I've been "OKed"

6 weeks! I made it! I can go back to the gym.

Cesarean incision is doing well.

2lbs down.

I have fantasized about going to the gym for 3 - 4 months now.

At the beginning of my pregnancy I had visions of lifting light weights every day to build up my arm strength for my impending chunk of baby. That never happened. Not even once. In fact, my weights still have the packaging on them. I also envisioned myself plugging along at the gym, lightly running and shedding unwanted fat. I opted for loaves of French bread instead.

In the middle of my pregnancy the ladies at work began a walking campaign. I made it my goal to walk one lap within the halls of my office building every time I went to the restroom. I'm proud to say, I did actually do this for two weeks. I felt great. I stopped for some reason or another, I think mainly because we became busier.

At the end of my pregnancy everything took so much energy. Climbing our stairs in our house became such a breathless burden I would plot my need to use them. Do I really need that sweatshirt hanging on my bed post upstairs because I'm freezing or could I just put on my husband's company windbreaker instead? All the blankets are upstairs? This windbreaker serves as a great throw. Everything to make tea is downstairs. I have tap water. If I use warm tap water, that's basically like tea. You get the point.

I love my gym. I have a membership at Planet Fitness. It's a "non-judgment" zone, unless you're a "lunk" and then we all get to judge you and they will even ring an alarm because of your "lunkiness". A "lunk", according to Planet Fitness, is essentially one who wears super low-cut muscle shirts, brings a gallon of water to drink and grunts while mic-dropping weights. Or something. According to the dictionary, though, a lunk is short for lunkhead which means "a slow-witted person".

A perk in my non-judgmental judgmental gym: not a single employee knows me. I love that. Seriously. They don't talk to me. I can simply get in and get out with my angry music blaring in my ears the entire time. Another perk is that at the end of my work out a massage chair awaits me. As one of my former posts shares, I used to get through my workout with the motivation of food. "Man, I killed it at the gym today! Time to go home and eat my weight in burritos." "I ran an extra mile; that means I can drink half a bottle of Chianti." Now my motivation is that two minutes of knot-crunching mechanical Swedish massage goodness. Amen and amen.

As much as I love my adorable newborn who spends most of his day sleeping, eating, grunting and pooping, I love the little bits of me-time that I can sneak in. This is another reason I'm looking forward to the gym. Precious me-time that allows me to breathe easier and become healthier to run after my little one when he's old enough.

Repentance is about making a 180 degree turn. I once was going in one direction and I turned around dramatically and began going the exact opposite direction. These few things that give me joy regarding going to gym are healthy signs that I'm on the appropriate road heading in the correct direction.

Cheers!