I love fall time. Pumpkin patches, pumpkin cookies, pumpkin displays, pumpkin candles, pumpkin bread, pumpkin pie.....all things pumpkin. Every year when summer winds down, I am more than ready for chilly mornings, cool days where it's only warm in the sunshine, cold nights and having my windows open. We like to call it, "Football Weather". And that's another reason why I love this time of year. Football. Every Sunday, we bunker down at around noon with our snacks and drinks, and we gorge on football. ALL DAY.
Here in the midwest, we get major seasonal changes. In Illinois, we see the full magnitude of the changes of season. It's bitterly cold in the winter, blazing hot and humid in the summer, rainy in the spring, and ABSOLUTELY PERFECT in the fall. (Which, mind you, only lasts for about 6 days)
Our lives are very similar to this. We have seasons of change. Times when we are ridiculously busy. Times when we can slow down for a bit. Times when we are extremely stressed or overwhelmed or times when life is like rainbows and kittens. And times when everything seems to be going right and other times when everything seems terribly wrong.
So why is it, when we are going through a challenging or busy time, that we still expect such perfection from ourselves? I hear people all the time (and I have done this) saying, "I used to go to the gym all the time" or "I used to always cook delicious and healthy meals for my family". They then explain that life got busy, or hectic, or stressful. And now they just can't get back into that routine.
Well, what if getting back into THAT routine isn't the right choice anyway? Maybe now, since things have changed, you need to adjust to that and create a new routine. I used to go to the gym, (the actual gym), 7 days a week! I would sometimes train for 2 hours at a time! And back then, that worked for me. But now, I'm in a different season of life. I now have a home gym. I get up in the mornings, and after my daily devotional and then planning my priorities for the day, I go out back to my home gym and I weightlift for 30 minutes. That's it!! Then I go on a 20-45 minute walk. (depending on how much time I have) And you know what? I feel and look as good now, as I did back when I went to the gym for a hundred hours a day!
So stop beating yourself up for not being able to do exactly what you once did. Realize that your season may have changed and now you have to adjust to what is going on in your life. Find out what WILL work for you right now. What is it that you enjoy doing at this time? How much time can you carve out of your schedule while you do it? Maybe that means 20 minutes on the elliptical while little baby girl plays on the floor next to you. Maybe that means getting out of the house and getting in a quick crossfit workout in at your local gym. Maybe it's popping in an old "Sweatin' to the Oldies" tape and getting your jam on for 30 minutes a few times a week. Whatever it is, it needs to suit you and your current circumstances. And if you are finding a way to just MOVE and get healthy, then do it and rock it and enjoy it!