The Journey Part 5: Epilogue

Wow, part 5. When I wrote part 1 to this series I honestly had no idea there would be more articles. And I had no idea what I was personally in store for as I worked towards my goals.

In Part 2, I wrote about facing struggles on your fitness journey. I specifically had in mind fitness-related struggles. In other words, the struggles many people face because they do not have an inherent love of weight training or cardio and thus find it hard to maintain a routine. Or struggles for those who do not enjoy cooking or grocery shopping and therefore do not eat as healthy as they had hoped. I had not really thought about those struggles outside of the fitness journey that still IMPACT the fitness journey.

The techniques discussed for handling stress and struggles work either way. I was simply surprised (and lucky) that I had been in a phase of life where external stress was minimal. In other words, through much of my own fitness journey, I was not dealing with external stressors such as job stress, family/marital relationship issues, loss of loved ones, hospitalization/health issues that surprise us, etc. That does not mean I didn't have to expend effort on my own fitness journey. I still was married with two children and two jobs to manage, but none the less, I was fairly lucky.

So what do you do when you are on track with your fitness program but suddenly face these new external stressors?

In Part 1, I wrote:

“Achieving balance also means breaking down your ambitious goal into smaller bite-sized chunks. The larger goal provides us greater motivation, but the smaller goals along the way provide us with additional feedback. Either we achieve them as expected and experience the emotional reward from that achievement. Or possibly, we do not achieve them, and it serves to help us adapt and redefine future steps toward our larger goal.

There is good data to suggest that being flexible with your goal is better than being too rigid. This doesn’t mean you should give up easily or aim too low. Rather, it suggests being engaged in the process and recognizing when a specific goal is not serving your interests or even when it is causing more stress in your life. It is being willing to move the targets for both the smaller and larger goals to better align with who you are and what you value.”

You must be flexible, you may have to move your targets. But, as I wrote, this does NOT mean giving up. In fact, when life gets stressful, it is all the more important to attempt to maintain good health. The better your health, the better you will be able to handle the stress. To be resilient in the face of difficulty. However, as you face life’s struggles, it is perfectly fine to say that this specific goal is not serving my interests because at this time, I value “X” above “Y”, for example, whatever "X' and "Y" may be for you personally.

You are not giving up on “Y”, but rather, better aligning your goals (small and large) with what you value. In my case, as my life stress (outside of fitness) increased drastically, I came to the realization that I valued time with my wife more than long hikes. I also valued enjoying a glass of wine with her on many a night which took my evening parkour trips off the table. It’s hard to do backflips when you are buzzed, lol.

In Part 3, I wrote:

“There certainly will be times in your life where fitness endeavors take a back seat. [This does not mean you ignore your health and wellness, but possibly your more intense goals take a back seat to a slower, more gradual approach] “

Some of my fitness endeavors took a back seat. But not all. I still had a goal of getting into nearly identical shape as when I did a bodybuilding show 10 years ago. To know what I am referring to, simply look at the photos that appear on the banner and footer of my website and on my introductory “Who am I?” video.

There was simply no reason why I could not pursue the physique goal. And you can too.

Why? Because hugely important for any physique goal is nutrition. And guess what? Whether life is high stress or low stress for you currently, I bet you eat. You take time to consume several meals per day whether it’s a bad day or a good day. You eat food when times are awesome and when times stink. Am I right? So why not eat healthy? That is at least one part of your life you have control over when all else seems to be unraveling.

Please do not say you don’t have time. Eating healthy does not have to take much time. Don’t feel like cooking? Even that’s OK. There are plenty of healthy protein-rich foods that you can eat without cooking. For protein, there’s cottage cheese, greek yogurt, canned chicken, canned fish (or the ziplocked pouch version of chicken or fish), jerky sticks, whey protein powders, and pre-made protein shakes. Do you have 5 minutes? Scramble some eggs. Do you have 10 minutes? Cook up a chicken breast or steak. If you cook it longer than that you are just drying it out anyway! : )

For carbs, there’s fruit and canned beans/veggies for no-cook options. Have 5 minutes? Bake a potato, heat up a bowl of oatmeal, cook some minute rice. Have 10 minutes? Boil some pasta.

For healthy fats, eat some coconut oil or avocado. Drizzle some olive oil on a salad or whatever you are eating. The point is, you can eat healthy without a large investment of time or energy.

Heck, have a meal replacement bar as long as it has at least 20g of protein. Not ideal, but it will do the trick in a pinch. Or a frozen dinner heated up in the microwave. There are some healthy options out there that don’t have to break your budget. The point is, you can eat healthy without a large time or emotional investment.

