Month: August 2020

You hear this a lot in the military, but it holds true when it comes to health and fitness. Every day, we face new challenges, and most are not easy.

It’s hard to stay healthy and fit. Some people will say it’s so easy, and it takes no effort (heck, I may have said in the past that it’s easy), but it requires discipline and motivation.

It’s very easy to fall off the horse, so to speak. It’s very easy to start allowing larger portions or non-compliant foods back in little by little and then before you know it, you’re completely off-plan, gaining weight, and skipping workouts.

I recently had (and still have, to some degree) a shoulder injury that kept me from weightlifting and running for almost two weeks. I decided yesterday to suck it up and just get into the gym at to get out and run. Did it hurt? Yes, but I am pretty sure that the pain in my shoulder is because I keep sleeping on my shoulder wrong, not because it’s hurt.

It’s easy to find excuses to skip workouts, but what defines our success is when we push through adversity, when we push past the pain, and when we push through cravings and temptations. What makes us different from others is that we put in the work. Sometimes that work is as simple (notice I didn’t say easy) as forcing smaller portions and eating slower or just getting into your gym clothes. For me, once I put on my gym clothes, I’m committed. That’s the toughest part for me; getting started. Once I’m dressed, the rest is easy.

We all have challenges. We all face difficulties. What makes you different from everyone else is that you met the challenge and pushed through.

I had to take a nearly one-week break due to too much going on and then a sore shoulder. I was going to run yesterday, but thought another day might be better for my shoulder. I’m not quite sure what’s going on with it, but I don’t want to push things.

My run times have been getting better, and I’m nearly back to the same weights I was lifting a year ago. It’s taken a long time to get back to where I am now; I hated having to lose nearly a week of exercise. But that ends today.

As for my weight, it’s still a bit higher than I’d like due to COVID-19 quarantines, but it’s leveled off and I’m not gaining anymore. I am still eating healthy Paleo foods, and I’m still very careful, but sitting in a house all day with exercise only every other day doesn’t help burn calories. Eating less has proved problematic; I get hungry and then over-eat. So, the challenges are definitely here, but I’m doing my best.

Keep at eating well. Keep doing your exercise. Do the work. That’s my mantra, and it’s helping to keep me strong and to stay steady.