Right now is normally when I would start to spiral. The last couple of days have been hell. It all started Wednesday night with my wife thinking someone was hacking her PayPal account. Well, no. Someone actually got ahold of her Social Security number and ended up trying to take out all kinds of loans. It’s moments like this when I have a really, really hard time believing there’s good in everyone.
Anyway, that took up major portions of our days protecting her identity, canceling phony accounts, all of it. Then the storm hit Thursday night, and woof. At 4 a.m., I’m out in the front yard grabbing whatever is left of our Halloween decorations and bringing them inside. In our backyard, we have sheet metal on top of the rock wall. A couple of months ago, some of the braces broke through the rock, and it was ready to come down. Thankfully, I got connected with an awesome guy named Abraham, who was able to patch up the wall and help secure it. Well, the parts that weren’t secured yet failed epically during Thursday night’s storm.
So, no sleep whatsoever Wednesday or Thursday night. And this is normally when I would somehow rationalize just going off the deep end. “Screw it. I don’t need to work out. I don’t need to eat healthy. I’m just going to drink tonight because life sucks.” That kind of thing.
BUT, remember, this is about progress. Awareness. Acknowledging mistakes and moving on. Which is really tough when you’re sleep-deprived.
All I wanted this week was to head to the Outlet Mall, go to the Disney Store, then come home and watch Halloween episodes of old TV shows. Which we ended up doing, but my heart wasn’t in it because of the sleep deprivation. I did also grab some whiskey last night. Not the best choice, but I know that. And I didn’t overdo it, which would have been really easy to do.
That’s something I’m learning more and more about. That whole “drink to relax” thing can do more damage than you think, especially close to bedtime. From sleep quality to gut health, alcohol can affect quite a bit of what I’m trying to improve with this reset.
Today’s Check-In
- Weight: 193.0 lb
- Goal Weight: 175 lb
- To Goal: 18.0 lb
- Body Fat: 20.7%
- Muscle Mass: 145.2 lb
- Visceral Fat: 8
- Body Water: 57.3%
- BMR: 1,868 calories
Today’s Plan
As I sit here typing this on Saturday morning, I know I need to get going and get moving. Today is exactly the kind of day I would sit in front of my computer, work on things and become a lump. That’s the opposite of what I need right now.
It’s funny how I said earlier that October 23rd was going to be my big test because that two-week mark is usually when I start struggling. Life basically told me no, gave me the middle finger and said, “We’re testing you now.” Which is fine. That’s also the goal of this. To be tested.
I’ll be writing an article for The Temple at some point this weekend about Stoicism and dealing with adversity. It’s easy to be consistent and have a routine when everything is going fine. The truly difficult part is being able to do it when you’re pushed or challenged. And that’s where writing this out this morning has helped. It’s kind of like writing out your to-do list. Being able to see it written down gives it more meaning.
So today, I’m moving. I’m going to Costco. Yeah, I’m 46. Costco is an event for me, and I love it. I’m getting to the gym today. I’m going to ice bath today. I’m going to sauna today. I’m going to move and be healthy today.
Up until tonight when we go to Brew at the Zoo.
Okay, I’m not going to be completely unhealthy when we go to Brew at the Zoo, but I’m going to allow myself a few beers. The difference is that I’m making that decision consciously rather than using a terrible week as an excuse to completely abandon everything I’ve been working on.
