Tag Archives: habits

Small gains

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I’ve been trying to put on some weight. Five pounds to be exact. I’m actually at my long term goal weight, but I want to be this weight 10 years from now… and at age 57 I recognize that it’s going to be hard to both gain and maintain healthy weight in the next decade.

So, a few months back I decided that I’d shoot for another 5 pounds of muscle by the end of this year. And for these past few months I’ve moved from floating just between 5-6 pounds from my goal weight to floating between 4-5 pounds from my goal weight. Not a significant change.

However, I need to remember my journey here. I have spent almost 6 and a half years working on my current fitness journey. I’ve seen incremental changes through that journey. I dropped over 27 pounds of unwanted weight and have then added 12 good pounds. I’ve had less back pain (other than a herniated disk in my neck, unrelated to my training or my usual lower back pain). My back still aches daily, but my days of actual pain have diminished considerably. And I’m at least as strong as I was in my 20’s and stronger (and more flexible) in most areas.

And no, I have not really seen any gains in the last few months, but that’s ok. I feel them coming. I know I’m on the verge of another small jump. The only problem is the gains now are too small to see. But they are here. I just bench pressed my personal best since I was in teacher’s college back in ‘97-‘98, and I’ve been pushing my leg workouts more than I ever have in the past.

Small gains are being made. More gains are around the corner. And if I stay focused on doing my best instead of worrying about my current progress, I’m sure I’ll hit, and maybe even surpass, my goal by the end of the year.

Early mornings

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I’m in a bit of a rut. I get up early enough, but my usual morning routine has slowed down and I’m finding myself in a rush to get to work every morning. It’s a slow creep of distractions and general laziness that’s pushing my usual routine into a speed round of getting everything in.

What I’ve recognized is that I’ve let a general slowness creep into my morning routine. I’m not avoiding anything, I’m just not getting to everything in a timely fashion. I’ve let my routine falter not by neglecting any one part of it, but by letting wasted time sneak in.

This would be fine if I wasn’t already going to bed earlier to make sure I wake up well rested, or if this happened on weekends when I have more time… but on workdays I need my tight routine to stay tight so that I’m not shortening my cardio times and rushing my workout sets. I already work on only one muscle group because I’m pressed for time, the last thing I need to do is squeeze the sets smaller and faster.

It’s an interesting realization that I’m still getting everything done but neither to the best of my ability nor in a way that makes me feel good about it. I end up feeling rushed and feeling like I’m underperforming, neither of which is a good way to start my day. It’s like I’m going through the motions and yet feeling less accomplished.

I’m going to pay more attention to my efficiency and my focus in the morning. I’m going to stare at the blank screen when unsure what to write, rather than seeking inspiration through distractions. I might even move my meditation before writing when I’m drawing a blank on what to write about. I’m going to lighten my reps and go higher volume so that I get re-used to more volume of weights in the morning.

It’s not what happens, it’s what you do that makes the difference, and what I’m doing now isn’t making the right kind of difference! So it’s time to adapt and get better. Because I can move away from this slow creep of distraction and off task behaviour in the morning I know I will start my day feeling a lot better, and a lot less rushed.

Paying dividends

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A couple days ago I tweaked my back. I was walking on the treadmill with a weighted vest and afterwards when taking the vest off I felt a twinge in my upper back. I did a light leg workout and was done for the day. That night and yesterday morning my back felt felt sore.

That morning after (yesterday) I did a really slow walk (without my weight vest) and then had a long stretch. Rather than continue with my plan to work out my upper body, I just did a bit more legs, and spent time stretching my back and massaging it on the corner of a doorway. The whole day my back felt tight. It didn’t hurt but it felt like I was trying to show off my lats even when my back was as relaxed as I could get it.

Today I’m almost back to normal.

A decade ago if something like this had happened I would have spent a week in pain. I would have had to spend days feeling like a knife was stuck in my back. I would have had to completely stop working out, and I might even have had to miss some work.

