Day 1 is in the books. I've checked the boxes. Well, almost. First I've gotta row 5 x 500 meters on a 5 minute clock. I'll write this during the rest periods.
My 7th grade writing teacher had back hair coming over the collar of his shirts, and he taught us to journal daily. If nothing came out, he advised us to write the same word over and over, until something else happened. Repeat, then repeat again. Such a great lesson.
So, what do I expect over the next 56 days? I expect to lose about 4% body fat, I expect to see abs again, I expect my resting heart rate to come down, my blood pressure to drop a few points.
I expect relationships to get a little better because I'm less frustrated with myself. I expect to see both heads of my biceps when I flex again. I expect to feel like myself more, to practice what I preach, to be more invested in my clients.
I expect to have written a books worth of blog posts, to have walked hundreds of thousands of steps, chased my kids for hours and meditated for at least 56 minutes (likely closer to 560, but hey... small wins).
I expect to be challenged over and over. My wife made ginger snap cookies with fresh ginger tonight. She knows what I'm doing, but also knows that we have a ton of fresh ginger and kids that love cookies. She knows I have will power and can act like an adult. I passed on the cookies. I've had enough cookies over the past 6 months. I'll be tempted to skip a day of activity, to let it slide. I mean, I'm doing it right now. I haven't even sat on the rower yet...hold on, I'm gonna fix that.
Ok, first 500 done.
The main issue I have with exercise is my ability, or lack thereof, to moderate. I like to smash myself onto the floor every session. I love to compete - to a fault. Some of the next 8 weeks will be about learning to turn that off. It will be about learning to just enjoy moving, to not compare myself to anyone, to not worry about anyone else's statistics or output or time. For me, this is a foreign concept, but one that I hope is attainable.
Ok, next 500...
Moderate exercise is a foreign concept. It doesn't make sense but I think it will. Training without a specific target, a date, a task is going to take getting used to but it will happen, and this brain will get wrapped around it. It will have no choice. To be perfectly clear, I am learning to moderate so that I can train for a comeback with a healthy body when the time is right. I will smash myself again, and for that I am not even a little bit sorry.
It is a weird feeling, typing between intervals, not huffing and puffing, doing 'reasonable' exercise. Will I get used to it? I think so. Will I lose it and run myself into the ground once or twice in the next 8 weeks? Likely, if history tells us anything. But, I know there will be more days like today than not, days when the spirit of the program takes and keeps hold.
And so here we are, at the end of day 1. I feel accomplished. I feel happy that I made it. I feel proud of myself for noticing the downward slide that was happening and correcting the course. I can't wait for tomorrow. I can't wait for tomorrow. Damn, I can't believe I said that. I can't wait for tomorrow. Not very on brand for 2020, but true. I can't wait for the challenges and opportunities of tomorrow.
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