I know most people battle with this on a regular basis. This topic covers both genders and is equally a big deal among them. I had a hard time being comfortable in my own skin and for the greater part of my life I felt inadequate, unattractive, fat, and gross. It has taken a few years, but I no longer feel that way. If I was still overweight I could say I'd most likely be battling that again, but I made a big lifestyle and diet change to get to where I am and now I no longer have a love/hate relationship with food. I eat food because my body needs it, not because I crave it.
That said I do miss one thing, having fit and toned muscles. About 3 years ago I got into powerlifting. My body was built for it. As a female it was fascinating to not only see my body composition change, but to feel the strength gained from heavy lifting. I wasn't competing, I was just learning how to be fit through someone who trained powerlifting athletes. Most females, when they lift heavy weights, will build muscle and look lean and fit. However, I build muscle much like a guy and I got to the point where my body no longer looked or felt feminine so I walked away from it.
I've been diagnosed with a rare sleep disorder called Idiopathic Hypersomnolence and because of that diagnosis and the consequences that follow a workout, I'm no longer able to be as physically active as I was. Basically when I exercise it stresses out my already stressed out system to the point where it feels the need to shut down and sleep. The more effort I put into exercise, the more stress I place on my body physically and mentally the more my body responds by telling me to sleep. Due to that I have to limit my workouts to very little stress which means yoga and walking.
I was just told today that HIIT workouts are okay for me to start because I'm responding well to the medicine that keeps me awake. While this may not seem like something to celebrate, I can now finally get my body back to a version closer to what I prefer. I do love being curvy and having a softer body has made me feel incredibly feminine and sexy so my goal is to maintain that while building strength.
I started using my Zcut videos. My sleep specialist wants me to do HIIT workouts consistently for 30 days to see how my body responds and if I do well enough I can get back into heavy lifting. So today I did my first round of Zcut and I feel like I'm dying, but that pain and discomfort is a step toward taking my life back and telling my sleep disorder to fuck off.
