A Man Reborn

So, first off – I went to Muay Thai class for the first time in a long while.  Today was nice and humid and the warm up nearly killed me (sprints!), but hey – this is my punishment for having neglected my cardio for so long.  I will suck it up and deal, because I know it will get better shortly.

It’s kind of strange to see what knowledge / technique I retained from when I used to go often.  Keeping my hands high at all times is no problem for me even when my shoulders burn with fiery pain.  Getting tagged more than enough times because my hands were low will do that.  But, it was good to come back and it felt great to do a really intense workout.

Moving on… I’ve always had issues with motivation.  Sometimes it seems like my motivation comes and goes like the wind.  I am going to spend some time trying to figure out exactly what triggers these motivation state changes for me so I can use them to my advantage instead of the other way around.  What I do know is that when I am in a good state, there is little to nothing that can stop me.  So I’m going to ride this wave and make some changes.  Gonna pick up some new habits and reclaim some others that I’ve let slip.  My immediate focus is to be super-strict on these for the rest of the month – I started yesterday, so that’s 21 days – in my own experience 3 solid weeks is enough time to make a lasting change.

So, here goes:

1. Stop complaining without doing anything to remedy the situation

This came from an article on Tim Ferriss’s blog.  I’m a big fan of his book, The Four Hour Workweek and I’ve implemented some of his basic ideas with positive effects.  I’m also working on an even bigger change, but that’s a whole other post for later.  Anyway, the idea is to not describe a person or event negatively without indicating some steps to fix the problem that prompted the reaction in the first place.  To remind me, I’ve got a blue rubber band on my left wrist.  If I slip up, it goes to the other wrist.  I’m big on the idea that thoughts become actions, so this makes sense to me.

Source: http://www.fourhourworkweek.com/blog/2007/09/18/real-mind-control-the-21-day-no-complaint-experiment/

2. Cut back my meat consumption by 25%

For a number of reasons I am going to cut back on the amount of meat I consume.  I’m going to start by cutting it down by 25%.  I’m not going to do any set plan ala Meatless Mondays – just going to make sure that at least 25% of my weekly meals don’t contain meat.  Which leads right into my next change.

3. Keep a food journal

In the past my best results at getting in shape have been when I kept a detailed food journal.  I’ve got an iPhone coming in the mail soon which will make this a cinch.

4. Follow a morning ritual

Another belief I’m big on is that your mental state controls your outcome.  Starting the day off in a negative state  can quickly spiral into a bad day overall.  The morning ritual is designed to put me in a positive state of mind where I’m ready to take on the day properly.

1. Wake up – don’t snooze, don’t toss – when the alarm goes I’ll pop out of bed like a bat out of hell and open my blackout curtains to get  some sunshine in the room.
2. Drink a big glass of water – morning = dehydration.
3. Move and get the blood flowing – anything really, just 5-15 minutes of quick exercise.
4. Listen to a motivating song.
5. Read my goal list and feel and envision how I will feel when I achieve them.
6. Think about things in my life I am grateful for.
7. Clean myself up – groom, dress, etc. – self explanatory – but with a little more attention to detail.
8. Cook breakfast and prepare my lunch.

5. Intense exercise at least 4 times a week

Another habit that I’ve fallen out of with a negative result on my body and my mind.  Intense exercise does amazing things for me.  I think clearer, feel better and just plain feel great.  I’m writing this hours after a hard Muay Thai class today and I’m completely awake, full of energy and super focused.  The next 3 weeks are also going to be ridiculously busy at work.  One of my problems has been that I allow myself to make work an excuse to not workout.  This is just bullshit – there’s always time and the net result is that I have more energy and am more focused so if I am super busy it’s to my benefit to fit in a workout.

21 days (20 now, as I started yesterday technically) to go.  It might look like a lot, but each is a small change when broken down.  I know myself and I know that right now I’m in a hyper-motivated state so it’s a good time to tackle these.  When I make these into established habits then it will be easier to keep my momentum going when this state of motivation wears off – and it will.