Hey hey!
Hope your Sunday is going well. Here are the 3 things for today:
Bleary-eyed and Sleepy. When you wake up groggy, do you go back to bed? Or do you suck it up and head to the gym? A guideline for answering perplexing questions.
Missing out. What are you truly missing out on?
Fear of the Start. Three simple steps you can take today to work on this fear, and transform your fitness journey.
Bleary-eyed and Sleepy
You went to bed late, only after midnight. You woke up at 5.30 am, thanks to your alarm. Do you go to the gym? Or do you turn it off and sleep in?
You are trying to eat zero sugar. You finish your dinner. And you want just a hit of sugar to polish things off. Do you? Or do you fight the craving and stick to the plan?
You are out having beers. Do you give in to the party mood and have 3 beers too many, which you know you will be annoyed with tomorrow when you wake up? Or do you stick to your preset decision?
The fun part about life is it is unpredictable. And how we react to the same situation in multiple ways adds to the unpredictability.
The right answer to all of the above is - It depends. I cannot answer it for you. Only you can.
Some days, the right answer is to sleep in. Some days, the right answer is to suck it up and go in and lift.
But I'll give you a guideline I follow for habits that I want to stick to but also leave some slack in the system - Don't repeat it two days in a row. For example, if I miss my breathing drills tonight - it happens. But I am definitely doing them tomorrow, come what may. If I am eating candy tonight as if I have not seen candy before, no fucking candy tomorrow. Even if the candy gods come home and give me the bestest candy in the world.
Don't repeat it two days in a row.
Missing Out
If you look at the things you have or can do versus what is out there, you are always missing out on something.
There's always a better workout system, a better diet that will get you ripped faster, a better mattress, a better whatever.
But if you look at what truly makes you happy, it is outside of all of these things. Because it is in the things you already have and do.
A great book is a friend that never lets you down. You can return to it again and again and the joy first derived from it will still be there.
– Ruskin Bond
Be humble because you are made of earth.
Be noble, for you are made of stars.
– a Serbian proverb I found in Matt Haig's book
Fear of the Start
Unfortunately, a common story I hear from people who want to get started in fitness is that they are scared to start. I've heard this from friends and students whose family members are inspired by but unable to make the leap. I've even heard this from old students of mine - people take a break but have let themselves go (their words) and are scared to come back.
You are scared because it is out of your comfort zone.
You are scared because you are not sure if you picked the right answer.
You are worried if you are gonna make a fool out of yourself.
You are concerned that you might get hurt.
You are unsure if what you are doing is good for you.
You are a bit embarrassed at your current level of fitness and don't want to be judged.
You are concerned if you will be able to keep it up.
Let me remind you of a couple of things. Most of the people you see who have effected a change almost always hit rock bottom.
The best thing about rock bottom is the rock part. You discover the solid bit of you. That bit that can't be broken down further. The thing that you might sentimentally call a soul. At our lowest we find the solid ground of our foundation. And we can build ourselves anew.
And here's another quote from a different context, from Anthony de Mello.
As you begin to observe yourself, to watch yourself, to pick up those negative feelings, you'll find your own way of explaining it. And you'll notice the change. But then you'll have to deal with the big villain, and that villain is self-condemnation, self-hatred, self-dissatisfaction.
Do you find yourself scared to start? It is okay. You are most definitely not alone. I recall the absolute cluelessness I was faced with for an entire year, as I searched for what to do. As I kept trying to do things.
What I'd suggest are three things:
Write down what is troubling you. Write down your fear(s). When you put it down, it becomes less of a scary demon.
Write down a goal. If it is outrageous, break it down a bit more.
Start doing something. Minimal equipment, minimal investment, and fits into your logistics. Just start.
Once you start walking the path (start doing something) towards a particular direction (your goal) things get simpler. Along the way, you can make adjustments.
Being scared is fine. Being scared into inactivity is not. You can do this!
And that’s it for today. Have a great day and week, and I’ll see you in March!
Feb 27, 2022