why i quit the gym

Melinda

Bravo!!! I support you 100% girl! You gotta follow your heart or you’ll never be truly happy…

Jessica @ How Sweet It Is

Props to you. Staying healthy should be FUN and something that we LOVE to do! Not sense in doing something we don’t love. Since quitting my job I get a million questions on why I won’t be going back to training clients. I did it for 6 years but it just wasn’t fun anymore. Passions change and that is okay!

Sahar

I love your honesty – I’ve noticed you have such a balanced approach to life since changing your blog and I really admire it.

Jen

Thanks for addressing this! Not that you “owed” it to your readers, but as a long-time follower I love following your thought processes about life in addition to your recipes. It must be difficult to grow and change in such a public forum, but I do think it’s normal to go through phases or complete evolutions regarding anything in life, including exercise. It would be so sad and boring if bloggers felt the need to NOT change so their blog titles were more accurate, haha. You are so mature, wise and grounded and such an inspiration for healthy living in mind, spirit, and body, not just one.

Raewyn

Thanks for being so honest, Jenna! That’s awesome that you have a happy balance…you get eat food you love AND you look beautiful and strong! 🙂

I’m 17 and started reading your blog (the first real food blog I started reading!) when you had just moved to California…. you made me fall in love all over again with food and cooking. You inspired me to be more adventurous and venture out on my own + go for my dreams, so thank you! And you introduced me to oats, ab, puffins, and omelets. For that I will be forever grateful. 🙂

Lola

I’ve recently undergone the same change. It took moving to Spain for me to break out of my comfort zone of “healthy” food and scheduled exercise 5 or 6 times a week. Actually, the first year here, I clung on to those old habits. Then, little by little I began to realize that I wanted to live freely. Not according to a pre-set plan of what I should eat and when I should exercise. I haven’t gained weight. I’m not as toned or tight but I don’t care at all. I feel more feminine, beautiful, free, happy, and healthy than ever.

Angela @ Eat Spin Run Repeat

Jenna, I love your perspective and positive outlook, that you’ve found what makes you happy, and you’re pursuing it to the fullest. You’re such an inspiration! 🙂

Ella

Everyone has to find what works for them – I was bored out of my mind with my routine and I’ve picked up ballet again (after a 2 year hiatus) and yoga and I run a couple of times a week and now I enjoy working out again.
Good for you for doing what makes me happy. Your blog really inspires me!

Amy

Thanks for sharing Jenna. I feel the same way about the gym. I am so over it! I was lifting weights two times a week and doing cardio 3-4 times. Now, all i want to do is hot yoga…because what a great way to spend 1.5 hours of your day. How often are you practicing yoga?

Anne

I also prefer 3x yoga + walking every day, be active instead of training hard and… I can eat and have fun cause staying active is the key ! Like your blog, my favorite in fact, you’re funny and natural. I have quit a lot of blogs when I realised some girls were too maniac with food and sport. Here, we can breathe a bit !

Theresa @ This is my Hungry Face

I LOVE this post and I really appreciate how honest you are.

I’ve been reading for a few years now, and I have really enjoyed the way your blog has evolved and changed over time with you. You have such a fun and positive perspective that I can’t help but smile when I read.

Tina @ Faith Fitness Fun

While I am definitely more of a fitness nut than a food/cooking nut, I love your approach. Its all about enjoying life and doing what we are passionate about. And yes, I would rather carry an extra few lbs and still be healthy AND happy!

Janna

I think you’re onto something… showering totally sucks 😉

I am still in love with fitness in all forms, but I know if I ever got tried of it I would never push myself to do it.

Katy

You sound like where I am right now. Up until October, I was heavily training for a half marathon and I was hungry and lethargic all the time. I have a four year old daughter and falling asleep all over the house just wasn’t helping me! Apart from cycling to college three times a week and walking, I don’t do any other exercise and I do feel better than I did back then. I’m definitely not as healthy but right now this works for me.

Heather (Heather's Dish)

i think you’re right in that you have to do what’s right for you. i still love working out, but would definitely stop if it became hell for me and do something else!

Ann @ Day by Day

I love your honesty in this post! I enjoy going to the gym a lot still but if it does get to be a drag, I won’t hesitate to do the same thing you’re doing. I really like the direction your blog has taken. To be honest, I always skim over mile splits and work-out times and such.

