Setbacks Are Feedback

I just finished a six-week fitness challenge with one of my favorite fitness influencers. It was through the Playbook app and included a bunch of influencers and their clients. I was excited. I was ready. I was feeling stronger. I was losing weight. I was doing the work.

And then my body said, “Hold up.”

Not just a little setback. More like a quadruple whammy.

A psoriatic arthritis flare. Menopause symptoms. A sluggish thyroid because I had gotten sloppy with taking my medication correctly. Low vitamin D. Low iron. Then blood work came back showing my testosterone and progesterone were super low, and my DHEA was off too.

For a second, I wanted to cry.

Actually, I probably did cry a little on the inside.

Because when you are doing everything “right,” it feels really unfair when your body doesn’t respond the way you want it to. Especially when you feel like you are finally gaining momentum.

But then I had to remind myself of something important:

This wasn’t failure.
This was feedback.

My body wasn’t betraying me. It was communicating with me.

It was telling me I was pushing too hard. It was telling me recovery mattered. It was telling me that if my hormones, thyroid, iron, vitamin D, inflammation, and stress are all fighting for attention, my body is not going to prioritize fat loss or performance. It is going to prioritize survival and recovery.

And honestly? That makes sense.

For the last two weeks of the challenge, I reset. I adjusted. I started paying closer attention. I saw improvement, but I was too far behind to win anything. There was prize money involved, and yes, that would have been a fun bonus.

But I didn’t win.

And I’m okay with that.

Because I learned more than I expected to learn.

I learned that recovery days are not optional. I learned that stretching and mobility matter more than I sometimes want to admit. I learned that blood work matters. I learned that refueling after workouts matters. I learned that pushing harder is not always the answer.

Sometimes the stronger choice is pulling back.

Today, instead of doing the final workout of the challenge, I stopped. I reset. I did my own workout. It was still hard. My muscles still worked. I still felt tired. But it was slightly shorter, more intentional, and better suited for where my body is right now.

That is not quitting.

That is wisdom.

I am not going to beat myself up. I am not going to wallow in self-pity. I am not going to pretend I didn’t feel disappointed either. Both things can be true. I can be disappointed and still proud.

Because I am stronger.

I feel stronger. I see changes. I know more now than I did six weeks ago.

Maybe I didn’t win the challenge.

But I did learn how to listen to my body better.

And that is something I can actually use moving forward.

Let me reiterate- I feel strong and I am happy with my progress in the big picture but for my goals, I will just listen to the feedback, adjust, and keep progressing. I am not looking for pitty, in fact, quite the opposite. I hope this helps.

If you feel off, listen to your body. If you are around menopause age, maybe think about bloodwork.Hormone checks will give you answers whether you do something about them or not. Low iron can show up as low ferritin. It can still make you feel tired AF. Basically if you feel something-do something.