So, after a long absence from gym *hides*, I have finally resurfaced 😁😁. Look, it was a bit of a tough 3 months in our household, and with 2 active little ones and a fussy baby, I hardly even thought about gym….so I didn’t even feel bad for not going 😁😁.
But here I am….back now….Zizwe is almost 4 months, and he’s calmed down haha!
So anyway, I’m back at gym and wow, everything is just so hard. I mean, I didn’t think the length of time I was gone for would make that much of a difference. ….ok, I wasn’t really regular in the last few weeks of my pregnancy and of course I was limited in terms of the stuff I could do….but I didn’t think that getting back would be this hard….I mean I’m really out of shape!
Firstly, I’m quite competitive, so in gym classes I really enjoyed being the one who’s able to pull off all the exercises and doing the more challenging stuff or weights…but now I’m just having to eat humble pie *gulp*😁 because I can’t do stuff that I was able to do a few months ago, sadly.
So, realising that obviously things have changed and my muscles aren’t what they were, I decided I need to just go back to the basics.
Let me say, I’m not really concerned about losing weight…I just want to get back to a good fitness level. Don’t get me wrong, I do want to lose the weight (I’m currently 9kg away from my pre-pregnancy weight…not even sure if I do want to go back to 53kg….that’s another story) but that’s not my no.1 focus cos I’m pretty confident that I will lose the weight because I think I have a relatively healthy lifestyle…it’s just a matter of time….well, the one area that does need focus is my tummy 🙈…I look like I’m having another baby🙈😁…..so I’m doing more tummy exercises and stuff.
*Moonwalks back to her point*….Back to Basics…..I am starting all over again with the basic exercises…..the 5 that I do are squats, push ups, crunches, lunges and jumping jacks….simple, straight to the point, no fancy what whats. …until I slowly regain my fitness……And Then ….BOOM —->> Calisthenics!! <<—I'm coming for ya! 😁😁💪💪💪
So, anyway, this got me thinking about how similar this is to our faith journey. …as they say, 'faith is a muscle'.
I'm kinda at the same place with my spiritual walk…..where I feel like my faith is not as strong as it used to be….and mainly because I haven't been exercising it as much…..to a large extent, I've kinda just gotten so busy that I've just neglected God. ….the last most involved conversation I had with God was when I was deep in labour 😁😁😁😕. Similar to the exercise, certain things that used to come easily to me don't necessarily do anymore…..and I've realised that I need to also get back to the basics of my spiritual walk….and those are reading the Word and chatting to God. For me, those are the basic things that keep me conscious of Him, make me feel like I'm in His will and help me to hear Him more.
Another thing: when I was at gym today it seemed like someone had just summomed all the people with really awesome looking bodies that day…haha!! ….everywhere I looked, it was just fit bodies…..fit bodies here, fit bodies there… lol!…and at some point I just looked at them with a slight sense of 'when will I ever get there' despair, forgetting that these people probably haven't just gone through what I've just gone through…. (pregnancy can do things to one's body!😮….let alone 3!).
Same story with the faith thing…..unfortunately, we sometimes go through stuff that derails us from our track or makes us lose focus, even if for a little while….and when we get back, things aren't necessarily the same…..whether it's major or minor life events. I lost a cousin to suicide almost two months ago…..and I think my relationship with God is only starting to recover now…..cos I was upset with God because I felt like she didn't have to die….and so I avoided and alienated Him….and refused to be comforted by Him. That was a low point in my walk but I'm forging ahead….starting again with the basics with that in mind….not comparing my walk with other people that might seem to have it all together, 'cause I don't.
Mmmkay, that's it for my observations for now 😁
Urban Makoti 