Thoughts on the week
This weeks entry expands on last weeks around health and why I think it’s changed for me over the years. I used to define health as being weight and my BMI scores, nice easily defined metrics of health. I see this in business all the time where managers try to manage a key metric using easy metrics that have unforeseen circumstances, no end goal, and typically mean nothing.
Weight is important, but its one metric in a complex set of metrics that I believe can differ from person to person. Tracking your weight obsessively can undo you mentally. I recall sitting in a Weight Watchers meetings years back, where the leader asked the group “Do you think you will achieve your goal weight?”. I recall replying “no” I know myself and I know when i close in on that goal I will probably self destruct as I had been down this path before with weight as my target. Once I self destruct, everything else implodes as well: the desire to exercise, the goal to make forward progress, eating well and so it goes. Then the downward spiral of the Yo-Yo dieting starts until I reach a point where I start all over again.
The realization I have had more recently is health is as much a mental game as a physical one. It’s such a simple concept to think about, but so hard to achieve it seems. It is why I have set new goals for myself to give me a chance of forward traction in this game. I listed some of these objectives in last week’s entry. For example, instead of I want to get to a weight of 180lbs, I reformed my goal to manage an unassisted pull-up amongst some others. One will drive the other but I am also ok if I never hit 180lbs as to achieve the other goals I have as they may not complement each other.
This week has been chaotic between many people in and out of the house, work and just life. That said, I made it to three GTX (Guided Transformational Exercise) at my local Lifetime gym, which is by far my favorite class there. I made it to the gym a few other times and also took a deadlift class that was a total blast. I know for some 220lb, dead lifting is not a lot; for me I am amazed what the body can do and look forward to seeing what it can in the future. Again all this to make me fitter and healthy. I have no interest in bodybuilding and not being able to run, nor being a flat out runner and not able to push weights around somewhere in the middle is a happy place for me.
This week my goals are to continue the work at the gym, to buckle down on a keto way of living as I find myself drifting on and off and to find some time to hit the local trails again for some trail runs.