Since I don't have to do any planning on what my weight workout will be tomorrow, I started thinking about where I have come in my life over the past 5 years. Having waited until my 30's to have kids, I found myself to be out of energy pretty quickly. That and my sedentary lifestyle packed on the pounds, increased body fat, and zapped my energy. I had 2 relatively easy pregnancies but Boy! was I ever tired. My youngest daughter is now 13 months old and I decided about 3 months ago that I needed to get in shape. I wanted to be healthy and fit and muscular and have lots of energy. I had lifted before in my life but not in a progressively increasing way and now I knew that I wanted to attack it with a vengeance. I started my research and realized that it's a 3 pronged attack...cardio, weights, and nutrition.

The nutrition was and still is my biggest challenge. I had not been eating nearly enough protein and I had spent most of my life being a confirmed refined sugar and processed food consumer. The cardio is my second biggest challenge. My body likes to hang onto its fat and I need lots of cardio to burn off that fat. I know there's lots of room for improvement here and I have a feeling that I'm going to have to step it up pretty soon to continue to see results. Weights are hard but fun to me and I love seeing the progress that I've been making. It took me only about a week to realize that *every* weightlifting workout was going to be Hard LOL! I think some part of me thought that it would get easier as time went by but then I had to admit to myself that if it wasn't hard, then it wasn't challenging my muscles to grow and develop.

With all my focus lately on fitness, I've not devoted any time to my former pursuits of knitting and spinning. During my last pregnancy, I basically had to stop as my carpal tunnel acted up pretty badly and I turned to cross-stitch. Of course during that time, I wasn't interested in fitness at all other than having a healthy pregnancy. I have found myself thinking about my fibery pursuits of the past (hence the name of my website Fiber Fever, which I've had for quite a few years now and was the result of my addiction to knitting, spinning, and all things fibery). I have unfinished projects (known as UFO's in the fiber world) and lots of *Stash* of fiber to spin and yarn to knit. But I find I either don't have the time or make the time to devote to it like I once did. I certainly can't manage the multiple projects I used to have going. Last night I pulled out a sweater that I've been working on...one that I started before my last pregnancy. I really love this pattern and intend to finish it. In fact, I would like to finish it by this winter. But I do know that I'm not going to finish it at the expense of my workouts. If it came to me having to choose between knitting and doing a workout, I would have to choose doing a workout. That's very surprising to see myself write those words. Prior to my fitness obsession, I would never have dreamed of giving up knitting time to exercise. But there it is...that's the truth of the matter.

I'm by no means at my fitness goals but I definitely have more energy and feel better about myself now than I did 3 months ago. My daughters see me exercise and my oldest (4 1/2 years old) "exercises" with me sometimes. But there's still a part of me that feels like I've abandoned something by not getting in my knitting and spinning projects. I mean, I was known by everyone around me for being a knitter and a spinner. Now that's not the case. I haven't been to the yarn store in months. I interact with a different group of cyber friends...those who are interested in fitness like I have become. I surf a completely different set of websites...those that are devoted to getting and staying fit. I read a different set of magazines...fitness oriented ones and not spinning or knitting related. Am I any less happy now? No. In fact, I would say that I'm happier now than I was before. Who wouldn't want to have more energy and feel better about how they look? I'm certainly not disappointed with my choice of "extracurricular" pursuits. In fact, I think it was really the only course for me to follow for my well-being, both mental and physical. I'm sure that I can carve out some time to keep knitting on that sweater and even if I don't get it finished this winter...well, there's always next year.