Sometimes things don't go to plan...

It's been ages since my last post - mostly because I didn't know what to say. Until just under two weeks ago, all had been going reasonably well. Then it hit - 'The Slump'.

I hadn't been expecting 'the slump' so when it crept in slowly and relatively silently, I didn't know what happened until - wallop - it was too late.

Now, anyone who has been anywhere near a diet will understand the concept of 'The Slump': You have a week of being reasonably good with your food consumption and you've kept your fitness levels up, only to find the come weigh in day that you've stayed the same or - shock horror - that you put on. The diet industry try to reassure you not to panic, but 'The Slump' is already at work. Weadling it's way into your thoughts and habits; "Well, if that's what you get for an that hard work, why bother? Go on, have a treat".

Resistance appears to be futile. One cake becomes two, becomes a bag of crisps  (that you don't even really like), becomes two weeks of 'treating' yourself in the hopes that you'll feel better. Until eventually it comes to roost. What have you done? All that hard work - not completely, but partially wasted? And for what?

Whilst you disintegrate into a mascara streaked mess of anger, pity and regret, 'The Slump' takes it rest, smug at how easy it was to make you surrender and gloating that it's won.

Sound familiar?

As I sit here, writing this at the tale end of such a 'mascara streaked' episode, I realise that 'The Slump' didn't 'win' and I haven't yet 'lost'. This is a cross roads:

The easy road is the way of 'The Slump'; paved with cakes, chocolates and the age old, 'There's always tomorrow'.

The harder road is a bitter taste but is the road that starts with writing down your short comings, owning up to your mistakes and resolving that the only real failure is to stop trying...

Feel the Fear and Do It Anyway...

So here we are at essentially the middle of week three of my new programme but it’s only really my second week as last week was a asthma filled nightmare of a write-off!

 

Anyway, I digress. This week I want to talk about courage. 

 

Now, I am by nature frightened of my own shadow. Years of bullying at school can do that to a person. And whilst I am continually striving to become a stronger, more decisive person, there are times when I can give the Cowardly Lion a run for his money!

Take this week for example: I returned to the gym last night after a six day hiatus and I had to talk myself into walking through that door. I had no justification for my fear other than barriers I was creating in my head, but I was afraid nevertheless. What will people think of me? Is everyone going to stare at the ‘big bird’ on the treadmill? Will someone make fun of me? All of which are groundless, but nonetheless real, fears.

 

After a good ten minutes in the car park, I decided that no good was going to come of sitting there thinking about ‘what if’s’ – the only way to find out the answers was to go on in and see.  So that’s what I did.

 

As it was, I found the session very hard. The gym was full of very fit people, all warming us for their ‘Insanity’ class. But as much as my vanity makes me believe that they were secretly jeering me and my flab, I put my head down and got on with my circuits.

 

Towards the end of my session, there was just myself and an older gentleman left in the suite and he approached me. He told me, “You did well tonight”. I must have looked agog as he continued “You have great control on the machines, you know your breathing and you know what you are doing. Don’t be put off by what other people may or may not think”. You could’ve knocked me down with a feather. My fears and anxiety were clearly that obvious to someone who cared enough to reassure me and that meant an awful lot.

 

I guess what I’m trying to get at is that we all get scared sometimes, and that’s OK.  What is not OK is to allow those fears to disable you from doing something that you really want to do.  Sometimes you don’t know what’ll happen until you try…