. The new plan sounds like a good one – good luck with it!
You can get there! Take it one day at a time!
love you twinnie!
I toned down the running too last March and have focused more on cross training. It has been such a great change. What does bother me a little is the fact that people ask about races and mileage still. I know, I know, it doesn’t matter…
Yeah I wanted to cry every time someone asked me about running. Boo.
I also had to tone down the working out this March… I lost my “girl thing” and realized sometimes too much exercise isn’t that good. Love those quotes, they’re so true
I’m glad that you stopped right away when you realized something was wrong. I lived in denials for a looooong time.
You know I love you and admire you for all the care you have given your body, despite the mental challenges it could sometimes pose. You rock. But you already knew that. Hugs!!!!
I totally feel you on this post. I toned down my intense running and cross training schedule in march for 2 months and recently revamped my workouts. Good luck getting back in the game! you will totally love it again!
I already am loving it again! It feels awesome to get back out there!
I’m excited for your new plan! You’ve really inspired me with your break from working out, and I need to look at my life right now and realize I could alter a few things to gain even more health and happiness in my life! I’m very proud that you did what you need to do to get your body healthy!! It sounds like you are in a great place right now.
I read your post from today and it’s eerie that we both talked about things like that! I hope that you find peace on your journey!
You know how happy I am for you, girly!
Thanks lady! Loving our talks lately! We just need a couch and a pitcher of sangria to chat – come to Chicago!!!
I’m super glad that this challenge – and it really does sound more challenging than most of the hardcore exercise ‘challenges’ out there – has paid off for you.
I just blogged about the fact that these last few weeks I’ve been feeling low energy and forcing myself to work out to the point where I started to dread it. I hate dreading workouts so I stopped doing my high intensity exercises that were kicking my butt and instead started taking long walks – eventually, it’s the same caloric burn and the same energy expenditure but it just doesn’t FEEL like it because of the lack of sweat etc. At first I was thinking “I’m going to lose muscle! Or I’m going to gain weight!” which is ridiculous because, as I said, walking lots is the same benefit to your body as running a little. But my mind is so much happier on this right now, and I’m sure eventually I’ll crave high-intensity workouts again. It’s great to listen to our bodies and not our minds, but it can be so hard to do!
It was very emotionally/mentally challenging – probably one of the hardest things I’ve ever done! But i’m so glad I did. I’m glad you’re listening to your body too!
chelsey thanks for blogging about this and being so open and honest! posts like this are the reason i seek out blogs – to find others that are going through the same tough situations we all find ourselves in, and your blog is truly an inspiration. again, thanks, and good luck with your new plan-less plan!
Thank YOU for reading and for encouragement!
Sometimes we really do have to stop and listen to ourselves. I’ve been pretty good about knowing when im being to hard on myself and give myself some rest, but you’re right it feels weird when you aren’t giving it 100%, I feel like a slacker but sometimes that is what we need and we just need to listen.
I definitely have that “hard worker perfectionism” quality in my personality which isn’t always a good thing!!!
What a wonderful, honest post. Sometimes it is hard to see bloggers eating/working out when you can’t (I have to be on an all-white diet right now for health reasons ugh) but reminding yourself that it is for your health is the most important thing. I love that second quote too– such a great reminder! Good luck with your new nonplan and I look forward to reading more about it!
Sorry to hear about the health problems Emily! I’m sure that’s quite challenging!
I love this! I recently made a similar decision with my workouts. I didn’t stop all together, but felt like I was freaking out when I didn’t get one in. This shouldn’t be the case! Chill out Brandi! I wanted to try running again, so I got on the treadmill and went to town.
Not very far, but to me it felt amazing to complete! I just feel like my body was tired of working out all of the time…..hard workouts that is. Not saying that running isn’t hard, because it can be, I am not expert though. If I miss a workout due to scheduling conflict or if I just don’t feel like it, then so be it.
I really appreciate your honesty Chelsey! Thank you so much for sharing! I feel like I just rambled on and on!!
P.S. I started incorporating yoga into my routine and love it!
Sounds like you’ve had quite the journey and that’s what life is…a journey. Glad you are changing, tweaking, and evaluating and realizing that yes, this is a good thing, to figure out what you need and what to do about it and how to get there.
I agree – life is always full of ups and downs. It is quite a journey!
im not quite there yet, but taking steps in the direction you have gone (i.e. listening to your body better)… thank you for being such a role model
Believe me, I’m not the role model. I’ve had so many other women that I”ve been talking with/looking up to/encouraging me along the way. They’re the role models!
Thanks so much for your post. I have been very convicted within the past week or so that I have a major vanity issue. I’m idolizing appearance (and others’ opinions/perceptions) more than anything else…and that is WRONG! It is good to hear some truth about this from someone whose respect I have. I hope I can soon honestly agree with you that my own self-worth is not based on influences like the mirror or clothing.
Yay, Chelsey!!
I think the majority of people in today’s society have vanity issues. It’s so hard not to!
Thanks again for your honesty! As you know, following your lead has helped me with similar issues and it’s great not to feel alone in this. You’ll get back into fitness and be in a much healthier place because of what you’ve went through
!
I love your plan, Chelsey, and all of the realizations that have gotten you to it! I’m…not as far as you
I liken eating/weight to finances (in a lot of ways, actually)— I look at other people who are thinner/more muscular/etc. and I have no problem comparing myself to them. Just like I look at my friends who live in really nice houses, who wear the most fashionable clothes, and who always have the newest thing. What I DON’T see–and what I need to remember–is the credit card debt probably associated with all that awesome stuff. And, with eating/weight, that “looking good” doesn’t always mean someone is healthy.
