Change, Friend or Foe? Struggles, Epiphanies, and Change....

This is a blog I would normally write in January, but some how, September has always had a "new year" feel to it, with the start of a new season and the beginning of a new school year. 

I have always been highly motivated to learn and grow through change. I accredit that to my childhood and always finding ways to adapt and rise above adversity. This year has been chalk full of change in just about every aspect of my life. 

HORMONES:
Oh lordy! Can we just have a real moment and a glass of red to toast this right of passage we all dread? If Hormonal shifts in your 40's don't humble you, nothing will! I have spent a great portion of the last 2 years studying, researching, and seeking out the right type of holistic approach to bring some balance back into my life. I have seen what women before me have gone through and that is motivation enough to cut the bullshit and get real with myself. Diet, sleep, exercise (and I don't mean the counter productive, obsessive, 2 hour a day kind I had practiced a couple of years ago... yeah I said it!), supplements, and  stress reduction have been a great learning curve for me, but one that I finally feel a bit on top of.

This one change alone completely rocked my world with fitness and my body image. Having been a recreational body builder for a few years and then see the changes in my body when I transitioned into a more realistic and balanced approach to fitness was incredibly difficult and discouraging. There were times when I gave up on fitness and only worked out 1 time a week in lieu of all the other changes I was going through. I will tell you, when you develop  that type of physique, after having been overweight, it does a real number on your head when you let it go and try to navigate a more balanced approach.  I still have some definition from weight lifting, but I'm quite a bit softer and it has taken some time to get use to. 

I am still struggling with navigating balanced fitness but I find that I am really enjoying a holistic approach of freely doing what my mood and body want and not following a strict weekly plan of a lifting split. Yesterday my plan was to have a heavy lift day. Instead, I wanted to take some equipment to our Stadium Bowl and hit some stairs and track. I did with no regrets and had a blast! I may not have the esthetics of my body building days (which not only wreaked havoc on my joints, but took away from my family time), but now I am building a more care free relationship with fitness where the motivation is fun, good health, and flexibility.  

All of the other changes in my year have been pretty huge, yet positive (although not all of them felt positive at the time). Among them was an amazing job change and the purchase of our second home. We are also new landlords, as we decided to keep our first home since it's paid off and rent it out for additional income. It's been an interesting ride  and our first tenants are moving in as I type. 

The point of this blog? Change is amazing!! It doesn't always feel like it though. Most of the time we resist any kind of change and fight it like it was a dingo going after our baby. 

What I learned this year is that change doesn't change your life, it adds to it and gives way to new experiences and possibilities. I have learned a lot about myself this year. Most importantly, I have learned not to take life (or fitness)  too seriously; for life is hilariously unpredictable and meant to be fun.... and so is fitness!