It's funny, people talk about how the holidays can really set you back. Perhaps I was never aware of it because I've never been someone who leads a somewhat healthy lifestyle until the past year and a bit. In all honesty, this was my first Christmas that coincided with a genuinely serious commitment to lifestyle habits, although based on the last few weeks, one could easily question that commitment. In a nut shell, Christmas seems to have brought me the gift that keeps on giving - gluttonous lethargy!
In all honesty, I don't know if blaming it on the holiday season really makes sense. I don't know if I needed a turkey dinner to be my excuse for acting lazy and eating shitty food. And it sure as hell isn't still Christmas time, and the struggle continues. Coinciding with Christmas was a family visit, bringing my parents and brother here for a visit. Paul & I did some partner training, and the result seems be a rediscovered interest in his own health and fitness, a catalyst that seems to have gained momentum, as he's maintaining a great workout regiment, c/o Zeus, and eating strict Paleo with wicked success. My parents also seem to have used our time together to reinforce their continued efforts to evolve their own habits, and they send me little updates regarding their eating habits, and how things are going. Keeping this in mind, it's pretty clear that the holidays don't need to be an excuse to go downhill. In fact, the opposite seems to be happening for the rest of my family (#biofam, not #fitfam), and I don't see why it should be any different for me. And when it is, the fallout is dangerous...
See, when I'm lazy or undisciplined, it's not just the physical results that feel like a punishment. The mental side is a fucking nightmare. I feel like such a loser when I don't have the basic willpower to sustain my supposedly established eating habits, eating habits that are crucial to achieving my health-related goals. And going to lift and then finding that I'm not as strong as I feel like I should be, or my technique doesn't feel right, or I can't clean what I know I should be able to...it all feels disgusting, largely due to the fact that deep down, I know that my habits are creating these problems. There's no great mystery, it's basic cause and effect.
Once upon a time, I used to exercise...
I guess I'm just writing this because I need to make a change, and I'd feel like an even bigger dumb ass if I wrote this and then did nothing. One could also argue that I could be a bit more forgiving of myself, but I find that to be a dangerous line to walk - kindness is important, but so are boundaries, boundaries that come with some form of consequence when you cross them. All of this being said, I'm looking forward to creating an environment of structure over the next week, because while I'd like to think a more general approach would work, it hasn't been working lately. So I'm going to sort my shit out, set some specific goals, work with my people, and be a less lazy, less complacent version of myself.
I know it's cheesy but in all honesty, getting back on track seems like a way better gift to myself than anything I got for Christmas.
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