I’d rather be healthy than look like a super model, and I’d rather be debt free with less cool stuff. I think! Lol. I found my way through finances in my 20s…now I’m working on the eating/weight stuff.
I love the quotes you posted–and thank you for being so open with your experiences; you’re an awesome role model. xo
I LOVE those comparisons!!! Thanks!
I’m so glad that the changes you made were successful. I still haven’t figured out how to make mine come fully back, but I’m finally seeing some changes that will hopefully lead to a regular cycle again!
That’s great news Amber!!!
You are so inspiring Chelsey! I feel like I have let myself slip and need to get into a routine but one that fits what my body needs. I have gone waaaaay overboard before and ultimately I can’t follow through forever, stop and then have to beg myself to get going again. I like your slow and steady approach.
Thank you Talia!
I love this post Chelsey! You did such an inspiring thing by giving up intense workouts and giving your body what it needed for a few months. And it sounds like you discovered a lot about yourself along the way.
I’ve learned some similar things this year – I’m about 10 lbs heavier than I used to be, but I’m about 10 times happier too! It’s so freeing to actually realize that our self worth and happiness has NOTHING to do with weight!
Thanks Chels! I’m glad to hear that you’ve found some peace as well!
I love that you are taking this approach to getting back into exercise, super inspiring!
This is so great! It sounds like you are exercising for all the RIGHT reasons now rather then vanity! I am sure this post will be very helpful to others out there is similar situations. Do you have any regrets at all about the past, like looking back on some food/WIAW posts and feel bad for promoting such a tiny amount of food being “healthy”? I think a lot of people fall into the comparison trap, and although bogging has so many positives, there are also some not so great aspects like false sense of “healthy”. Anyways, I am glad you can NOW be a healthy role model, now that you are actually healthy
Thanks Alyss – not really. I never ate a seriously low amount of calories – maybe somewhere in the realms of 1700-1900. However, I was exercising pretty intensely and when those calories were burned, it was putting my body in a lot of stress.
Love your new plan! Sometimes we need a break and it’s not the end of the world if we don’t get to work out like crazy all the time.
Love your new plan.
I wrote about mine here: Owning My Yoga.
It might give you a positive vibe about what you’re doing. x x x
This is such an amazing post and really rang true for me! I have been dealing with stomach issues for so many years now with no sure solutions and I realized this summer that a big part of helping my body heal was to cut my workouts way down. Like you, I’ve always maintained a pretty rigorous workout routine, not because I felt I needed it for my body but I just felt better overall. It is still a bit of a battle for me to lay low a few days of the week but your words here and the awesome Andy Warhol quote make me realize that doing what YOUR body needs is always best. Love your writing and recipes!!!
….I love you. That’s all.
Oh yah, and you’re pretty darn amazing. End of story.
I really enjoyed this post! It’s a great approach … and it’s a plan (or lack thereof) that’s ultimately for YOU. Love the philosophy!
I totally agree with what you said here. I like that you are so open and honest with yourself; I’m sure your body appreciates you listening to it too!
You have a good head on your shoulders and are healthy – both physically and spiritually. Hooray for you!!!
Hey Chelsey! I’m glad that you’re going to do some exercising and LISTENING to your body
I go to a “really good” medical school, where people are very type A and used to being the best at all the stuff they do – and some people take exercise to a very unhealthy place. While I don’t know that I’ve ever seen a study on the long-term effects of too much exercise, I’m pretty sure there must be some. Its known that marathoners often have some amount of rhabdomyolysis (muscle breakdown and release into the bloodstream) and its known that certain muscle proteins can cause kidney damage as the kidney filters the blood. I don’t know how much has been done looking at the link between the two, but I really feel like it can’t be a good thing to have going on regularly. Of course, we all know what can happen if you eat too much and exercise too little – so I would never recommend that route, either.
Anyway…I this is all my long-winded way of saying I think you’re doing absolutely the right thing by trying to find a balance. And I think you’re incredibly brave for sharing all of it with all of us
I think there has been some research done between extreme exercise/health issues. Granted I don’t think I was ever quite as bad as some people out there – I like to say I have a very sensitive hypothalamus.
that’s awesome, chelsey! finding that sweet spot between too much exercise and not enough is tough but so worth it. i suppose the same can be said for SUPER [too!] clean eating and lots of treats. and it’s also great to let things ebb and flow a little in life! i ended up getting pregnant without having to give up all exercise — and i’m actually REALLY glad i kept up the moderate amount that i did [3 ~3 mi runs/week] because it allowed me to stay active throughout the pregnancy.
I am so proud of you for listening to your body! It’s so important … our bodies have to last us a lifetime so I am glad you are making treating yours right a priority
Thanks lady!
I absolutely LOVE that quote – one of the best I’ve heard in ages!
SO proud of you for listening to your body!
I truly love this post, Chelsey! I haven’t stopped running but I scaled way back and I agree it is reeeeeeeally hard to read or hear about other people who are off training for marathons or running much further than I can right now, but I keep having to remind myself that this is what’s best for me. I’m proud of you
I’ve been following your blog for over a year now- we both share the difficulties of HA. I’m trying to tone things down and have reverted to walking daily. I’d really like to try yoga at home but don’t know what to use- any suggestions for videos? Even YouTube?
Thanks!
I typically use the ones that are on “On Demand” on my TV, search “full yoga video” on YouTube, or just make up my own flow! Good luck!
Love this post! Your attitude described here is so inspirational.
I’m trying to “ease” back into exercise as well.
It is so…oddly…emotional! It used to be hard to skip a workout, now it’s hard to get my butt to the gym and deal with how un-fit I am.
what is helping me is to think of it as moving my body and viewing it as a privelege and a gift I have earned.
I love your new layout — it fits you perfectly!
{ 1 trackback }