Amy @ What Jew Wanna Eat

Great post- you blog just keeps getting better and better. I used to be obsessed too, but find I am happier with bacon. I think I’ll have some now.

Laura

Between 2007 and 2009, I read the healthy living blogs like they were going out of style, ate an overly restrictive “healthy” diet, and forced myself to work out five times a week at the gym – despite the fact that for the first twenty years of my life, I was far more interested in curling up with a book than hitting the treadmill! 🙂 I don’t think I realised how much I hated it until illness forced me to stop working out. I used to *dread* my workouts; now, I can just get up and enjoy the day without worrying about. While I understand the importance of physical activity, I really don’t believe that people have to *work out* for health. A lot of the times it just places extra stress on your body. I now just walk the dog, do a bit of yoga and stretching and go about my everyday life. I’m a lot happier for it, and it’s pretty obvious that you’re much happier these days too, which is reflected in your blog. Always a joy to read!

Liz

THANK YOU for writing this! ! It’s so nice and refreshing to hear that not everyone in the blog world is an exercise-for-an-hour-everyday kind of person. Because that is SO not me. I’m with you – yoga and a walk (mine with a dog which includes lots of stopping for sniffs). I appreciate your honesty also as I think it really speaks to who you are and what your blog is about. It continues to stand out among other blogs because of its unique-ness and honesty. Keep being awesome!

Chelsey

I love this cookbook….pretty please?!

shannon (the daily balance)

love this post.

It’s funny because, for me, it took me getting pregnant to realize just how much time I “wasted” at the gym. With being forced to scale back, I find myself spending time doing things I never had time for before — reading, taking time with a new recipe, spening quality time just TALKING and laughing with the Mister without running from place to place. And, since I’m not exercisiong as much, I’m more cognizant of my food choices — thus I ENJOY them more 😉

I’m a firm beleiver in never passing on buttercream or pizza 😉

In the end, mental fitness is just as (if not more) than physical fitness and balance is essential — kudos to you for finding your perfect ratio and hoping others might be able to do the same!

molly l.

it’s so refreshing to read stories when you can just tell that the writer is obviously at the right place in their life- the honestly and passion and energy really shines through in your writing and your photography. if anything, you’ve inspired me to STOP being obsessive about the gym and rather be more tuned into overall health- emotional, physical, etc.

it’s pouring down rain here in southern california and spending the evening attempting your funfetti cupcakes for my mom’s birthday is overall much more fulfilling and satisfying for me than running outside in the miserable rain when i don’t even want to.

bravo for finding yourself and inspiring others!

Mary (A Merry Life)

I love this post so much. I’m glad you’ve found what works for you and are encouraging others to do the same. I can’t imagine being happy on the egg white/protein shake/fitness regimen, and I even like going to the gym! If you are doing something like that and it makes you miserable it’s best to give it up. Great job Jenna!

Sonja

I’ve been following you for a while now and I’ll be honest I stopped really reeeally reading all of my favorite healthy living/runner blogs after I got pregnant because I realized there was more to life than working out and watching every bite.
Thank you so much for posting this. I loved everything you did before but I enjoy your cooking/recipes/pics of cookies more 🙂 I think you’re setting a wonderful example! Especially in a community where you can really start to question things and wonder if things are really “that healthy”.

& I love anyone who loves buttercream as much as I do! 🙂

Maura

This post was so refreshing! I really enjoy your outlook on life Jenna! Thanks for being such an inspiration 🙂

Nicole

You gotta do what makes you happy in life, not what you feel obligated to do based on those around you or your readers. Good job for standing firm on who you know yourself to be!

Megan @ The Oatmeal Diaries

I never comment but I just had to on this one! Everything you wrote was so perfect and just what I needed to hear. Yet another example of why you are on my reader 🙂

J.

I LOVE you for writing this.

My confession: 2 years ago (May 2009) , I had to stop all jogging, cardio, gym , everything. Health and physical issues. Basically a body burnt out. Completely, absolutely exhausted like beyond imagination.
It’s been mentally (and physically) hard to deal with.

What I have done and what I do: A daily stroll (LEISURE) short walk (the freezing cold reduces this even).
I TRY to do 10 minutes of yoga poses 3x a week. Pathetic. But its an accomplishment for me…

I still feel sad when I see people running, etc…big time.

But, MORE than anything…I want my energy and funciton better. My exhaustion is pretty severe…so concentration, focus, energy to even wash the dishes…its all a big chore. Recently, it was recommended to me to even cut down and take one month completely off….