And if you do have time to cook at least a couple times per week, then simply make LARGE quantities so when you don’t have time, you have leftovers. Investing in cooking can mean meals for the next few days! That's a time saver, not a time waster.

What about training? Can you still pursue your physique goals when life is throwing curveballs at you? Yes. Absolutely. Here’s why.

Unless you are the very rare exception, you are not trying to grow huge amounts of muscle. That is limited to high level bodybuilders. The rest of us mere mortals are usually trying to look slightly better than we do now. Lose a bit of weight, get a little stronger, lose some inches around the waist. To do that we simply need to MAINTAIN our muscle.

Good news! Maintaining muscle requires far less volume of training than building muscle. Can you find 15 to 30 minutes 3 times per week? Then you can maintain your muscle if you are using that time intelligently. If you can’t find 15 to 30 minutes 3 times per week, then please turn on your smart phone’s “screen time report” and get back to me. I guarantee you waste that much time on your phone scrolling through apps. No judgement here, I am simply making the point that you can find the time.

Can you invest more than that? Sure! However, I am trying to give you permission during those hard times in life to cut back and still recognize that it is effective. What I don’t want to see is the all or nothing mentality of; “If I can’t do 1 hour workouts 4 or 5 times per week, then there’s no point in doing anything!” WRONG!

My own workouts do not last longer than 30 minutes. And granted, I do workout 6 days per week, however, that is still only 3 hours total of workouts per week. That gave me plenty of time and space to work on/deal with other life stress that was happening as I pursued my goals.

In Part 1 I wrote:

“I value Christlike character.”

Trying to be more like my Savior, meant that some activities like hiking and parkour had to take a backseat while I worked on relationships. But I also recognized that maintaining physical health is very important to mental and relational health, so I made sure to continue eating right and working hard in the gym to be as healthy as possible.

In Part 3, I came up with this equation, which may need modified slightly:

Drive (Values) + Specific Challenging Goals + Mindfulness Techniques = Victory

Adapted:

Drive (Values) + Specific Challenging Goals (adapted to life stressors) + Mindfulness Techniques (applied to life stressors) = Victory

So, did I achieve my goal of getting into nearly identical shape as when I did a bodybuilding show 10 years ago?

Personally, I felt I achieved victory. You can be the judge by the pictures below. I will note that I was 176 pounds in the recent photos (pale/bearded) and 168 in the old photos (tan/no beard). Had I pushed this fat loss phase another 8 pounds, I think I would have looked identical or possibly even a tad better at age 43 as compared to 33. Why didn't I push it farther? No need to be honest. I wasn't stepping on stage in a tiny little men's bikini bottom. Had that been the case I would have kept going.

And here is a "before" pick from late March, around 198 pounds. Hopefully, you can appreciate the visual difference losing 22 pounds makes!

A few notes I need to make that should encourage you:

I worked out less at 43 than I did when I was 33.

That is contrary to what most people would expect. When I was 33, I threw everything I had at it because I knew I was going to step on stage with almost no clothes on. I was working out twice a day on many occasions and even 3 times on a few occasions. This time, I never worked out twice. I got my 30 minute workout completed and I was done for the day. The human body needs quality rest just as much as it needs a quality workout.

I indulged more.

I barely indulged during my diet when I was 33. This time, I was enjoying 2 to 3 glasses of wine 3 or 4 nights per week. Yes, you read that right. That’s not a small amount. And I was still able to lose fat and get into great shape. But I had to cut out a lot of other calories to make up for the calories I added through the wine. The point is, life is a series of trade offs, you can make room for things you enjoy. However, you must be realistic and realize you cannot simply have EVERYTHING you want. I decided that a few glasses of wine was better than a portion of rice or potatoes and I am glad I did.

No gimmicks.

Finally, there are no gimmicks in the recent photos I took. When you take typical bodybuilding photos, like the ones above, you will employ certain techniques to make the most of the occasion and get your physique to appear its absolute best. You deplete your body, then load up with carbs, then get a pump and, of course, there’s also the tan. Being very tan prevents you from washing out in natural lighting like when you are pale. I didn’t do any of that in the recent pictures. No pump, no tan, no special dietary tricks. I simply asked my son to take a few photos. We didn’t even use a special camera, just a regular iPhone.

Where to from here? Back to Part 1, setting goals. Because having something to work towards, whether in fitness or life, is the first step towards achieving it.

Me? I am right back on track for a gainer outside. Here’s one in the gym, I just need to take it outdoors which is WAY scarier.

And hiking? This fall is starting to look pretty appealing for hiking, maybe a marathon is in my future.

What are you working towards?