Time

Oops! So much for my “more regular” blogging activity! One minute, I was swept up in the competition whirlwind that was mid-June, and all of a sudden, I’m less than 6 weeks out from nationals! Where does the time go? I spent this time training and watching my diet as usual (lifting heavy and changing my rep ranges, and increasing carbs and fats in my diet), and I’ve now been working with Layne again for the past 2 weeks. I’m feeling stronger in the gym, and it feels great eating some more delicious carbs and fats! (He did say that we’ll drop the hammer at 4 weeks out, so I’m enjoying this while I can!)

It always takes me by surprise how fast time flies, and it’s something that’s become especially clear to me since I started my fitness journey (I need to come up with a better term for it, because it sounds so clichéd! It also makes it sound like there’s an end to this “journey,” and it’s really more of a lifestyle that I’ll hopefully be able to maintain in some shape or form forever!). It’s been about a year since I started working with Layne (see? Time flies!), and while it may have taken some getting used to at first (for me, the biggest thing was becoming conscious of what I was eating. Food served a purpose and wasn’t there simply to cram into my mouth whenever I saw it or felt bored), once I got “into the groove,” it was the easiest thing in the world. Sure, my macros change periodically, but I’m basically on autopilot.

One of those “motivational” quotes (I know, they’re so clichéd, but they really do help!) that first kept me going at first was “Whether you do it or not, the time will pass.” Each day, while in itself insignificant, contributes to the end result. Will it matter if you skip a single workout or cheat on your diet? In the grand scheme of things, of course one day will not derail your progress. But whatever your ideal is with regards to appearance, health, or performance, each day can be an investment toward reaching that ideal. It sounds like common knowledge that if you set aside a certain amount of money each day, it adds up with time, and eventually, you’ll have a nice little chunk of change. Fitness and health are like that too. However, many people seem to have little trouble understanding that saving up just a small amount of money each month will lead to a big payout when they retire, but they can’t seem to stick with a fitness or nutrition plan longer than a couple of weeks.

Let me try to explain a diet or fitness plan in monetary terms. Let’s say you start an extreme crash diet and fitness plan. You’re in the gym 7 days a week, surviving on 1000 calories a day. It’s really hard, and it’s really uncomfortable (and it’s definitely not maintainable). Say this equals an effort worth $10 a day. On the other hand, let’s say you start a very moderate diet and exercise program that you can easily work into your everyday life. The effort required for this type of program might be worth about $1 a day. You can only sustain the extreme measures for two weeks, but you can sustain the moderate program for a year. At the end of the year (or at the end of your life, if you want to look at the big picture), who’s reaped the greater reward? Not to mention the metabolic damage and rebound that’s bound to have happened with the two-week program. Even factor in a few “off” days into the dollar-a-day plan, and it still trumps the quick fix!

If health is wealth, how are you contributing to your future physical wealth today? Put a dollar aside in your health piggybank, and eat nutritiously today. Sneak in a quick workout (it doesn’t even have to take longer than a few minutes!). Time will pass as it always does whether you do or you don’t, but in the end, if you keep investing little by little, the payout will be worth the wait. Be patient with your body like you are with your money, and you’ll eventually reap the rewards.