When life got loud, the gym got ghosted

Busyness benched my workouts — but it's time to move again.

Photo by Megan Lee on Unsplash

My finances weren’t the only thing that slipped in May.

When life got loud, my discipline got drowned out.

The workouts I once fit in without thinking suddenly felt impossible to prioritize. One skipped session became a week, then two, until exercise became just another thing I meant to do but never did.

Work piled up. Travel wrecked my rhythm. Family came first, and fitness fell last.

I didn’t mean to disappear. But before I knew it, I’d ghosted the gym.

The toll wasn’t just physical or financial. Mentally, the absence weighed heavier than I expected.

Still, tossing $10 at a membership I didn’t use stings.

I let myself down. I lost sight of the goals I’d worked hard to build and stayed off track longer than I’m comfortable admitting.

My step count dropped. My time on the elliptical disappeared.

Push-ups, crunches, squats? Forgotten faster than a password I swore I’d remember.

I showed up to the 5 a.m. club just twice in 31 days.

None of this is easy to admit.

But I’m sharing it to stay accountable. Because writing it down is how I reset, regroup and recommit.

And because someone out there needs to hear they’re not the only one who’s slipped.

Slipping isn’t the same as falling. And even if you fall, you can always get back up.

May’s step count called… it wants a raise. 🚶🏾‍♂️😂

Life gets messy. Schedules stack up. Time runs short.

Life didn’t make it impossible to stick to my fitness goals, but it sure made it harder.

Recognizing that is how I give myself grace, without giving up.

Because this is bigger than money or missed cardio sessions.

The truth is, I felt misaligned — with my habits, my values and the version of me I'm working hard to grow into.

Deep down, I knew I was only cheating myself. Our bodies tell the truth about how we live, whether we’re ready to face it or not.

That realization was uncomfortable but necessary. It cut through the fatigue and excuses, and reminded me why I started all this in the first place.

And it got me back in the gym.

I’m nearly three weeks into June and, no, I haven’t been perfect. But this restart isn’t about huge leaps. It’s about steady, honest steps in the right direction.

Now that the weather’s finally on my side, I’m back to walking too — a small act with a lasting shift.

Because my gym routine is more than just exercise. Every time I walk through those doors, I’m reclaiming a piece of myself I lost in the chaos.

Each check-in is a quiet commitment to the person I’m becoming.

And I never want to ghost myself the way I ghosted the gym.