The downsides of the new life style

So, I don't normally talk about some of the negatives about my diet and exercise, but I thought I'd take a moment to do so.

Maybe "negatives" aren't the right word. Let me list some out and maybe you'll see what I'm talking about:

• time commitments: When I have friends say, "what's a good time to get together?" I find myself thinking, "well, I can't do it Monday, because I have pilates, and I can't do it Thursday, because I have Zumba. And I definitely need to go to the gym one other night in between there..." and if it happens to be a weekend I'm planning to go north, suddenly, there are no nights I've made available for other things

• food shopping frequency: I definitely have to go food shopping more often. And it costs more money

• clothes: I've spent more money on clothes the last 9 months than I probably did the previous 3 years combined. And half the clothes (more?) that I've bought the last month don't fit me any more. Seriously, I've bought about 15 pairs of pants, and probably 3 fit me right now. (fortunately, I've got a lot of skirts that work with multiple sizes)

• laundry: well, to be fair, my husband does the laundry, so this is really a negative for him, but I go through workout clothes all the time.
  

• time-suck on gym nights: Here's a typical night where I plan on going to a one-hour class at the gym. I get home about 6:15, get something quick to eat, change, and leave for the gym about 6:40. Class is at 7. Ends at 8. Go to the locker room, get cleaned up. Walk home. It's 8:30 easily by the time I get home. So, my "one hour at the gym" absorbs about 2 - 2.5 hours of my evening. If I go for longer, it only increases (obviously). I get home, exhausted.
  

• side effect of time-suck on gym nights: things aren't getting done as readily as they used to. Mail sorting, bill paying, house cleaning, other home admin stuff... those nights I'm at the gym, it just doesn't get done. The other nights, well, sometimes I'm so into a "I need a night off" that I avoid that stuff, too, in an indulgence of laziness and catching up on the tv I missed while at the gym the night before.

I don't mean to be negative... clearly, I love what results I've had from making this part of my life a priority where it didn't exist before. But I don't think I anticipated some of this, and it's worth being honest (with myself) about where the priority shift had an impact. And I think it's important because, let's face it, come October, it's not like I'm just going to be able to say, "Okay, body! Freeze just like this! We don't have to work at it any more!" Some of this stuff is going to have to stay in my life, the eating habits, the exercise, etc. I'm just going to have to continue to find better ways to make sure that the rest of the things in life don't fall out of sight. I'm starting some online classes in the fall, and I'm already worried about how that will all fit in....

And, heck... I don't even have kids! I know a lot of YOU do, and I marvel in your energy and commitment. And sanity. :-)

Thanks for reading!