Getting back to the gym after a loss of momentum
Credit: Victor Freitas via pexels.com
At least once a year I re-discover the joy of exercising and living healthily. This is usually preceded by having lost all enthusiasm and letting my weight and fitness deteriorate.
I've previously shared my thoughts on the many ways in which an exercise and fitness regime can fall apart - it's no wonder that in the face of so many risk factors, the best of intentions can be lost. In the most recent example, going back to the end of last summer, I could offer any number of explanations (also known as excuses) to explain my downfall. But there was no single reason why it happened.
In any case, as Navy Seal turned inspirational speaker Jocko Willink is fond of pointing out:
“All of your excuses, are just lies.”
I had sore knees, but I could have carried on or taken it easier until I recovered. I was busy at work, but I have as many hours in the day, and as much choice over what to prioritise in my life as everyone else. The more time that passed, the harder it became to commit myself to going back again.
I'm generally skeptical about the very idea of New Year's resolutions. I have a reluctance to tie the adoption of good practices and positive habits to a somewhat arbitrary date. If something’s worth doing, it’s always worth doing no matter the date on the calendar.
That said, I write this now having just made my return to the first exercise class of the new year (a Les Mills Grit Cardio HIIT session). I joined the ranks of other New Year’s Resolutionists shuffling into the class at 6.30am on a dark January morning, wondering at what point in the proceedings I may collapse to the floor, wheezing and gasping for breath in a puddle of my own sweat.
I’m not posting this for props or praise. I deserve none. I’m not sharing this to inspire anyone else. I want to disclose that while I have experienced and wholeheartedly believe in the benefits of exercise and the effects it can have across all sides of life, I still managed to fall off the horse. I have learned that no matter how positive a behaviour or habit is, and no matter how much we know we should, or ought to be doing something in life, sometimes it is just too easy to let the standards slip.
Positive practices get dropped, good habits get forgotten and we lose out on the benefits as a result. It happens. What matters most is how we react when it does.
I spent some time regretting my fall from gym-going grace and I beat myself up for it. I tried to kid myself that I was getting the same benefit from a daily walk (which while still beneficial in its own right, is nowhere near as effective). I slipped into the mind-set of believing I was happier without it. I cynically viewed those who still clad themselves in Lycra and joined the gym-going masses with scorn and pity. I convinced myself it was too late in my life to get back into it. Finally, I slipped further into the pit of self-sabotage over Christmas, eating and drinking anything and everything that I could.
For a variety of reasons, my self-imposed exile from the gym and from healthy ways of living was eventually destined to end. A few weeks of daily digestive discomfort, breathlessness as I tackled the stairs and having to yield a notch or two on my belt to my ever-expanding gut were instrumental in the turnaround. So too, was a health-scare within my wider family which prompted me to reflect on my own mortality. I decided that at nearly 43 years of age, I need to strive for more consistency in the care of my health.
And so this morning, I bit the bullet and got back to the gym.
It was as hard, if not harder than I imagined. I endured a few comments and knowing (but welcoming) smiles from the regulars who noted my absence and the timing of my return. The trainer offered a sadistic smile and commented “long-time, no-see”. I panted and sweated and suffered through the workout, and generally marvelled at just how much fitness and tone I have lost. It was beyond painful, and I know that more pain is on its way as I recover.
But, I made it through. I have committed to be back there on Monday for another class with the same trainer. Commitment and the threat of shame through letting someone else down are powerful motivators to me and I’ll do anything I can to avoid letting him down (or letting myself down).
I’m reminded of another quote from Jocko Willink:
“Rome wasn’t built in a day. We all know that…. But Rome also didn’t fall apart overnight either. It took hundreds of years for Rome to reach its peak but it also took time, hundreds of years for Rome to decay and fall apart. That is representative of life. You don’t achieve worthwhile goals quickly or easily. They take time, they take struggle. They take relentless pursuit, day-in and day-out. That’s what it takes. But also, things don’t usually fall apart quickly either… at least at first. It’s a slow process. A little slip here, a little set-back over there; a slow wearing down of discipline and will over time.”
-Jocko Willink
I’ll keep this in mind as I progress through the next few months as I strive for the levels of fitness I’d achieved last year, hopefully pushing beyond them too. Tomorrow, I’ll likely ache and the next session will be just as hard, if not harder.
I could spend each session regretting having let my standards slip and regretting the past. Alternatively, and what I intend on doing is to be glad that I’m there, that I’m back on the horse. When I inevitably feel like quitting at some point in future, I’m now armed with the insight of what’s at stake if I allow myself to do so.
When you fall off the horse, get back on.