Apparently I’m more normal than I thought I was. It’s been about a week and a half since I competed in my first competition, and I’ve been feeling more than a little lost lately. After spending the last 6 months of my life focused on a contest on the horizon and the last 12 weeks extremely focused, I suddenly found myself without a goal. The goal of competing was crossed off the list and in my effort to get it crossed off, I forgot to put anything after it on the list. My list is empty! It’s never been empty!
I wondered what the heck was wrong with me. I did it! Why was I feeling down after the initial high and self pats on the back stopped? I’ve been reading the blogs of other fitness competitors and I realize now just how completely normal these feelings really are.
Completing such a major goal is really life changing and shouldn’t be taken lightly. It also is something to be celebrated and the moments after enjoyed for what they really are. I wallowed for a bit and took an entire week off from working out to ponder my new life. Looking back I probably shouldn’t have wallowed as much but I did have some insights:
- Relax – Enjoy life and don’t try to plan out everything. Sometimes it’s nice to just live in the moment and not wonder what the next moment will entail.
- Try not to obsess – It no longer matters (as much) if my house is perfectly clean. Average clean is fine too.
- Enjoy – Read magazines, stop and smell the roses, hang out by the pool.
Learn about yourself – Try new things and figure out what you really like doing, then do it! - Weight gain isn’t always bad – Life actually can be nice when a 4 lb weight gain happens solely in your butt. I am relishing this since it is a rare occurrence.
- Perspective – Reducing my daily calorie burn to 500 seems like a complete vacation when the Before Me was horrified to do that much. It’s all in perspective now. Easy peasy.
I bought a plethora of cookbooks since I love cooking. I plan to challenge myself to modify those gourmet recipes into low calorie, healthy concoctions every chance I get. My favorite is a dairy free cookbook (inspired by our vegan restaurant trip). It has yummy breakfasts and desserts that are dairy free for The Kid who has food allergies – Go Dairy Free: The Guide and Cookbook for Milk Allergies, Lactose Intolerance, and Casein-Free Living. I’ve missed cooking fun food!
I also ended up buying several Groupons while I was at it. I’m going to give paddleboarding a try as well as a cowboy adventure at a local ranch. Yes, I may not be a true cowboy, but for a couple hours I can have fun and pretend. Yeehaw, stay tuned for grand tales of our adventures! What have you learned about yourself after completing a goal? Any adventures you are dying to try out?
Once again I can exercise for fun and not a mission. I was finally back in the gym this week and it confirmed how much I missed it. I hurt a bit but it’s a good feeling of mild soreness. I feel strong and ready to face the world again. No more wallowing allowed!
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