I do nothing now. I have did nothing for almost 2 years. But this recommendation was an effort to help my body out. One month….very , very little walking. Some meditation. Basic meditation.
It is scary…my HOPE was that in January 2011, I could start some structured thing (I can’t jog or anything anyway though..physical reasons)…
But nope…it looks like this is a LONG HAUL. So, while everyone gears up with New Years Resolutions to start a “plan” or “get better”…I’m Still Stuck in sedentary mode (my Job is heavily sitting….like sitting 24-7 literally).
But , I don’t even CARE about getting back to stupid “exercise” anymore…
I just want to be happy, I want to walk to my car without feeling like my legs are going to crumple…I want to feel NORMAL…

So, a daily walk + simple meditative stretching …may be my lifetime prescription. Honestly. Right now I have to be okay with it and NOT compare….and hopefully someday I can stop “pretending” it is okay…and that it will truly be OKAY..cause when I’m 80 years old…just having lived will mean so so much more.

I don’t restrict food. I don’t deprive food. I don’t want to obsess over food either.
So I don’t.
I eat too much. I eat the wrong things. I overindulge. I eat (gasp) less than stellar ingredients. I eat animal meats every day, multiple times….so apparently I’m all “wrong”..but, I try and deal.

And I love that you treasure life. I respect that in you.
I think if I could actually live LIFE more…I might be more inspired IN life…more productive and focused. I hope I can figure it out somehow. For now, its one day at a time (while plugging my ears and shutting my eyes to those around me…and hopefully one day, being absolutely okay with it, …to each their own).

Kara

Totally agree with you and I love your blog just as it is–I’m a “new” reader!
As my Aunt Renie says, “Running just isn’t natural.” I highly recommend the book “Why French Women Don’t Get Fat”…she makes the point that French women aren’t running to the gym everyday and yet they look great, drink wine, and enjoy great food! It’s all about portion control.

Denise

Hi Jenna! You got many comments on this post and I’m happy to see that. I believe it’s really important to have another point of view in this world of a little obsessed healthy-eating-blogs.
No, I really don’t wanna be rude and everyone has to do what she or he believes is best. BUT going to the gym because you have to, eating egg whites and strange powders instead of normal food…it’s just not really living. I had an eating disorder and it started with ‘just healthy eating’. It can become extreme in no time…I’m totally the opposite now. When the weather is just a little tiny bit off, I don’t take the bike (and riding bikes is so common here in the Netherlands!) but the car or tram;) I like pilates now and then, but that’s it. I have made many of your recipes (I can’t count the times I made the enchiladas…love them!, Your mom does know best:p) and I LOVE the change in your blog. Keep on going girl, you rule!

Susan

“we are allowed to change our minds a million times while we grow up”

Love this. Only I say we can change our minds a million times once we’re grown up too. As if we ever really grow up.

MadisonM

While I do appreciate your passion and commitment to finding balance, and I LOVE all the yummy recipes you post, I would have to agree with a previous commenter who said they felt it was a bit misleading to read you talk about portion control in one post, and then talk about eating 39 chocolate covered Oreos in another post. I think it sets unrealistic expectations for readers who think they can look as fit and beautiful as you do while eating desserts in huge quantities.

As someone who has struggled with portion control and balance between my love of food and my desire to be fit and healthy, it’s just something worth considering for your readers’ sake.

Miranda

Thank you Jenna! It is so refreshing to read this, and as always, I appreciate and enjoy the honesty in your blog, how real it is. That is part of what makes it so enjoyable-it’s so easy to relate to, especially on the things that everyone thinks they are alone in, and finally someone comes out and says, hey! we all feel this way! we all like showering less and it’s okay to not feel guilty about baking a cake instead of going on a run! And we are all the healthier for it, mentally and even physically. I very often feel the same about the gym and enjoy long walks so much more, and go through stages about what feels right for my workouts. It’s great to hear that you do too! I’m happy you’re following what feels good!
P.S. I’m making these funfetti cupcakes for my boyfriends birthday. It would be the last thing I’d think to make, but you made them sound so delicious!

