Who am I?
So as many of you know…
I was away for a couple of weeks in Europe and it was epic. I savored every moment… every bite of amazing food and every sip of daily cocktails.
Here’s some context for you though…
I’m a girl who likes her routine. Dinner at a certain time, food I like which tends to revolve around protein and veggies, bedtime on the early side and, of course my training routine as well. I’m a creature of habit. And I like my habits!
Not exciting for some, but it works for me at this stage in life.
A simple, quiet life I enjoy fully.
But while away….
On the other side of the globe for only 2 weeks…I literally became a different person.
Like really different.
Alcohol? Pretty much every day.
Gelato? Often enough and I’m typically not a big ice cream fan.
Dinner time? Pretty much the same time I’m usually sound asleep at home… about 9pm or so!
Breakfast? Yogurt and fruit and then… cakes (cuz something sweet at brekkie is an italian thing)
Bedtime? Never earlier than 1am.
Needless to say I was like… “who dis?”
“WHO am I?!”
I became something/someone so foreign to me. Just as foreign as the countries we visited.
Now some might deem that as being “off track”… “off the rails”… “off the wagon”.
And all those other ways that make us feel like we’ve failed and are doomed upon our return where we need to pull in the reins and “get back on track”
I hate that notion btw cuz there is no wagon. There is life. Only life.
But I felt zero worry, no remorse, and zilch regret.
You see, we all approach things in life differently. For some, travel means time away while still training regularly and making similar choices they do when at home.
For others (depending on the type of travel) it’s an opportunity to “let go” and just be in the moment.
No guilt.
No worry.
And definitely no anxiety about weight gain, or muscle loss or a potentially tougher come-back when we head back home again.
Basically, the way I see it is that I’ve been at this “fitness thing” for almost 3 decades… that’s a freaking long time. A 2-week hiatus cannot possibly erase 3 decades of squats, push-ups, deadlifts and sprints.
Our bodies don’t betray us that way.
Our muscles have memory.
Our cardiovascular system still knows what to do even after a 2 or even 3 week break.
Trust me. Your body actually loves you!
So am I telling you to “screw it” this summer and “let go” of all healthy habits? Not quite.
Cuz some of the habits I kept were… eating fish every evening for supper (protein), maintaining my water intake (to stay hydrated in the heat) and moving (a ton of movement with hikes and daily walks averaging at least 20 thousand steps a day)
So even though I fully let go of some of my favorite things like lifting weights, I chose to loosely hold on to other “habits'“ that worked for me while away.
I’m back at it now….
and in full disclosure, I had a session with my coach the day after my arrival back home that I wanted to cancel. But decided to show up instead.
The idea of getting back to training scared me a little… “please be nice”… I pleaded with him! Which he was. Just a simple full body training to ease me back in and wake up dem muscles again.
I showed up cuz I knew it would set me back to where I know I thrive at my best while setiing my wheels back in motion.
Action breeds momentum which always precedes motivation.Sometimes we all just needed a little kick in the butt, don’t we?
So letting go a little this summer is totally OK.
But don’t let that spiral you into endless weeks of nada.
A short break does the body, mind and soul so much GOOD.
But so do healthy habits in nutrition and training!
Did you take a break this summer? How’d it go?
To your health,
Coach Lisa 💪
