I hit a record this week.
And it has nothing to do with how much I lifted, how far I ran or how much weight I dropped. Well, it has little to do with those As I write this column, I have not been to the gym in six days.
Before I started working out regularly, a colleague who had been trying to encourage me to lose weight told me repeatedly that once I started training, it would become addictive.
And until I actually started training seriously, I thought the idea of exercise becoming addictive sounded pretty unhealthy.
But here’s the thing: once I started going to the gym and seeing the results of my training, my day started feeling incomplete without my daily gym fix. I adjusted my routine to accommodate an early morning workout. Up at 4.30am. Out the door by 5.45am to be in gym by 6.15am. Then in the office by 8.
Work. Eat. Sleep - by 9.30pm. Repeat. I literally have done that and bought the T-shirt.
Most times it was invigorating. But often it was just exhausting. I knew I had to take a break, but I didn’t. I believed that was what was required to get to my goal weight. Surely all the well-researched articles on the net about the importance of rest days didn’t apply to me
Even though my trainer has advised me to take a rest day at least every three days, I’m generally in the gym seven days a week, although I do try to alternate between rigorous and lighter training sessions, with two sessions a week dedicated to my yoga practice.
And since I started running, on three days of the week I train twice a day. But for the past week I’ve been forced to slow down and adapt my daily eating and training regimen. I’ve been on leave, had a birthday party, a house guest and was playing tour guide. Away from my routine. Away from my nutritious prepped meals and pre-packed lunch bag.
Away from the gym.
It’s easier to stick to your eating plan when your daily activities are set and predictable and when you’ve planned accordingly.
But as we all know, life rarely moves in a straight line and very often throws us curve balls. These may be in the form of huge life challenges, or something as simple as being out all day and having to find a way to ensure that you make healthy food choices when it’s far more convenient to choose something else.
You’re more likely to make poor eating choices when you’re blinded by hunger, so one of my strategies is to always have something healthy available to calm my hunger or keep me going until I can have a proper meal. Some things I often have in my handbag are tree nuts - high in calories but very nutritious - bananas or seeds. And water.
If you find yourself in a restaurant, if it’s possible, ask to have your food grilled rather than fried - and if your first reaction when your meal arrives, is that it looks too big, it probably is. In such cases, I immediately set aside the portion I plan to eat from what I plan to take home. You may end up eating everything, and that’s okay. Just remember to eat a bit less when the next meal time comes around. It’s all about finding your balance.
For me this means enjoying my “staycation”, doing some things that will work my “fun muscles” and relaxing a bit - because taking a break is just as important as working hard.
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