Kara

Jenna,

As someone who is also in her mid-twenties (though I think I’m a bit older than you), I love how your blog has evolved and changed. This is a time in life where we are growing and reinventing ourselves and figuring out who we want to be. It seems very “real” of you to change your mind about exercise – or whatever, frankly. Keep it up!

elise

i love that you mention how we are allowed to change a million times growing up. its true and so many times – as bloggers – others expect us to stick with the same lifestyle. but humans arent static beings, we are meant to change and adapt and go along with whatever is happening in our lives at the time. props for sharing your views. im still a fan of running (outside) many times a week, but i know thats not for everyone, and if i dont feel like doing it, i dont. who knows if ill always feel this way, but for now, its what im into, so thats that.

Jordan

I know exactly how you feel! When I started exercising it was fun an exciting because it was new and I was making all of these awesome improvements to my body fairly quickly. I finally plateaued in my progress and started to hate it so much that I was resenting the strangers I passed on the street when I ran. It’s definitely worth looking “normal” as opposed to “ripped” if it means I’m out of the exercise spiral of hate and death!

Court

This is a really wonderful post! I’ve actually read your blog for awhile now and never commented, but I wanted to tell you that it’s posts like this that give me some perspective and make me feel normal! I read other food blogs and wonder how some people are able to keep up their workout routine so well! I can’t handle intense workouts as much as I used to either and I’m sick of counting calories to feel healthy. Anyways thanks so much for this post. I’m from norcal but live in australia, and I love waking up and reading your blog every morning!

carmen

GOOD FOR YOU! I’m currently at that stage where I feel like a slave to diet and fitness even though I am in great shape/healthy weight (actually a little underweight) and miserable all the time (drooling over cookies/brownies, finding it hard to get up and work out). You’ve inspired me to re-evaluate..

CarrieBeth

love this post! love the honesty! i needed to hear that part that said, “we are allowed to change our minds a million times while we grow up”, cause i seem to do that a lot. but each time i do change my mind, it seems to make my life better. so there 🙂

The Healthy Apple

Beautifully written; so happy to see you are enjoying your beautiful life!
xo
Merry Christmas!

Lacey @ Lake Life

Amen! It’s awesome how you’re so comfortable in your own skin. It’s definitely something we all should strive for 🙂

zoe (and the beatles)

you. are. AWESOME.

love this post. seriously, i feel the same way! screw the gym. i feel like i wasted a year of my life in there. i much prefer hiking and yoga. anything outside. oh, and being in the kitchen kind of rules, too 🙂

Heather

Thank you for writing this, Jenna.

I hope I can one day attain your care free, beautiful, and healthy attitude. I’ve been a reader since early 2009, and you glow now. Seriously glow. And I think of you as a FANTASTIC example. I too am transitioning from being a treadmill addict (guilty of 90 minutes yesterday — 90 minutes of misery) to becoming a happy walker, yoga doer… for when I FEEL like walking or practicing yoga. It’s hard to switch the mindset, but I’ll get there.

Thank you for being real. For being honest. For being TRUE to *yourself*.

AshleyH

I think you just summarized the last four years of my life. I am at the same point as you now and I feel much better. I was actually getting really bloated all the time too and since I stopped exercising so much I look better too. Glad to have a blog like yours to read.

ingrid

i love the new direction of your blog :o) and the fact that you don’t work out all the time makes me feel so much less inferior when i read you! muah! p.s. i haven’t “worked out” in about 3 months now. i chase my son and puppy and clean my house and work in the yard and i am as happy as ever.

Ashley

Great post – I feel I am in the same place as you. I always have been “the fit” girl that does everything. Now I’m not so sure. Haven’t gained weight actually lost weight. I still work out but now I realize what keeps you thin is what you put in your mouth. NOT saying I’m starving myself FAIR from it. Just getting WAY better at trying little bits of dessert and stopping. Okay now this post is unrelated. Moral of the story you are awesome. 🙂

Shelby

I have never commented before, but I have been a reader for the past few months and I just wanted to say this post made me smile from ear to ear 🙂 During my freshman year of college last year, my roommate and I became obsessed with going to the student rec center, it was almost like a competition to see who could spend the most time there. Fast forward to my sophomore year, and all of my gym rat friends don’t understand how I never go to the rec, yet still look healthier and feel happier than ever! Life is movement! Yoga, pilates, ballet and walking are my favorite forms of movement, but every once in a while I still enjoy a short and simple run or bike ride OUTSIDE because it makes me feel good! And actually, I have been loving skiing at the moment! I am going to Paris to study abroad this summer and I can’t wait to compare how French women live, move and eat to what we do in America.

