I admit that I did promise myself that I would take it easy this summer. I had been going, going, going non-stop from mid-August last year to the end of May this year. That included working full time, going to school full time, going to the gym "full time," teaching Sunday School every week plus all the usual chaos of life (being married, having two kids, and keeping up relationships with friends and family). (I know I wouldn't have been able to do it without DH and my wonderful friends!) Okay, so my secret is that I thrive on stress and being busy...so I had a lot of fun and had some really great memories along the way! But back to my promise to myself...I just wanted to hang out pool-side with my kids and hubby, and take a couple of fun trips like camping. Not to mention that DH and I are celebrating our 5th anniversary with a kid-free 5-day trip to San Diego! (I'm so excited!!) I can say, I certainly have kept up my end of the bargain! I've been sleeping anywhere from 7 to 10 hours every night. I have spent many evenings and weekends in the pool with the kids. It's been great! Here's the catch though...my gym membership expired and I decided not to renew. I have been using the bike path next to our apartment to jog or ride my bike. I have reduced my daily calorie intake to compensate for the lower activity. But, I've noticed my energy levels dropping and feeling "bloated" more. I've been worried about gaining the weight back that I've lost so far and there's no way for me to weigh myself (I threw the scale away a few weeks ago). So this morning was "weigh-in day" and since I can't, I figured I could at least measure myself. The good news is...I didn't gain any inches back! In fact, I've lost a little in a few areas! So I guess the moral of the story is that I can relax (sometimes) and what I've learned along the way will keep me going! I jsut need to stay consistent with exercise, even if it's not as much as before, and keep the lower calorie intake to match. Plus, I need to remember: "a protein-shake a day (which I haven't been doing) , keeps Katrina up to play!"