Monday was my first day back working out after taking a six week break. My original plan was to take four weeks off to let my body rest and recover but as it turned out my body forced me to take an extra two weeks off. I feel great now that I have been able to get two great workouts in but I did not feel so great during my six weeks off.
My realizations after six weeks off: my sleep habits changed, my energy levels dropped, I had no motivation, I found myself feeling depressed, my eating habits changed and overall I just wasn't myself.
On a normal night it takes me about three minutes to fall asleep. Over the last six weeks however there were nights where I would lie in bed up to an hour before falling asleep. There were also nights when I would wake up and not be able to completely fall back asleep. So with my sleep turning to shit, my energy levels dropped quite a bit. Instead of having enough energy for myself and another average individual, I found it difficult to keep my energy up long enough to make it until noon. Being tired all day resulted in having no motivation to write or grow my business. Worst of all, I had no motivation to better myself.
It was around the beginning of week five that I began feeling depressed at times. I know most of the depressed feelings centered around being forced to take an extra two weeks off but I was also down on myself for not writing, growing my business or continuing to better myself. To deal with my feelings of depression, I did what many individuals do: I ate and drank. I found any excuse to have a glass of wine or a beer when I got home from work and portion control at dinner was no where to be found. Then after shoveling my face full of food, I would beat myself up for it resulting in more depressed feelings.
What was my problem? My problem was that I did not have a plan, or goal, going into my four week rest and recovery phase. When I'm working out, I constantly have a goal that I am working toward. So why didn't I set one for my rest and recovery phase? I have no idea. For the first time in a very long time I was not "working toward something greater" and I believe that is what lead me to not feel and act like myself.
It is so important to set goals for yourself. Without goals, and a plan to achieve them, we are simply wondering through life with nothing to celebrate. When we set goals and achieve them we are able to celebrate our accomplishments. There is a heightened sense of self-worth that comes with achievement. When you have great self-worth you don't feel depressed, you don't search out food or alcohol for comfort, you do feel energized, you do feel motivated and you continue to "work toward something greater!"
Set a goal. Achieve it. Celebrate your achievement. Set another goal. And Repeat!
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