Kristin

I enjoyed your blog in it’s former style. Now it’s strictly food and pretty impersonal. Most entries are just posted recipes. If I wanted to read recipes, I’m much happier w/ my cookbooks (and believe me, I love to cook). And for the fitness, I just see this as another phase for you. Excessive or nothing. I think it’s a shame when people consider daily exercise excessive. By the time your older, it’s necessary to keep your body working well. You’re young and seem to ping from one thing to another. It might be interesting to see where your life goes, but I don’t think it’s interesting enough for me to follow.

Crystal

This is a wonderful post. I think that your honesty and your willingness to allow life-changes make this blag so wonderful. I’m not a baker–I tell myself each day that I’m going to try a recipe, but I dont. I simply love to hear how happy your food experiences are. It’s refreshing to read the thoughts of a woman who has a healthy relationship with food and with herself, and I think this post is a great example of what makes you a great writer.

Keep doing what you’re doing!

Mo@MommyRD

Great post and great blog! I think your philosophy and approach really makes you one of the “healthiest” living blogs out there. So many people think that “healthy” means exercise and watching what you eat. But, there is so much more to being healthy, and being happy is the biggest. (Not to mention, sleep, reduced stress, balance, etc.) Good for you!!!!

Ivy

Before I had my baby I was obsessed with exercise too. 6 days a week, hours and hours of grueling workouts, sometimes injuring my knees so bad I could barely walk. and eating a maximum of 1600 a day, stomach growling when I went to bed. then I gave birth and everything changed. i couldn’t go to the gym and most of my workouts consisted of walking/jogging outside, yoga/pilates at home. i’ve lost most of my baby weight (7 lbs to go), but that came from breastfeeding and enjoyable exercise, not grueling. and my old clothes fit, which is the important thing. i think of my former routine as boot camp for giving birth, preparing my body for the hardest thing it ever had to do. but, now I allow myself more indulgence items and am less strict and I am happy with my body, even if it isn’t rock hard, I’d rather have fun with my son then bounce quarters off my stomach. daily exercise doesn’t have to hurt to be affective, mostly if you are already in good shape.

Andrea

Thank you for writing this- I think it’s important that people realize that exercise should not be a chore- it should be something one enjoys. “Working out” in an extreme way is not necessary to maintain one’s weight and have a fabulous life! Kudos for doing what works for you 🙂

Charise

I am a big summer hiker, yoga newbie, and a couple-times-a-week gym girl because it I live in the freezing midwest. I could stand to lost 20 lbs but it is not that important to me, as long as I am eating healthy and tasty food with small indulgences and getting some excericse when I can/want to without feeling guilty about it.
I love the new food-focused blog! I think it is great that you are listening to your body when it comes to what to eat and how to excerise and making the best choices for the lifestyle that works for you!

Amy

I love this post–I really miss your posts like this, they really seem to come from your heart. I really loved a lot of your “old” posts where you were just being yourself. I love a lot of your recipes, but I feel like they lack the genuine, personal sentiments from Jenna “the person” rather than Jenna “the food blogger.”

t

About a third of the way through you post, I thought, “What?!? is she insane?! not working out at all?” and then it hit me, I’m so glad you decided to go with your gut and changed the direction of your blog. You see, I find these blogs put WAAAYYY too much emphasis on exercise! Not everyone needs to run 10 miles a day everyday of the week before sunrise! Good for you!

Michelle

I am late on responding to this…I was eating sugar cookies with my family.

I have followed you for about 3 years and the change that you’ve one through is so awesome..and I can identify with it. I remember after your brother’s death you were hitting cardio like no ones business and then you moved to N.CA and I think that is where your soul started to live for what it was meant to do.

Life is about balance. When you’re chugging egg whites and working out ‘because you have to’ it’s not fun. What I have begun to realise is that if and when I workout as punishment i 1. hate it and usually don’t do it 2. over-eat ‘because tomorrow I’ll work it off’ or ‘I can have more because I worked out’

What is amazing, is that when we do things that are just simply HEALTHY for us (which we have discovered is defined so broadly) we begin to live the life that many times slaving away at dieting and exercise was the focus of.

The irony of life, is that when we step back, breathe, balance and live…we enjoy it so much more.

Thank you for this.

Amber

Thumbs up. You should love the life you live!