Here are some thoughts on getting back at it after breaking your routine…
Okay so holiday is over. Time to get back at it, right? Time to get off the couch, stop making excuses, and stop saying, “I’ll get at it tomorrow.”
Well, guess what? I am the first person to tell you I know this is easier said than done. Just because I am a health professional and coach, it does not exempt me from the reality and challenge of getting started. It is rarely ever easy to get moving to make our big visions become tangible outcomes. Our greatest successes usually don’t happen without big efforts. But we need to be ready.
To be absolutely honest, in December, after publishing an article on ‘strategies of battling the holiday bulge”, I still was faced with my own challenges over the break. I too planned to stay active, but at the same time I was battling a stubborn cold virus for over three weeks preventing me from moving and celebrating as much as I wanted. It wasn’t a setback I planned for at all, and the time off made it harder to stay motivated.
The lesson to learn is that sometimes illness strikes when we take a break from sustaining a repetitive productivity cycle for long stretches of ‘day to day’ responsibilities. This pushes us into a much needed parasympathic cycle of rest and feeding to recover and restore. Yes, this is a real thing! This is also very common during the holiday season or when we take a vacation.
Is that me making an excuse? Maybe, but it is reality. YES, the struggle IS REAL! And for those of you that still find yourself on the couch on the second week of January, I just want to let you know that, I GET IT! I planned to start training last week but sure enough the “Stomach Purge of 2016” decided to show its ugly face in my home rendering me motionless in my ‘man cave’ for a solid 48 hours, sipping on peppermint tea and Netflix.
However, there was a light at the end of that short tunnel. The night the bug hit me I could not lay still to get any sleep. So, I rolled out of bed and meditated on my year-in-review to spiritually close the books for the year of 2016. In my vision, I rolled up all my memories (good,bad and ugly), into a giant ball and tossed it back into the universe with a feeling of gratitude and appreciation for all of the wisdom it provided me. I also did this so I could put the past behind me, and move forward into the new year without unnecessary ‘baggage’.
The entire time I did this 90 minute exercise the pain and discomfort in my body was virtually gone! The next day I was ready to begin starting my work and plans for 2017.
So, if you are in that rut still, please know you can shift it. Ask yourself, “How can I make best use of this moment to begin the process in moving forward?” You may need to reflect a little bit to be able to move forward. Or you may just need to be still a little longer. The key is WE GET TO CHOOSE.
When we are choosing (instead of rationalizing), we are still taking charge. And when we have some level of decision and control in the situation it is likely we will rebound from that ‘dark place’ faster. Remember, the dark place is not all bad. It is mostly just uncomfortable. But it has a purpose. Without it we can never know its opposite (whatever that represents for you). Be there. Don’t resist. But remember to do something about it and then move on.
Without knowing your personal situation, I cannot give you a “5 Tip” exercise for this one. We all have our own processes and some may require greater efforts than others. But it is REAL and I get it! However I will be checking in on this again, in February, when we start griping about the shitty grey weather and “having the blahs”. 😀 (At least for those of you that live in my part of the hemisphere).
Here’s to getting back at it in 2017, on YOUR own time!
Be Well!
Brian
ATTENTION! If any of this resonates with you at all please join us at the event below:
Seminar: The 5 Gym Archetypes – Which one are YOU?
Presented by: Brian DeCastro, The Domestic Athlete Inc.
Hosted at: Individual Performance, Aurora, 16 Mary Street
Date/Time: Jan 26, 6:30-8:00 pm
Dress: Casual
Admission: Free! Please contact brian@thedomesticathlete.com to reserve a seat. Space is limited.