To gym or not to gym.....that is the question!

Today was my first day back in the gym in almost 2 weeks. Physically, there was nothing keeping me away. Yes, I had some minor maladies.Nothing was so debilitating that I could not work through or around it.Mentally and emotionally I just could not get myself to make the commitment to do what I know is so good for me. Quite honestly, early this morning,I felt the same way.For about 45 minutes I laid in bed engaged in a mental tug of war. Laze around or get my butt in gear?
That was the struggle.Even as I was getting dressed, I could feel my body ,achy and sore from lack of activity,resisting the decision to go.None the less,I persevered and force myself out the door. On the drive over,I was engaged in all sorts of mental deal making.
I'll only do this and that.
I'll change up my warm up routine.
I'll skip my warm up routine.
I'll do shorter sets.
I'll do lighter reps.
I'll only work 3 or four muscle groups instead of 5 or 6.
I'll skip my cardio.
My normal workout takes 35 minutes on a short day and  a bit over  45 minutes on a longer day. Today I walked into the gym at 8:25 and walked out at 10:03.
So much for an abbreviated workout!
After a full warm up,and doubling up on my cardio,I extended my workout while addressing 9 separate muscle groups,3 full sets of 15 reps on each group.All of my sets were at the weight I left off two weeks ago.
So how come I was able to do this after a two week absence?
Simple.I chose to let go.I chose to not think about any of the crap that has been stressing me out.I chose to live in the moment,without giving any thought what so ever to what challenges might be waiting for me when I left the gym.
I was relaxed and that made all the difference in the world to me. My body felt better having tested myself after such a long respite.That good feeling carried over through the rest of my day. It helped me make better food choices. It helped me pick out my outfit to wear to a meeting with new potential clients. It helped as I found myself picking up around the house  and putting away some of the clutter from last night's dinner.
It's now around 5 pm.Lunch was late....around 3:30. It is still 98 degrees outside . The Yankee game is in the 2nd inning so Susan won't be looking for dinner any time soon. I think I'll go take a dip in the pool and relax a little bit more.It's time to start the conversation with myself around getting back to the gym tomorrow.
Shabbat Shalom!