Unexpected bonuses in the "downs" of the "ups and downs"
Hey guys! Sorry if I'm a little rambly - it's my first time posting. I just wanted to share something that I recently noticed that I hope can help others along their way as well.
I first started FB workouts last year after finishing a trial at a gym to get some basic form down. I committed to buying a program, some adjustable weights, and got to it. Two programs later, I was really happy with where I was. I'd put on some muscle, got toned, and loved how I looked. But then, as life goes, it got a bit hard. Specifically, school got hard.
I'm currently in a graduate program, and in a few months I'll be taking one of the most important exams in my career. It's pretty high stakes, and to be honest, I'm not doing well. And of course, I get frustrated and stressed, so I eat. Being at school it's not hard to come across donuts and pizza and other less healthy foods. And when I'm stressed it's what I crave so I my self-control fails. Usually, I'm pretty good at avoiding those foods, yet still allowing myself the occasional treat (because I love food and who doesn't enjoy some good pizza now and then?), but the stress has just been a lot recently. I've still been keeping up with my FB workouts because it's the only hour a day I can truly disconnect and just focus on form/something other than school. However, I've seen the changes in my eating habits most definitely reflected my body composition, and it started to bother me. My clothes are getting tight, not in the uh... muscle gains kind of areas and ways.
The other day, I was lamenting how my lower belly looked while I was stretching. I was just thinking about how much I disliked it, being so negative about it, when I realized in the middle of my standing toe-touch stretch that I was touching the floor. I haven't been able to do that since I was seven. And today, doing some weighted squats, I realized the weights didn't feel so heavy anymore. I'd been so focused on using my outward appearance as the only judge of my progress that I'd forgotten that there were other little things as well. My flexibility has improved so much since I started Fitness Blender, and even my posture. Now I can lift more and even do pushups! Even if one of my goals wasn't going the way I wanted it go, I'd found a little unexpected bonus along the way.
Apologies for my rambling! I know that fitness journeys can be difficult, with many ups and downs. It's not a one way path where you unlock ULTIMATE FIT GOALS OF ALL TIME and it stays there forever. But I learned that even if you aren't at that peak, there's still little victories to earn along the way.
I hope that whoever is brave enough to read through all of these disorganized thoughts of mine and stick around to the end is able to find a little silver lining in today, no matter how small.
Unexpected bonuses in the "downs" of the "ups and downs"
Hey guys! Sorry if I'm a little rambly - it's my first time posting. I just wanted to share something that I recently noticed that I hope can help others along their way as well.
I first started FB workouts last year after finishing a trial at a gym to get some basic form down. I committed to buying a program, some adjustable weights, and got to it. Two programs later, I was really happy with where I was. I'd put on some muscle, got toned, and loved how I looked. But then, as life goes, it got a bit hard. Specifically, school got hard.
I'm currently in a graduate program, and in a few months I'll be taking one of the most important exams in my career. It's pretty high stakes, and to be honest, I'm not doing well. And of course, I get frustrated and stressed, so I eat. Being at school it's not hard to come across donuts and pizza and other less healthy foods. And when I'm stressed it's what I crave so I my self-control fails. Usually, I'm pretty good at avoiding those foods, yet still allowing myself the occasional treat (because I love food and who doesn't enjoy some good pizza now and then?), but the stress has just been a lot recently. I've still been keeping up with my FB workouts because it's the only hour a day I can truly disconnect and just focus on form/something other than school. However, I've seen the changes in my eating habits most definitely reflected my body composition, and it started to bother me. My clothes are getting tight, not in the uh... muscle gains kind of areas and ways.
The other day, I was lamenting how my lower belly looked while I was stretching. I was just thinking about how much I disliked it, being so negative about it, when I realized in the middle of my standing toe-touch stretch that I was touching the floor. I haven't been able to do that since I was seven. And today, doing some weighted squats, I realized the weights didn't feel so heavy anymore. I'd been so focused on using my outward appearance as the only judge of my progress that I'd forgotten that there were other little things as well. My flexibility has improved so much since I started Fitness Blender, and even my posture. Now I can lift more and even do pushups! Even if one of my goals wasn't going the way I wanted it go, I'd found a little unexpected bonus along the way.
Apologies for my rambling! I know that fitness journeys can be difficult, with many ups and downs. It's not a one way path where you unlock ULTIMATE FIT GOALS OF ALL TIME and it stays there forever. But I learned that even if you aren't at that peak, there's still little victories to earn along the way.
I hope that whoever is brave enough to read through all of these disorganized thoughts of mine and stick around to the end is able to find a little silver lining in today, no matter how small.