Stop saying you fell off the wagon… and, not for the reason you think.
A few weeks ago, it struck me that I hadn’t been to the gym in about a month. Yes, me!
I had trained through the spring for a 200km bike ride in June, completed the ride (photo below), and then life did what life does. I took a week off before the ride to rest, another week after to recover, then I went away, and then my gym was under construction. Suddenly, a month had passed.
It got me thinking about routine, habits and how judgy we can be with ourselves.
Sound familiar?
I realized there is another perspective, which is healthier and more accurate. Instead of fitness or strength being binary, (like an on or off switch), think of it like a bank account where you make deposits, over time. And when life happens, you make a withdrawal.
The point isn't to never make a withdrawal but to have something in the account when you need it.
The year has rhythms, and so does life. A year might look something like this: in the spring, ramping up for summer activities, tennis season, a trip, a race, a ride, a wedding. You have a goal and you train toward it. Then summer arrives and the schedule shifts, cottages, travel, late nights, different schedules. Then, September (or January) comes around and you return, sometimes feeling great and sometimes feeling like you are starting over.
There are the predictable shifts in the year and then there are the ones that life throws at you, an injury, surgery, caregiving, a brutal work quarter. These are not failures of discipline. This is life, arriving uninvited.
And here is where it gets interesting.
Fitness declines when we stop training, but it doesn't disappear overnight. The good news is that the body is remarkably good at rebuilding what it has built before. The muscle architecture you have developed means that when you get back to it, you are not starting from scratch.
Building strength is a long-term investment. Not because you will always be consistent, and not because you will never lose fitness. But, because the work you do now gives you something to come back to.
So if you have fallen off recently, don't panic. And don't try to punish yourself back into shape. Give your body a little time to remember what it knows, and then build again.
The goal isn't to never fall off the wagon. The goal is to build a solid foundation so that when life knocks you off course, you can reach your hand into that flush bank account.
One thing to do: Add one cardio session this week
Cardio fades faster than strength. The good news: it also comes back quickly. Here's how to add one session based on what you already do:
If you walk - find a hill or a flight of outdoor stairs. Walk up at a pace that makes conversation slightly difficult. Walk down as your recovery. Repeat 4-6 times.
If you play tennis - add one singles match to your week. The continuous movement of singles is cardiovascular in a way that social doubles often isn't.
If you golf - walk the course and carry your bag. No cart. The combination of walking, carrying load and the terrain adds cardiovascular demand most people don't count.
If you do weights - finish your next session with 8 rounds of 20 seconds maximum effort on the bike, 10 seconds rest (Four minutes total).
If you do yoga - add a brisk 20-minute walk before or after your practice, a purposeful, slightly breathless walk.
Just add one (not all!!)
