Surprise- I like working out. So much so that I created a blog about it and every job I’ve had since I graduated college has been fitness related in some way.
(this one time I went to Liz Barnet’s class at SLT and woke up with a 6-pack the next day…)
Right before I left on my trip to Israel my coworker asked me what I was going to do without working out for 2 weeks. It was already a valid concern of mine considering I typically workout 5+ times a week.
Even when I’m on vacation I still like to stay somewhat active– a workout here and there and walking as much as I can. Israel, however, was my longest vacation ever. 12 days? That’s a long time to be away! I hadn’t gone 12 days without working out since my early college day before I joined a gym.
My trip to Israel wasn’t entirely lazy, we did hike a bunch and I sweated profusely because we were in a desert in the middle of summer. Besides that, though, much of the trip was spent leisurely walking, sitting on a bus and y’know relaxing. What a foreign concept to me.
There were a handful of opportunities when I could have gone for a run during downtime or do a body weight workout… But the truth was I didn’t want to. Israel was a break from my “normal” life and working out is a big part of my normal life. It felt good to take a break from all aspects of my daily routine. I knew dumbbells, burpees and my favorite fitness classes would be waiting for me when I got back to New York.
So what happened when I came home?
I actually lost weight. I didn’t weigh myself until I had already been home a few days (I don’t own a scale) but could feel it in my shorts even before I weighed myself. Throughout the trip I joked that we were on the “Masada Workout Plan” sweating our asses off hiking (or just sweating from walking because it’s Israel and it’s really hot) and our meals were small and inconsistent.
My weight loss doesn’t exactly make sense considering I lived off of bread, hummus and falafel for the entire 10 day trip. There’s a handful of studies about how working out less can actually lead to more weight loss. I’m not saying that’s what happened to me, but it did get me thinking about my current workout regiment and if I could actually be doing less. I am not trying to lose weight for the record, I workout for lots of reasons– stress and anxiety management, the endorphins, to be strong for trapeze, to run half marathons and yes, because I want to look good (but that’s not related to a number on a scale).
So how is it to be back, working out, after 2 weeks off? My first workout back was a circuit based class at Body Space Fitness and a bit rough because it was less than 24 hours after I got home from Israel. I think the jet lag and fact that I had done an all nighter the day before is what really killed me. Today I was taking my usual favorite Friday class with Liz at Uplift and beasted my way through a few unmodified tricep pushups. Um, I never ever do that without dropping to my knees. So I guess my muscles are doing just fine after 2 weeks of rest.
Not working out for 2 weeks helped me realize it takes a lot more than 2 weeks to completely undo 3+ years worth of work. I didn’t suddenly gain 10 pounds, I didn’t suddenly lose my ability to do burpees and pushups.
Have you ever taken a long break from working out?
I think people really undervalue the slow, long workout such as hiking or walking. Sometimes your body just needs to relax and take it slow too. I think scheduling in regular breaks like this is always a good thing. That is why I never stress too much about exercising while on vacation. I can always start again when I get home! Glad you had a good time and just took the time off to enjoy yourself!
~Ang
Taking a week or two break actually gives your muscles time to recover and become stronger. That’s the beauty of fitness, once you get serious about it, you can take “muscle-paid” vacations.
So true!! And that vacation is well deserved at that rate.