ups and downs

We all have ups and downs. In the early stages, say you are fuelled by clarity or good anger or whatever - you just blitz through every obstacle. You prioritise going to the gym or eating better or not drinking or all of the above.

Inevitably, the fire burns lesser. There's only so long that we can live in this imbalance. Work catches up. Or you miss catching up with your friends. Or the cravings are out in full swing.

First up, it happens. Relax. It happens to everyone.

balance in imbalance

The long-term solution is to figure out how often to live in this imbalance. That's something only you can figure out, based on your context. You will make some substantial changes, some big habit tweaks and all that. But even then, you will need to figure out some sort of balance in the imbalance. A few months of the year, your focus will be lifting weights. A few months of the year, you will clean up your nutrition big-time. And most of the year, you learn to coast (in a good way).

When you lose motivation, it generally is a sign of stress. Things elsewhere are adding up. If you are someone who loves going to the gym and are suddenly finding it hard to wake up and move your ass out of bed, it is almost always your body telling you to chill out. You haven't lost your mojo, relax. There's only so much stress your body can take. To put it in jargon, your body is shifting into parasympathetic mode a bit extra to tell you to calm down and chill out more. Take a hint!

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Photo by Jonnelle Yankovich / Unsplash

This is a good time to go on walks with your spouse, take a vacation, schedule more time with your buddies. Or if the vacation bit is not possible (work is crazy and oh, there's a pandemic around), then all the more reason to calm down on stressing yourself at the gym. Lifting weights is stress. Sure, it is fun and all that. But eventually, stress is stress to the body.

So, find out other ways to de-stress yourself. Instead of criticising yourself about being a lazy bum and not waking up or going to the gym, find something else to do. It doesn't have to be a physical activity - may be more time to dabble in your long-neglected hobby. Sing more. Dust off that guitar and do whatever one does with a guitar. Do your thing.

take 2 weeks off

I've found that as little as 2 weeks off from training rejuvenates me. I cannot wait to get going again.

Remember, not feeling like going to the gym simply means your body is smarter than your mind. Listen to it. You are someone who loves going to the gym - you don't just fall out of love with it. Give it a break.

It will come back.

I'll see you at the gym in 2 weeks.