Lifting: A Love Story.

Dearest Weight Room,

Our recent separation was so difficult. Thank you for allowing me to go my own way for a little while. My sore overworked muscles needed the break, but I promise to never let it happen again. I'm a poor lost soul without you.

I foolishly thought our separation would be fun and productive. I quickly learned that without your constant nagging and desperate need to control every aspect of my life, I spend my days on Netflix watching True Blood. Sure, I was finally able to have a social life when we weren't exclusive, but I couldn't help thinking of you whenever I went out.

But I'm back baby!

I know things have been rocky the past couple weeks. Seeing you after a three week hiatus was difficult. I was maxing out with my usual warm ups and my endurance was shot. I know you were embarrassed by my weakness and that I'm not the woman I once was, but I hope you've seen me working hard to get it back. Maybe one day you can forgive me and forget this whole thing.

I do think we've learned a valuable lesson in all this though. We need some time away from each other during the week. Don't worry, my life will still revolve around you, but time apart is important. And we have to be okay if I cancel our plans once in a while. It's not that I don't want to be with you, things just come up. That's life. I'll be thinking of you the whole time. If it helps, know that whatever it is, I'd probably rather be with you.

They say distance makes the heart grow fonder and I've found my love for you has grown and matured during my time away. I've come to a deeper appreciation for the challenges and benefits of a committed relationship with you. I know some people think that hanging out with other types of workouts isn't appropriate, but I'm going to have to be with Cardio sometimes. We both know it's important for me, especially since I may be going to army basic training in a couple months. We just need to build trust; I'm not cheating on you. You don't need to be jealous of Cardio. Let's be honest, Cardio's got nothing on you.

I've also gained a deeper appreciation for your friend Dieting. No, I will never get along with your crazy buddy Miracle Diet, who forces you to starve yourself and promises a loss of 2000 inches in 5 seconds. But I really like your friend Day To Day, who builds his diet around a rainbow of vegetables, some fruits, and lean proteins. During my time away from you, I gained 2 pounds. Single does not look good on me. But I started eating better before I came back to you and that helped me get back to the normal 160lbs (still wish I could drop lower, but thank you for accepting me as I am and valuing lean gains as a means of fat loss).

I'm excited for what the future holds for us and for all the PRs we will experience together.

With all my heart,

The Fat-Skinny Girl <3