Every time I title the blog by the day and week I'm on, it feels a little bit like someone counting days stranded on an island or held captive or something. Sounds cryptic is all.
Anyway, today was exciting! I've been going back to the gym and getting back into my habits of prioritizing bedtime and writing in the morning. However, I have been lacking a certain drive, intensity, excitement or something. For example, I get to the gym in the morning and do my lifting, but without any enthusiasm. I wanted to have enthusiasm, but something was missing from the equation.
Today, I think I figured a few of those things out.
1. I didn't have clear goals: measurable, attainable, with a deadline, that could be broken down into weekly goals and daily tasks. DONE: first goal: weigh 125 by my birthday. June 28. That's 14 pounds in 7 weeks. It's on the edge of possible but very challenging. So every workout counts. Every meal counts. Every night of sleep counts.
2. I wasn't reading anything inspiring to get me excited. I remembered that when I had the most success, I took time every Sunday to read Chalene Johnson's Push and rewrite my ten goals for the year. It helped keep me interested, focused, and remembering WHY I had the goal in the first place. So Sunday reading and planning is back.
3. I haven't been taking any pictures. So, this Sunday will also be progress pic time. Knowing I will be taking pictures will definitely remind me that EVERY MEAL, WORKOUT, and SLEEP counts.
4. I haven't been meditating and visualizing. When I don't take time to come down and really focus on the moment, then create a sense-based vision of what achieving this goal would FEEL like...well, I don't actually stay in a place of BELIEVING it will happen. And when I don't BELIEVE that this awesome result will come, or I don't even think about it, it's hard to have much enthusiasm for doing the work.
5. I haven't been blogging. Taking time to reflect on my day is helpful. I don't exactly know why, but it serves to rind me again, that Hey! You're on this plan. You are working toward a goal! Do your job!
6. The most obvious: I haven't been going hard. Some really smart person said that behavior follows feelings, and feelings follow thoughts, so you've got to have control of your thoughts. But, in addition, ACTION is the cure. Don't feel like going hard? Do it anyway. The doing. It's the doing that counts.
So. Tonight I did a cardio workout Amy gave me, which was intended to be intense. It's a pretty well-known trick now that high intensity interval training torches the most fat. And intense workouts in general improve your overall fitness. While I was doing it, I noticed that I wasn't going all that hard. I was having a little conversation with myself that I should pace myself because its only going to get harder. But at some point, I asked myself: if not now, WHEN? WHY are you holding back? Just let it fly. Go hard. Don't stop until you need to. What amazed me the most is how GREAT it feels! I felt so strong and energized!
So. I did it. And I have some pep in my step now.
Time for meditation and visualization.
