I went out with some friends a few days back. As usual, my exercise habits and eating changes came up. Somebody asked me how long I was going to keep it up for and whether I would stop exercising and eating right once I reached my goal weight.
To be honest, this question bewildered me. Why would I stop doing something that was working for me?
Before I could respond, another friend of mine said - 'This is her lifestyle now.'
It made me happy to hear that. Yes, it is my lifestyle now.
There are, however, times when things get a bit frantic. In fact, looking back at my blog posts over the past few months it seems like things are frantic quite regularly - things always seem to come up. I guess this is the good part of it being a lifestyle. The good habits are part of my routine. I'm not always be able to execute them perfectly, but I know that I'll try and that they are part of my life. The panic of not being able to do the workout that I had planned on doing is slowly subsiding. There's always exercise that I can do at home. It's always about making the best effort in whatever situation you're in.
That being said, the past three weeks have been tough for me. I thought I'd be ok without my regular gym routine, but it hasn't worked so well for me. It's actually not the physical aspect of the workouts that have been problematic - it's the mental one.
My mind is stuck.
I know that this frustration is stemming from a whole host of other stresses - work, my upcoming conference, old memories haunting me, people hurting my feelings or pissing me off ... it's all been happening one after another for the past 3 weeks and I'm totally mentally exhausted.
My workouts have been consistent, but I haven't been enthusiastic, and I know that I haven't given 100% (I hate that).
My food has been 'fine', but I haven't been eating cleaner than clean (which is what I wanted) or even eating regularly at all (grazing on nuts, a tablespoon of peanut butter to get me through the afternoon etc.). Even if my food is clean, I do not believe this is representative of healthy eating.
My sleep has been fine, though I've been restless on many nights and have had nightmares on others. I'm tense, and I feel it in my sleep.
This just goes to show, you can have good habits, but it doesn't mean that they're always healthy -- whether you like it or not, even more has to change.
I wonder what it's going to take for me to get out of this mental slump. I've been so annoyed and irritated. Of course none of my recent habits is helping me lose any weight. I've been gaining and losing the same half kilo (1 pound) for almost 3 weeks now. I know it doesn't seem like much, but it's on my mind. Perhaps I'm just latching on to it because that's what I tend to do when I'm stressed - find something to obsess over to distract me from 'real' issues ... and yes, I do know what the issues are, but I don't feel like dealing with them right now. I don't have the energy to deal with them right now.
Perhaps this trip is coming at the best time for me. It'll give me a chance to get away from it all and come back jet-lagged, but hopefully refreshed too and in a better mood. We'll see.
The bottom line: Regardless of your mood, there's no excuse to sabotage yourself. Don't eat junk (it'll just make you feel worse) and do some exercise. More often than not, it will make you feel better.
To be honest, this question bewildered me. Why would I stop doing something that was working for me?
Before I could respond, another friend of mine said - 'This is her lifestyle now.'
It made me happy to hear that. Yes, it is my lifestyle now.
I exercise regularly and I love it.
I eat healthy and I enjoy it.
These are things that I don't plan on ever changing.
There are, however, times when things get a bit frantic. In fact, looking back at my blog posts over the past few months it seems like things are frantic quite regularly - things always seem to come up. I guess this is the good part of it being a lifestyle. The good habits are part of my routine. I'm not always be able to execute them perfectly, but I know that I'll try and that they are part of my life. The panic of not being able to do the workout that I had planned on doing is slowly subsiding. There's always exercise that I can do at home. It's always about making the best effort in whatever situation you're in.
That being said, the past three weeks have been tough for me. I thought I'd be ok without my regular gym routine, but it hasn't worked so well for me. It's actually not the physical aspect of the workouts that have been problematic - it's the mental one.
My mind is stuck.
I know that this frustration is stemming from a whole host of other stresses - work, my upcoming conference, old memories haunting me, people hurting my feelings or pissing me off ... it's all been happening one after another for the past 3 weeks and I'm totally mentally exhausted.
My workouts have been consistent, but I haven't been enthusiastic, and I know that I haven't given 100% (I hate that).
My food has been 'fine', but I haven't been eating cleaner than clean (which is what I wanted) or even eating regularly at all (grazing on nuts, a tablespoon of peanut butter to get me through the afternoon etc.). Even if my food is clean, I do not believe this is representative of healthy eating.
My sleep has been fine, though I've been restless on many nights and have had nightmares on others. I'm tense, and I feel it in my sleep.
This just goes to show, you can have good habits, but it doesn't mean that they're always healthy -- whether you like it or not, even more has to change.
I wonder what it's going to take for me to get out of this mental slump. I've been so annoyed and irritated. Of course none of my recent habits is helping me lose any weight. I've been gaining and losing the same half kilo (1 pound) for almost 3 weeks now. I know it doesn't seem like much, but it's on my mind. Perhaps I'm just latching on to it because that's what I tend to do when I'm stressed - find something to obsess over to distract me from 'real' issues ... and yes, I do know what the issues are, but I don't feel like dealing with them right now. I don't have the energy to deal with them right now.
Perhaps this trip is coming at the best time for me. It'll give me a chance to get away from it all and come back jet-lagged, but hopefully refreshed too and in a better mood. We'll see.
The bottom line: Regardless of your mood, there's no excuse to sabotage yourself. Don't eat junk (it'll just make you feel worse) and do some exercise. More often than not, it will make you feel better.
Ugh - the mental blahs are so tough to overcome. I sympathize, I've been having a rough winter too. Keep pushing through - you've already made the major lifestyle changes, keep going, and eventually, one day, you'll realize you're feeling good about everything again. :)
ReplyDeleteThat certainly was an interesting question you were asked. Perhaps this person has done the eat healthy and exercise thing and then went back to the old unhealthy ways. Enjoy your trip. :)
ReplyDeletehi, Even I have been in not a very good place for the past month..things are just not going right, but one thing that I do regularly is my workout..I think yuou should be happy that even though you are stressed and even though sometimes you can't make it to the gym you still find a way to do your workout..maybe you don't always give your 100% but just doing your workout when you are stressed shows it has become your lifestyle which is great.
ReplyDeleteI hope your trip is a good break for you and you come back stress free :)