I felt  King Crissie's tweet in my soul and I want the t-shirt! I hope she eventually sells some. 

A whole twelve kilograms gained in the last two years, and each one shows on my face, arms and tummy.

It is bad... it's really baaaaad. 

I don't like being in photos anymore.

When I take a selfie I post the 437th one. 

Everyone who knows me, then sees me has made it a point to inform me of my weight gain, then wrap their dig in the 'But you look good though.' Maybe it's to soften the sting? It still hurts.  All I can say is working in close proximity of my fully stocked fridge, kitchen cupboards and the gas stove plus the strict lockdowns escalated things.... Life had been fixing it's adult responsibility claws around me and my general coping skills were lacking. I was working out at home with dumbbells/weights, but I had refused to address the stress, grief and burnout that had been piling up over the years. Forgetting that I had left the decade of my 20s and the adaptable metabolism that comes with it, my body went on strike and refused to respond until healthy actions were put in place. I didn't realize how bad in was until in July 2021 I emerged from my apartment to cover a work event and my colleagues' eyes just widened and widened and widened in quiet surprise. The concerned driver asked if I was okay, as I cluelessly lobbed my body into the back seat of the car. Later that week a colleague made a joke about my 'new fat bum' . Then my regular boda boda guy looked at me for a good thirty seconds before responding to my greeting, he then proclaimed, "Eh...you have really been enjoying this lockdown!" And lastly, my former boss was a saint she didn't say a word when we met for lunch,  Lord knows she must have wanted to tell me about myself, but knowing what I'd been dealing with over the last year she bit her tongue. The extent of my weight gain dawned on me after seeing the photos that were taken during our meeting. I  knew I had to act.  

As much as I want to, I can't beat science

Yes laugh with me 

I repeat, I wanted to use shortcuts and ignore the science of weight loss 

However, you can't... you just can't cheat and win with a bad diet, overeating, anxiety, insomnia, stress, burnout etc....

So...I took a few months off from my workout, removed the pressure from myself.

Took time to fix my sleeping pattern, confront my anxiety and intrusive thoughts,

refocus and re-prioritize. 

Now I am back in the fitness game, more conscious of what I consume and my general mental health. 

Balancing being in a new country, I am learning new things while managing to keep self care at the top of the daily to-do list.

What about you? In the comments tell me how have the pandemic restrictions affected your overall fitness and mental health?  Let's encourage and support each other.