I have been a runner for almost 23 years now. Most of those years I was training very intensely and running competitively. I was running many miles, up to 70 per week at one point, and I would run fast interval workouts, hill repeats, track sprints, and more. Not only did I love doing this, I was obsessed with doing this. Plus, I was burning lots of calories and had a super revved up metabolism. I was super lean and had to take in lots of calories to keep me going. That was great, because I loved (and still love) to eat. But…. in the last couple of months I have retired from racing competitively.
I had started training for a half marathon this coming April but called it quits not too long ago. Both my body and mind felt tired. Neither wanted the pressure of racing anymore, and those intense speed sessions were becoming painful drudgery rather than something I looked forward to, like in the past. I just could not do it. So, I am happy about retiring and just being a jogger now. I am loving doing my P90X workouts, some Turbo Jam, Core Cardio Slim Series, and believe it or not, I am seriously considering trying Rockin Body with Shaun T. Since I am not running that much anymore, I want to explore other cardio workouts that will be fun and different. Hey, if any of you are working out to Rockin Body will you please let me know how you like it and what kind of results you are getting with it? I keep looking at it in the online Beach Body store, and am right on the verge of clicking on “Add to shopping cart.”
The only problem I am having with running fewer miles and at much less intensity is that I have gained four pounds in weight. I don’t get that monster calorie burn like I used to for so many years. I have gotten used to a certain eating plan. That plan is eating a lot. Now, granted, I do not eat unhealthy foods. I never drink sodas, never ever eat fast food, never eat processed foods, never eat white bread or desserts with hydrogenated oils or high fructose corn syrup, but hey, a calorie is a calorie, and whether it is organic and whole grain or non-organic and all white flour, if one consumes too many calories then there will be weight gain.
At first, I was not happy about the weight gain. It felt sort of uncomfortable. But after giving it some thought, I now know my weight gain is probably healthy. I am much more muscular now than I ever was as a distance runner, thanks to P90X, and I am probably at a more healthy weight considering I am a normal, average workout gal now. I am no longer taking my workouts to the extreme. It is sort of a relief. I feel like I am at a happy medium now. Not working out enough can be a problem which can lead to obesity, type 2 diabetes , heart problems, lethargy and more. Working out too much, and to the extreme, can lead to an unhealthy addiction, over-exhaustion, injury, and a very unbalanced life.
Every few months it is important to take an evaluation of what you are doing with your exercise and eating program. Are you feeling good and strong? Are you getting the results you want? Are you enjoying your workouts? Are you doing well with time management? If you answered no to any of these questions then you might need to reassess your program and see where you can make some changes, like I did. Over the past year I was trying to make myself keep running hard and keep running in races. It was making me miserable, so my body and mind finally gave out and screamed, “No More!” Now I am free to explore other workouts and try new things that I have never done before. I am really excited for this new journey. Exercising should be fun and something you look forward to everyday, not something you dread. If you are dreading it, then you might need to find something new and different like I did.
Now, if I continue to gain weight from here on out, then I may need to eat fewer calories and readjust my calorie intake to my new training program. Gaining a few pounds is okay, especially if it is mainly muscle mass, but I know I probably cannot get away with eating as much as I did in the past when I was running all the time. I need to keep it balanced.
This is what we all need to do. Keep our workouts in balance. Not too much and not too little. Keep our calories in balance. Not too many and not too few. Listen to your body. It is your best friend in letting you know if you are staying balanced or not. Overdo it and you will be continually wiped out. Take in too many calories and you will gain weight. Feeling blue about working out, then you need a different program. Getting stressed about time? Get up earlier or get more creative with your time management.
Keep in balance, buddies, and you will soar!