This is probably the greatest reward for building a regular fitness regime. I recover from an injury so much faster. My muscles still protect my back by tightening up, but not to the point where they seize. I don’t go into a full back crash because I slipped and missed a stair, or because I took off a weight vest in an awkward position.

My back is far from 100%. It will always be a work in progress. But my ability to avoid injury or to reduce the long term effects of an injury are so much better. And I know this is because of the work I’ve put in… and will continue to put in.

Maintaining good fitness habits has paid incredible dividends to my overall wellbeing and my ability ti keep pain at bay.

Returning to routines

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I’ll be back at work this morning after our 2-week March break. I’m already enjoying that I’m back into my routine, writing and exercising in the early morning. It’s easy to get off track, and to upset routines when on holidays. I missed workouts, I spent evenings looking for times to write, and I didn’t always eat well.

I am realizing more and more how valuable routines are. Routines are ways to instil discipline and habits so that they are almost effortless. I know what I will be doing next, with no thought and minimal effort to get started. It’s that simple.

When I head into work, I’ll also fairly quickly find myself in a routine. I’ll order my day (barring too many unexpected interruptions) so that I prioritize my team before outside distractions. I’ll create a ‘To Do’ list of priorities, and I’ll also try to find things to enjoy along the way… be it a conversation with students or interactions with staff. In other words, I’ll follow my routines, but also look for some novelty.

There is comfort in routines, but there is also the use of routines to find efficiencies so that I can also do things outside of my routines. My routines are an important part of my journey, but they are not the journey.

I’m back

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Just spent a week at my sister’s house visiting her family and my mom. I managed to get 4 nice hilly walks in, and a casual bike ride, but by far this was the longest I’ve gone without really working out in years. I’ll count the walks as exercise days, but now I’m home and about to hit the treadmill and weights for a nighttime workout session.

Usually I find ways to do way more exercise on holidays. I did do some pushups and leg dips one day, but if I’m honest, I had the time to do that or other body weight workouts on more of the days than I did… I just didn’t do it.

This isn’t me beating myself up for taking most of the week off. Rather it’s recognition that it can be easy to let things slide if I don’t pay attention. At home, my routines make things easy. I wake up, I get a workout done. It’s that simple. On holidays I need to either: build in a routine or make a conscious effort to workout. Or if it’s a week or less, give myself permission to have an easy week.

That said, I’m back home and my basement gym is calling me.

The script has flipped

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It has taken a few years.

I started my fitness journey in January 2019, and it has occurred to me that over the past year, it has become a challenge to give myself a rest day. It used to be hard to find the time and the motivation to work out. The challenge was wanting to, and doing the necessary work. Now the challenge is allowing myself a rest day.

I’m realizing that while I give most of my body ample rest, (primarily doing just one muscle group in a workout when I’m working under morning time pressure at my home gym), I still work my legs daily with my cardio. My legs are not getting any rest. I need to reevaluate what I define as a workout, allowing myself to skip cardio 2-3 times a week. I also need to take a full rest day more than once every 2 weeks or so.

I’ve gone from it being hard to workout to it being hard to skip a day. And while that’s a script switch I’d like to maintain, I’d also like to ensure that I actually do skip some days. Not enough that it feels easy again, but enough that I feel the benefits of rest between working out.

Still, this is a good place to be! I’d rather be on this side rather than the flip side.

A bad day of fishing…

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The saying goes, “A bad day of fishing is better than a good day at work.” It’s a good metaphor for a lot more than hobbies and employment.

“I don’t feel like working out.”

“I don’t really want to practice my musical instrument.”

“I don’t have anything to write about today.”

“It’s just a practice, I’ll skip and go to the game tomorrow.”

Do I want to do it right now? Hell no! Will I feel good if I get off my butt and do it? Absolutely!

Pick the battles that matter the most… not 7 at once, 2 or 3 max. Set an intention. Do it.

