Work Hard so you don’t have to work so hard
I ran a Spartan Sprint (5k with 20 obstacles) at a ski resort this past weekend, so lots of hills to climb! When I signed up for it, I was excited to have something to train for, since my cardio conditioning has been pretty non-existent the past couple years! February hit, and life became very hectic. I have lifted maybe 5 times in the past 3 months. I did 3 cardio sessions a couple weeks ago (one of which included some 100lb medicine ball carries). To say I did not prepare for this race would be an understatement. I got a full sleeve blackout tattoo that led to not being able to train for a couple weeks and had 2 trips that occurred. When I got back from my second trip in March, I ended up in the hospital a couple days after returning and was diagnosed with pericarditis. I never even heard of that until people started getting it after being covid vaxxed, and I’m not (some of you may be triggered by that). They said it normally occurs after someone has been sick, but I wasn’t sick. I’m wondering if all the damage and inflammation from the tattoo a few weeks prior has something to do with it. ANYWAY…. this got me thinking.
I don’t look as “good” as I did a couple years ago. Not quite as lean, strong, or conditioned as I was. I’m fine with how I look and feel overall, but thoughts are always there about how I think I should look better since I’m a nutrition coach. These thoughts mainly come from me thinking other people would see me and think this. Get me the right shirt or tank top and I’m fine. Take the shirt off and I have the love handles and lacking lower chest definition that haunts me from my childhood, when some girls at the pool were laughing at my love handles as a 12 or 13 year old. It’s just where I store my fat! It takes a lot of work for me to get them to go away. Regardless of what I think other people think of me, I still judge myself for my decisions that I’m not proud of that lead to periods of time of not being so lean. Do you struggle with the same thoughts? Comparing yourself to others, but more so comparing yourself to past versions of yourself?
I have another point coming up soon relating to the title of this blog…
Before I get to that, I want to remind you, and myself, that’s it’s not my body that I’ll get insecure about, as much as the level of training or food quality that I will get disappointed about. I know my life has been crazier in 2024 than it has been in years, so I need to give myself some grace. Do the same for yourself if you’re in that same place. I need to align my actions more with my values and remember how I feel when I’m eating and training better. Do the same for yourself. This brings me to the title…
I worked hard for years. I eat well overall for years. I also indulge in garbage at times. I saw a reflection of myself recently and thought “Damn, I look good for not doing any training or tracking calories”. You may think that sounds cocky. That’s fine. I never think that of myself, but I did this one day. I thought about how it takes years of something to build a foundation that allows you to neglect it for periods of time without destroying everything. Even without training/preparing for the Spartan, I was still able to complete the race as well as all the obstacles. I did skip the hill roll, where you just lay on your side and roll down the dirt under barbwire - just didn’t feel like it! Felt good with doing the rings, monkey bars, and rope climb. The foundation was laid to allow me to do this! Unfortunately for most people, they do the opposite and never get to bear the fruits of the long game labor. Most people spend years neglecting themselves, then do a 3 month change in behavior expecting the result that people with years under their belt get. If you want to look good without working hard, you have to work hard for a long period of time. You need to commit to a total overhaul in behavior. A total overhaul in thinking. You need to play the long game long enough to be able to not have to work so hard.
Remodeling a destroyed home takes a lot of time, effort, and planning. Once it’s all done, maintaining that house isn’t that much work. Fix stuff when it breaks, mow the lawn, clean up, declutter, dust, mop, and whatever else needs to be done. Think of this when you are trying to change your body. WORK HARD SO YOU DON’T HAVE TO WORK SO HARD. The trick is to do it longer than you may have thought. Are you ready to do the work needed to feel and look good without having to work so hard?
