Two years ago at my sister’s wedding, our family got a number of professional photos of the done.. We previously had done the “let’s-walk-around-the-city-and-look-like-we’re- just-hanging-out-when-people-stare-at-us” photos. These are very popular.
Weddings, engagements, pregnancies, and a number of other life events use this approach. Not us in this instance! But we still got this type of photo shoot done, as the pictures look better and, perhaps, more natural than traditional high school prom pose-style photos.
The Wake-Up Call
I’m a not a photographer, but I can tell when I see something I like or appreciate. The photographer we found took some amazing photos; we purchased a few printouts and digital copies to make into the photos currently hanging around our home. In one of the photos, we’re all sitting.
I kept looking like I was trying to sit up very straight (or as my sister says, like I have a stick up my ass) and trying to hide something. I think I was — my gut. Not necessarily an I’m fat, out-of-shape, or even overweight gut, but an “I’m getting soft gut.”
I’ve always considered myself to be a fit, health-consciousness individual since shredding excess weight as a fat kid growing up. Throughout high school and college, I remained very active in organized or recreational sports – running, swimming, rowing, lifting weights, playing football, and other activities.
Graduation came as well as a full-time “real” job. I continued to exercise regularly, but, looking back, I realized I was getting “softer.”
It’s often said that change doesn’t happen overnight. Well, I didn’t realize it can happen either way: positively or negatively.
Hour long workouts became 45 minutes and then 30 minutes. Harder or more intense days became I’ll just do “an easy 20 minutes on the elliptical day.” Eventually, I started skipping multiple days a week or told myself, I’ll start it up again tomorrow or next week. I had to counter this trend.
Inaction Turns Into Overreaction
So what did I do? I started running long distance and lifting weights. I pushed myself; I ran multiple half marathons and did a lot of cross-training. And it felt good! I ran multiple times a week, started lifting again, did Yoga / Pilates on off days. I kept going and going.
But then I got sore, tired, and, perhaps most significantly, unmotivated. I lost my drive. I found myself in a similar rut — extremely knowledgeable of what I should be doing but highly ineffective.
About six months after the photo shoot, I completed a couple of half-marathons, one of which was on the Chicago lakefront — in January. Fortunately, the last couple of winters had been very forgiving, but I almost injured myself by pushing too hard in the very harsh conditions on race day.
I also ran a worst-ever personal time and felt very defeated. Admittedly, I wasn’t expecting to get a personal record (PR) in realization of the conditions, but I was still disappointed and hoping to have done better. It felt similar to my fat kid street hockey days.
The Realization
That evening following the race in January, I spent an hour or two thinking of what race or event I wanted to do next. I didn’t want to run another half the next month (which I almost signed up for), but I found my answer after a self-realization of what I was missing:
(1) Balancing working hard vs. not working hard enough; and (2) Motivation.
This was the case for me; I wish I took the time to think about it earlier.
Fast forward to today, and I’m realizing I need to hit another reset button. But this time it’s not a drastic course change. It’s more of a slight course correction to help get me to the next level in terms of performance and results – physically, financially, and emotionally.
Looking Back – And More Importantly – Ahead
Since launching Balanced Dividends in the second half of 2017, I’ve realized a lot of what we experience and learn from one area of our lives can carry over into other areas. Personal finance and personal fitness are just one of many potential combinations. And I’m passionate about both these topics.
It’s been extremely rewarding to explore ways to improve oneself. Perhaps even more rewarding, but even more difficult, is being able look inside to ask really difficult questions. More to come on this soon.
Readers, what do you think you need to augment or obtain in order to meet your respective goals? How do you instill positive change while deferring negative change? Can you do both at the same time?
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Pretty deep questions Mike. What drives me and gets me to change is a deep desire to want to accomplish whatever “it” is. If I don’t have “that”, I can become pretty disinterested and apathetic. And I’m not sure where exactly that drive comes from. Tom
It’s a good point, Tom – identifying what “it” is might only be part of the equation. And you’re right – it can be easy to become apathetic. That’s why some type of reminder can be helpful. – Mike
Agree with dividendsdiversify, you dug deep on this one. Besides a “reset” at specific intervals or when you think about it, is there a way to automate a review? Reminders, limits etc? If you can figure that one out you would have something big.
I don’t think there is an automatic way to trigger a review. Aside from scheduling a calendar reminder every for “x” frequency, you’ll still need to have the discipline and motivation to actually execute an effective review (however one might define it). – Mike
Great post. I can totally relate to a slight course correction being the answer. Motivation can be a fascinating thing.
Thanks Jason. A small change can ultimately have profound results. – Mike
mike, i just wrote a long post on katenesi.com about 38 years as a runner. it’s about pretty much what you’re talking about. for me it was about losing the fun in running or whatever workout. i just turned fiddy and it’s easier to stay baseline fit than to get soft/fit in a cycle. best of luck.
Hey Freddy – I’ll check out that post; thanks for mentioning. That’s a good point as well about maintaining a baseline. I’d like to stay above the baseline, or – more importantly – gradually raise the baseline over time. – Mike
Great post, Mike! I can relate to that feeling of realization. I used to be a very active kid biking, playing basketball, and lifting weights. I was like that up until just after school when I started working. But recently I have become soft. I wouldn’t say that you’d see me and think I’m overweight, but I am getting a bit of a gut lol. With that said, I really liked your point about inaction turning into overreaction. It’s completely true. I’ve had brief phases where I get into shape again. But as soon as I feel I’ve reached a good level of fitness again, I seem to give up. I need to make it more of a consistent habit. I would say setting achievable goals and being consistent is how I instil positive results while deferring negative change. Thanks for sharing!
Thank you! Appreciate your thoughts. The overreacting can be difficult to manage as it feels like the right thing to do.
And great point on consistency. – Mike
It’s easy to become lazy and apathetic when it comes to your health and fitness. I’m on a fitness kick myself after finding out that my suit pants I bought just a few months ago no longer fit as well. It sometimes takes a little gut fat to make you realize that you’re not doing enough and age is catching up with you.
Gut fat can be a powerful motivator! And I hear you on the age factor as well…it takes longer to get the same results from 10 years ago in my early / mid 20s. Apathy can be a big issue if not addressed depending on the matter. Health and fitness being one of those key areas. – Mike