Why? Because a crappy ‘I just showed up’ workout is better than another skipped workout. And 15 minutes of practice or 250 words written are all examples of things that will make you feel far better after you’ve done them, rather than how you feel not doing them.

It’s a mental shift to move the metaphorical mindset from a bad day fishing to a bad day working out/practicing/writing feeling better than a good day not doing these things, because the payoff comes after the event. When you are fishing, even the last cast has potential. But when you are doing ‘the work’ (be it in the gym, on an instrument, or writing) it still feels like ‘the work’ and is not filled with the hope and promise of a big fish.

But doing the work, even on a bad day can surprise you. You might (totally unexpectedly) hit a personal best in the gym. You might play a chord combination that you’ve struggled with for weeks. You might pump out 1,000 words, or the best piece of writing you’ve done in a while. In other words you might just hook a big one. And realistically you might not, but still the act of doing anything is far more rewarding than doing nothing.

Skip another day and the only thing you’ll catch is the desire to skip again.

—

Here is some Monday motivation from Jocko Willink.

Actually, you’re doing great!

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I came across this quote, but I’m struggling to find the original source.

Working out will make you feel weak, when it’s actually making you stronger.
Learning new things will make you feel dumb, when it’s actually making you smarter.
Investing in yourself will make you feel broke, when it’s actually making you rich.
Facing your fears will make you feel terrified, when it’s actually making you braver.
Never hold yourself back.
Strive to be better tomorrow than you were today.
Thank yourself later.

If you want to be hard on yourself, do so for not trying when it’s hard. Be tough on yourself when procrastination wins and you skip an attempt to improve. But no matter how small the gains may appear, no matter how minimal your attempt to be better seems successful, that is the journey you want to be on.

James Clear said,

Goals are for people who care about winning once.
Systems are for people who care about winning repeatedly.

You don’t set the right systems in place when you are looking for instant gratification or results. You show up… Every. Single. Day… And you take solace in knowing that what you do today will pay dividends for days, months, and years ahead. Understanding this helps to relieve the stress of not seeing long term positive results, by trusting in the seemingly insignificant improvements today will bring.

Today is fleeting, there are many tomorrows, many days that future you will appreciate the efforts you put in today. The original quote above ended with, “Strive to be better tomorrow than you were today. Thank yourself later.” I think that I would add, ‘Also remember to thank yourself today… you’re doing great!’

Habits and motivation

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I’ve got my weight vest on. However, I don’t want to get on the treadmill, which is why I’m wearing the vest. I want to crawl under my blankets and not think about having to shovel the driveway later.

But yesterday was a rest day and I refuse to be someone who misses two days in a row. My habit of regular exercise is part of my identity. Am I motivated right now? Hell no! Am I going to work out immediately after writing this? Absolutely!

Make your habits about who you are and not what you do… and you don’t need motivation… you just get it done.

The push

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It’s fascinating how much of weight training is mental. I’m simultaneously an athlete who can push my body to a level that surprises me, and the loafer who can’t eke out one more rep despite still having gas left in my gas tank. One minute I’m forcing myself to get one more weighted pull-up done, straining with everything I’ve got to get my head above the bar. A few minutes later I’m quitting on weighted step-ups, because mentally, rather than physically, I’m done.

What I’ve mastered is showing up. What I’m working on now is maximizing my gains. That doesn’t mean being stupid, lifting too heavy, and hurting myself. What it does mean is making my sets count. Making my reps count. Making my workouts efficient and effective.

How does this look when I’ve mentally quit on a set too soon? Maybe it means a 4th set. Maybe it means a lighter weight and more reps. Maybe it means giving myself permission to let that one set go and come back stronger the next set… or if need be the next workout. Awareness is the first step. The next step is being intentional about what I do next.

If I’m going to see the gains I plan to have in the next year, I’ve got to push a little harder than I have been. Pushing in a smart way is going to get me to my goals… injury free.