This season of autumn, so they say, is a time for letting go of that which no longer serves you. I have always looked at this concept from more of a philosophical viewpoint rather than on the physical level. However, this year, I have decided to look at the concept as a time for shedding away the physical as well as the mental and emotional.

Believe it or not, I gained nearly 15 pounds since I stopped running in May of 2011. This is on top of the extra 10 pounds of “baby fat” that was never lost after my 2nd pregnancy. In general, I have felt healthy, strong, and vibrant in the past couple of years. Feeling good in my skin has always been more important to me than the number of the scale. And while nothing has changed, I have decided to explore if shedding a few of these extra pounds might improve my well being. Perhaps allow for me to feel even better, be in less pain, and maybe even return to running a little bit.

On some level, I recognize that running was so much a part of how I defined myself that my decision to take a break (aka quit) required me to isolate myself from the inquiry arose in doing so a level of insulation was built around me. Were these added pounds needed? I am certain they were not; they were more a byproduct of my metabolism changing and my cardiovascular fitness and caloric burn decreasing.  And although I did my best to eat a balanced meal, and to eat healthy & clean, I didn’t always do well to keep my portions down to size.

As the pounds begin to shed away, I am finding that I have more strength and energy than before. I’m excited to see what might come of letting go: I am eager to know what seed I might grow into some new creation that I didn’t have room for before.